DEMO Africa 2014 brings together U.S. State Department, leading ICT companies to in Lagos, Nigeria
Harry Hare, executive director, DEMO Africa (right)
DEMO Africa is one of the flagship initiatives of LIONS@frica and aims to connect African startups to the global ecosystem. DEMO Africa is the place where the most innovative companies from African countries get a platform to launch their products and announce to Africa and the world what they have developed.
The organization will host the DEMO Africa 2014 summit from September 25th and 26th. Both are scheduled to take place at the Oriental Hotel Lagos, Nigeria. In just two years of running, the DEMO African alumni have generated over $8 million in either investment, business or partnerships from the unique mix of positioning, opportunity (networking, fundraising), training and exposure that our launch pad offers.
The Summit will also gather an Investor Summit , the first pan-African angel investor gathering in history on the afternoon of Wednesday September 24 will bring together internationally renowned investors and will conclude with an exclusive investor-only cocktail on the evening of September 24 for those who are joining DEMO Africa 2014. The event will be the first time networks like Cairo Angels, Lagos Angels Network, Ghana Angel Investors Network, Africa Angels Network, Angel Africa List and others come together to meet, exchange best practices, share lessons learned and set the road map for the future.
The United States (US) Department of State and the US Africa Development Foundation (USADF) have announced their support for selected Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) in the just ended YALI programme by President Obama.
Speaking on the partnership, DEMO Africa executive producer Harry Hare said African entrepreneurs need to work together to find world class solutions to needs on the continent. Adding that
“We look forward to sharing the platform with YALI entrepreneurs. I am sure that every attendee will leave having been further enriched with ideas,”
The LIONS@FRICA brings together the U.S. State Department, Microsoft, Nokia, InfoDEV, the African Development Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development, DEMO, Startup Weekend, Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST), Venture Capital for Africa, Appfrica, Business Action for Africa, Business Fights Poverty, and the Global Entrepreneurship Week to support and amplify Africa’s budding startup and innovation ecosystem.