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Global early-stage startups competition Seedstars World has opened applications for its event in Luanda, Angola, which will see up to 10 of the country’s most promising startups pitch for a place in the global final.

Seedstars World has been hosting local events across Africa this year, and has already picked winners in Mozambique, Tunisia, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Senegal. Its event in Cameroon, meanwhile, takes place today.

The winner of each local event progresses to the final, which takes place in Switzerland in April of next year, to compete for up to US$1 million in equity investment.

The Luanda event is being carried out with the assistance of main sponsor Thomson Group International (TGI) and local ambassador organisation Kianda Hub. Applications are open here until October 5, with the event taking place on October 13.

The companies selected to pitch at Seedstars Luanda need to be less than two years old, have raised less than US$500,000 in funding, and have built a minimum viable product, ideally with existing traction. The Seedstars World team is also looking at regional and global scalability.

“As an investment firm focused in Angola for over a decade, we are very happy to see and be part of organisations like Seedstars coming into the Angolan market and further igniting the entrepreneurial energy in this still very young country. It has grown for the last three years, every year becoming a more impressive event, and we look forward to seeing it continue to grow for many more,” said Alexander Thomson, president and founder at TGI.

“As part of Kianda Hub’s mission to provide opportunities for the sustainable growth of local startups through co-working, mentoring and events, we are again very enthusiastic and energised to host the event and provide the best possible experience for all participants in this third edition of the Seedstars Luanda event,” said Joel Epalanga, co-founder and managing partner at Kianda Hub.

“The quality of the startups that have pitched in previous events gives us confidence that in this edition, we will be able to raise even more the bar on the potential of scalability of Angolan startups and the competition itself, giving a clear indicator of our ecosystem growth.”

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