All eyes on Wednesday, December 11 are on Lagos, Nigeria as Mobile Scan Solutions (MScan), a Ugandan startup, and 14 others from across Sub-Saharan Africa compete for the much coveted “Africa’s Favourite Startup” prize in the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 competition.
The event, which is sponsored by Facebook, is searching for Sub-Saharan Africa’s best innovators, makers, and technology entrepreneurs.
TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa sees start-ups compete across three categories — social good, productivity and utility, and gaming and entertainment.
It profiles the founders and entrepreneurs leading Africa’s next wave of technology innovation and highlights new ideas, businesses and applications with disruptive potential.
TechCrunch then allows the companies to compete on stage for a $25,000 equity-free grand prize, a trip for two to TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2019, and the coveted title of “Africa’s Favorite Startup.”
MS-SCAN develops low-cost portable mobile ultrasound devices (Ultrasonic probes) that are laptop, tablet and mobile phone compatible.
MS-CAN seeks to reduce maternal mortality by early detection of risk factors and easy accessibility to affordable ultrasound services was announced the winner of this third challenge.
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“Following the great success of the inaugural TechCrunch Startup Battlefield event in 2017, we are delighted to return as the headline sponsor for this year’s event,” says Emeka Afigbo, Facebook’s Head of Developer Programmes.
“Given our passion for connecting people and helping developers and entrepreneurs to thrive, we can’t wait to see how this year’s entrants are using technology to engage and empower people across the continent.”
Founders have spent the past several weeks receiving intensive coaching from the TechCrunch team, refining their pitches, business models, and honing their presentation skills.
For each of the three semi-final rounds, teams will pitch for six minutes, with a live demo, followed by a rigorous Q&A with our panel of expert judges.
After judge deliberations, only five companies will make it to the Startup Battlefield Finals. Teams will compete with the same pitch but a more intensive Q&A with new judges.
It should be noted that Phyllis Kyomuhendo, a cofounder at MScan was announced as the overall achiever of the 2018 Young Achievers Awards.
Click for more the program of the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018
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