Seedstars World, the global seed-stage startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes, brought its 2nd round to a successful close during Seedstars Johannesburg. The event took place on Friday, 2 November 2018, at Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, and ten selected startups were invited to present their companies in front of the local jury panel.
The local winner, Franc Group which is a self-insurance platform that offers customers the opportunity to grow their wealth and manage their personal risk, was selected as the best startup in Johannesburg for its innovative sustainable solution. As a part of the prize, Franc Group will be participating at the Seedstars South Africa finals, taking place on November 14th at Seedspace Cape Town.
Uthini, which is a language learning platform that connects busy professionals who need to learn a language to people who can speak it using a structured learning path and chatbot technology came second and Maxicash, a financial support ecosystem built around remittance and payments for the African Diaspora to support their families financially grabbed the last spot in the top 3. Uthini and Maxicash will also be heading to the Seedstars South Africa finals.
Seedstars Johannesburg also featured an opening address from Helene Budliger Artieda, ambassador of Switzerland to South Africa. The local Ambassador of Seedstars World, HYBR organized the event with Seedstars World’s local partner PayFast. The event received further support from BOS Brands and venue partner Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct. The event attracted interest from over 120 attendees.
Continuing on its world tour of startup scenes in emerging markets and fast-growing startup scenes, Seedstars World’s next stop is Gaborone at, Botswana Innovation Hub, to select the best startup in Botswana. Seedstars World is looking for smart startups that solve regional issues and/or develop profitable products for the global market.
