Venturelab launches venture leaders South Africa for Swiss startups

Venturelab has already gathered experience working with South African startups through its initiatives. By bringing South African startups to Switzerland, venturelab shares its entrepreneurial expertise and offers support, thereby strengthening the cooperation between industries of South Africa and Switzerland. Swiss startups have likewise benefited from this collaboration: venturelab together with the University of Basel invited five Swiss startups to the SA innovation Summit in 2016 to get insights and first-hand information about the potential of  the South African market.

To deepen the Swiss startups’ knowledge and to test their products in the South African market, venture leaders has launched venture leaders South Africa, a five-day, intensive business development trip in Johannesburg for ten selected Swiss startups.

"South Africa is the most developed economy of Africa, with links across the continent. This program provides an avenue to explore the existing opportunities and market conditions", says Jordi Montserrat, managing partner Venturelab.

During the five days, the team will attend business development workshops, meet with experts, potential industry and business partners for South Africa, and meetings with local investors as well. Additionally, they will exchange their project with top local entrepreneurs. On the last day of the trip, the Swiss team will participate in a pitch contest together with the best South African startups in front of a panel of experts. The detailed program will soon be published.

Eligible to participate are Swiss hightech startups that have a link with academia: students, researchers, employees of a University, applied school, other. Interested startups are invited to submit their applications before 16 April 2018.

(ran)