Finalists announced for the SME Empowerment Innovation Challenge East and West Africa

This year’s finalists are expected to pitch their innovation to an audience of justice, technology, government and academia during the upcoming Innovating Justice Boostcamp in Lagos on 29 October.

The finalists were selected from a list of 21 startups that were shortlisted for the voting phase of the Challenge. The seven finalists include DIYLaw, mSME Garage, BudgIT, ShopOfficer, BitsPlatformAtikus and Justart.

Announcing the finalists, Head of Innovating Justice Accelerator Wilfried de Wever congratulated the startups stating that he was encouraged by the enthusiasm of young entrepreneurs who work to improve the local environment for businesses. “The efforts by these entrepreneurs are a key indicator of growth. I am confident that efforts by such entrepreneurs are the correct path for the continent to reach levels of self-sufficiency.”

The SME Empowerment Challenge is an initiative geared towards finding and strengthening new initiatives that can empower startups and SMEs – specifically, innovations that address regulatory hurdles and bureaucratic red tape faced by youth-led startups in East and West Africa.

The seven finalists are expected to pitch their innovation to an audience of justice, technology, government and academia during the upcoming Innovating Justice Boostcamp in Lagos on 29 October. Here, another round of selection will be made and three of the most promising startups will be selected to attend the 6th Annual Innovating Justice Forum on 3-4 December in The Hague, Netherlands. At the Forum, the finalists will compete for seed investments totalling US $70,000, acceleration support, access to funding, networks and expert advice.

A detailed list of the 2015 finalists can be found here.