Applications are now open for the US$100,000 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition. The 2024 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition invites agrifood entrepreneurs from across Africa to showcase their startup business ventures. Judges will be looking for innovative founders and co-founders aged 18-35 with the vision to establish sustainable scalable businesses, drive resilience, increase food security, and create jobs in the agrifood sector.
This year’s competition will recognize and celebrate African entrepreneurs whose business solutions address the pressing need for efficient local production of nutritious food, with business models that embrace scale and innovation, while also helping to mitigate climate and broader environmental challenges.
The top competitors selected this year will have the opportunity to shine at the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize final pitch competition, set to take place during the prestigious Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, from 2 to 6 September.
GoGettaz is a partnership initiative with a vision to strengthen the ecosystem for youth entrepreneurs in the agrifood sector across the continent. Founding partners are Econet, a privately held multinational telecommunications, media, energy, and technology conglomerate, and Yara International, a global crop nutrition company, founded in Norway.
GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Benefits
- 100,000 US Dollars in prizes will go to 2 Winners!
- Two grand prizes of $50,000 each will be awarded to the most promising and impactful female and male agripreneur-led businesses.
- Impact Awards: The judges will also be looking to award ventures that make a significant impact in one or more of the following areas: rural livelihoods, nutrition, climate, digital technology, gender, natural resources, and job creation.
- The top GoGettaz agripreneurs will get an all-expenses paid trip to pitch their businesses at the GoGettaz Finals at the Africa Food Systems Forum Summit. The 2024 AFSF Summit will be held in Kigali, Rwanda, in September.
- The GoGettaz partnership platform offers an avenue for recognition, networking and support, and fast-tracks the development and implementation of groundbreaking solutions essential for the sustainable transformation of Africa’s food systems.
- Beyond the competition, GoGettaz finalists can look forward to ongoing support to advance their leadership and impact in the agrifood sector. Top contestants will be invited to apply for the exclusive 6-month GoGettaz Africa Leadership Program, designed to empower emerging leaders with the skills and network to grow themselves and their businesses.
- Selected entrepreneurs will benefit from personalised support, engaging in individual coaching, peer-to-peer sessions, and workshops led by thought leaders, fostering continuous growth and development even after the GAPC competition period concludes.
Eligibility
They are looking for:
The Entrepreneur
- Entrepreneur is aged 35 or below on the date of submission to the competition, and is legally recognised as an adult in country of nationality
- Entrepreneur holds nationality (with an official ID) from a country which is a member of the African Union
- Entrepreneur is the founder/co-founder of the venture he/she represents in the competition and plays an active role in its operations and leadership
- Entrepreneur has no criminal record related to corruption, tax evasion, financial impropriety, felony, or other offence, and will provide a signed declaration to that effect, if requested
The Venture
- Venture is already legally registered in a country which is a member of the African Union or will have commenced with the registration of such a legal entity prior to 1 July 2024
- Venture is headquartered in a country which is a member of the African Union
- Venture is designed to be financially sustainable, either as a for-profit business or a non-profit generating some revenue and aiming not to be dependent on donor funding
- Venture plays a role in the agrifood sector and/or supports the development of the agrifood sector through an innovation or process improvement
- The agrifood sector may be defined as businesses engaged in:
- Agrifood research & development
- Primary food production (farming)
- Crop nutrition
- Irrigation
- Mechanisation, automation or robotics, including drones
- Crop protection
- Hydroponics or urban farming
- Transport, distribution, storage or logistics
- Food processing
- Packaging or marketing
- Food retail or service
- Waste management or recycling
- Digital or technology solutions/services to the agrifood sector
- Innovative finance solutions/services to the agrifood sector
- Renewable energy or environmental solutions/services to the agrifood sector
Application Timeline
- An expert jury will review all applications as they are submitted from 8 April to 10 June 2024.
- Evaluations consider the following criteria:
- Innovation
- Market potential and traction
- Inspiring and Investible Team
- Business model
- Impact
- The Top 24 semi-finalists will be notified via WhatsApp and email in mid-July.
- Semi-finalists will each be interviewed and asked for further information.
- 12 finalists will be selected by the jury at the end of July 2024. Six male and six female finalists will be notified via WhatsApp and email.
- Finalists will be invited to compete on stage at the AFSF Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, in the first week of September 2024.
- All 12 finalists will be awarded mentorship, programming linkages and other guidance to continue their entrepreneurial journey.
How to Apply for GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition
- GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize applications are securely collected by VC4A
- When you click the button below, you will be taken to their technical partner VC4A (Venture Capital 4 Africa).
- VC4A maintains the GoGettaz Community, and securely collects all the GoGettaz applications.
- To start your application, you will need to create a VC4A profile.
- Your application is saved to your profile. Once you start, you can save your progress and continue later.
- Click Here to Apply
- For more information visit: GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition
Application Deadline: 10th June 2024