SingularityU West Africa Global Impact Challenge for West African Startups 2017

 What moonshot innovation would you develop to solve a global grand challenge using exponential technology that would impact the lives of a billion people in the next 10 years?

Application Timeline: 

• Applications Close – 7th April 2017
• Pitch Day Event – 19th April 2017

To be taken at (country): Singularity University, USA

About the Award: The purpose of the SingularityU East Africa Global Impact Challenge is to foster moonshot innovations and startups that positively impact the lives of people living in East Africa, with an ability to scale and impact a billion people worldwide in 10 years.

This year, the GSP has two big changes: (1) climate change is the overarching theme, and (2) we have a new collaboration with XPRIZE.

We selected the climate change theme because it has consequences for every industry, geographic region, and way of life. Even if you don’t consider yourself a climate change authority or innovator, your skill set can probably help mitigate the effects of climate change. If you’re already passionate about impact or working in the impact space, you can create a moonshot innovation to address this urgent global problem.

We will not require participants to innovate in the climate change space, and welcome people from all disciplines to apply, but this theme will inform the GSP curriculum. We are looking for applicants from ANY technology or science discipline because we know a challenge as huge as climate change can only be solved within the convergence of multiple disciplines and exponential technologies.

Our collaboration with XPRIZE will give you an extraordinary opportunity to tap into the wisdom and expertise of the best minds working in this field today and their established network of funders.

Type: Entrepreneurship, Contest

Eligibility: Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• The challenge is open to residents and citizens in the 15 West African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo
• You must be age 21 or older on the first day of the GSP
• You must be fluent in written and spoken English
• You must be able to participate for the entire GSP 2017 program from June 17 – August 17, 2017
• Applicants selected as finalists will be interviewed by a panel of judges during the week of April 3.

Selection Criteria: The challenge must be on solving a problem e.g. Climate Change or one of SU Global Grand Challenges, Think of a local problem scalable globally to positively impact a billion people of lives.

• Degree of solution’s relevance to the theme of the challenge
• The regional relevance in solving the challenge in East Africa
• Feasibility, Viability and Coherence of implementing the idea
• Entrepreneurial and innovative potential, with a focus on technological novelty
• Applicant’s leadership experience and quality, profile, achievements, and potential

Value of Program: The Prize of the Challenge is free attendance to the transformational Global Solutions Program at no cost.

All semi-finalists and finalists of this challenge will be invited to participate in an immersive workshop experience in Lagos, Nigeria during the week of April 17. Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about exponential technologies and the latest entrepreneurial tools! Make sure you have your passport and visa ready!

Duration of Program: 17th June – 17th August 2017

How to Apply: 

• CV/Resume
• Summary of accomplishments
• An abstract of the project idea
• A video URL of the project idea

Visit Program Webpage for details

Award Provider: Singularity University