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The Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative by jack Ma Foundation calls for applications in March

By Sarah ChenChina
1 min read
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The Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) will officially call for applications starting from the 27th of March 2019. The ANPI is a US$10 million Prize competition for African entrepreneurs, founded by the Jack Ma Foundation. Each year for the next ten years, the Prize will host a pitch competition in Africa where ten finalists from across the continent will compete for US$1 million in total prize money.

The Prize, which is supported by its continental partner Nailab, is focused on empowering a new generation of entrepreneurs, with a focus on small businesses, grassroots communities and women-founded enterprises.

“The Netpreneur Prize Initiative has brought together a strong ecosystem of players to support both technology-driven and traditional businesses. We look forward to unveiling the full slate of regional partners and to receiving applications from promising African entrepreneurs in the coming weeks,” said Sam Gichuru, Founder and CEO, Nailab.

All ten finalists will receive grant funding from the Jack Ma Foundation, as well as access to the Netpreneur community of African business leaders to leverage the community’s shared expertise, best practices, and resources.

“By 2030, we hope to identify and shine a spotlight on 100 African entrepreneur heroes who will inspire the continent. From day one, our approach has been community-based and focused on inclusiveness; to be truly for Africans and by Africans. To realize these goals, we are excited to work with Nailab as our implementing partner in Africa and multiple African partners across to continent.”

Questions & Answers

Q.

What is the total prize fund for the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative over its ten-year duration?

A.

The Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative has a total prize fund of US$10 million. This amount will be distributed over ten years, with US$1 million awarded annually to ten finalists at a pitch competition in Africa.

Q.

Who founded the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative?

A.

The Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative was founded by the Jack Ma Foundation. The Foundation also provides grant funding to all ten finalists selected for the annual competition, supporting African entrepreneurs.

Q.

Which types of businesses does the Prize particularly aim to support?

A.

The Prize specifically focuses on empowering small businesses, grassroots communities, and women-founded enterprises. It aims to support both technology-driven and traditional businesses across the continent.

Q.

Who is the continental partner supporting the Prize?

A.

Nailab is the continental partner supporting the Prize, working as the implementing partner in Africa. Sam Gichuru, Nailab's Founder and CEO, mentioned unveiling more regional partners soon.

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