Welcome to the sixth annual GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition, a platform where agrifood innovation converges with impactful solutions.
As Africa’s food sector faces mounting challenges in climate resilience, food security, and nutrition, the need for groundbreaking solutions has never been more urgent.
If you’re an agripreneur leading the charge against these pressing issues with a transformative venture, we want to hear from you. Let’s delve into the details of this exciting opportunity.
The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition
Africa’s agrifood landscape is rife with challenges, from adapting to climate change to ensuring food security and nutrition for growing populations. Innovative solutions are crucial to address these issues and create sustainable pathways for the future.
The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition seeks to identify, recognize, and support visionary entrepreneurs who are driving positive change in the agrifood sector.
Eligibility Criteria
The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize is a fantastic opportunity for young African agripreneurs to ignite their agribusiness potential. Here’s what we are looking for in applicants:
The Entrepreneur:
- Age: The entrepreneur must be aged 35 or below at the time of submission.
- Nationality: The entrepreneur must hold nationality (with an official ID) from a country that is a member of the African Union.
- Role: The entrepreneur must be the founder/co-founder of the venture represented in the competition and actively involved in its operations and leadership.
- Legal Record: The entrepreneur must have no criminal record related to corruption, tax evasion, financial impropriety, felony, or other offenses.
The Venture:
- Legal Registration: The venture must already be legally registered in a country that is a member of the African Union or have commenced the registration process before July 1, 2024.
- Headquarters: The venture must be headquartered in a country that is a member of the African Union.
- Financial Sustainability: The venture must be designed to be financially sustainable, either as a for-profit business or a non-profit generating some revenue and aiming not to be dependent on donor funding.
- Sector Involvement: The venture must play a role in the agrifood sector and/or support its development through innovation or process improvement.
Venture Categories
The agrifood sector encompasses a wide range of activities. Ventures eligible for the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize may fall into one or more of the following categories:
- Agrifood research & development
- Primary food production (farming)
- Crop nutrition
- Irrigation
- Mechanization, automation, or robotics, including drones
- Crop protection
- Hydroponics or urban farming
- Transport, distribution, storage, or logistics
- Food processing
- Packaging or marketing
- Food retail or service
- Waste management or recycling
- Digital or technology solutions/services to the agrifood sector
- Innovative finance solutions/services to the agrifood sector
- Renewable energy or environmental solutions/services to the agrifood sector
Benefits of Participation
Participating in the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition offers numerous benefits for entrepreneurs, including:
- Prize Money: A total of $100,000 in prizes will be awarded, with two winners each receiving $50,000.
- Impact Awards: Judges will recognize ventures that make significant impacts in areas such as improving rural livelihoods, nutrition, climate solutions, technology, gender equality, natural resource conservation, and job creation.
- Participation in Agribusiness Deal Room: Finalists will have the opportunity to participate in the Agribusiness Deal Room at the Africa Food Systems Forum Summit, where they can meet potential investors, partners, and collaborators.
- Invitation to GoGettaz Africa Leadership Program: Top finalists will receive an invitation to the 2025 GoGettaz Africa Leadership Program, which is designed to empower emerging leaders with the skills and networks necessary for growth.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Innovation: The extent to which the venture demonstrates innovative approaches to addressing challenges in the agrifood sector.
- Market Potential and Traction: The potential market size for the venture and evidence of traction or progress achieved.
- Inspiring and Investible Team: The quality and commitment of the entrepreneurial team driving the venture forward.
- Business Model: The viability and sustainability of the business model.
- Impact: The potential impact of the venture on key agrifood sector challenges and opportunities.
Timeline
- Application Period: Applications will be accepted from April 8th to June 10th, 2024.
- Evaluation: An expert jury will review applications throughout the application period.
- Notification of Semi-Finalists: The top 24 semi-finalists will be notified in mid-July and asked to provide further information.
- Selection of Finalists: Twelve finalists, six male and six female, will be selected by the end of July 2024.
- Finals: The finals will take place at the Africa Food Systems Forum Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, in the first week of September 2024.
- Post-Competition Support: All finalists will receive mentorship, programming linkages, and other guidance to continue their entrepreneurial journey.
Application Process
The application process consists of several steps:
- Form Submission: Applicants must complete the application form, providing detailed information about their venture and team.
- Video Pitch Submission: Applicants who progress beyond the initial rounds will be asked to submit a two-minute pitch video.
- Deadline: The deadline for submissions is June 10, 2024.
Conclusion
The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition offers a unique opportunity for young African agripreneurs to showcase their innovative solutions and make a significant impact in the agrifood sector.
If you’re passionate about driving change and creating sustainable solutions to address key challenges, we encourage you to apply.
Join us in reshaping Africa’s agrifood landscape and unlocking the continent’s agricultural potential.
Click HERE to Apply