AMPION, BMZ partner to build agri-tech startups in Southern Africa

AMPION in partnership with The German Ministry of International Cooperation and Development (BMZ) fosters the African startup ecosystem by supporting young African entrepreneurs and building agri-tech startups in Southern Africa.

The German Ministry for International Cooperation and Development (BMZ) supports the AMPION Venture Bus, a seven days startup boot camp with 40 participants from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, France and Germany. The bus tour started on 13 November in Windhoek (Namibia) and led through Ghanzi and Gaborone (both Botswana), Johannesburg, Bloemfontein to Cape Town (all South Africa). In Cape Town, the 10 resulting startup teams presented their agri-tech solutions to an international jury of investors during AfricaCom, Africa’s largest ICT conference.

During the Venture Bus tour the participating entrepreneurs have been mentored by experienced serial entrepreneurs and investors, including training in design thinking and lean startup methodologies. Site visits on the route included commercial and communal farms as well as local technology hubs and innovation centers in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. Ideas and business model developments have been shared and exchanged with the local startup communities during several stopovers.

The following startups were created on the Venture Bus Southern Africa and selected as the winners by the investor jury:

e.Mkuyu: A digital education platform that closes the gap between unemployed African youth and career opportunities in the agricultural sector.
Agri2Go: A digital platform that provides transparent, real-time pricing information for agricultural products in Africa.
SheFarms: An investment platform for female African farmers that aims to reduce food scarcity and gender inequality in agriculture.

These three winning startups will receive access to the AMPION Fellowship program 2016; a six month incubation program that supports startups with small seed funding and business know-how provided by entrepreneurship experts.

Fabian-Carlos Guhl, AMPION CEO, said: “Thanks to the partnership with BMZ we can build up the startup ecosystem in Africa with our local partners. Innovative solutions for the African agricultural sector improve the productivity and lives of millions of people. With our initiatives we want to contribute to the successful creation and implementation of these solutions.”