The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) has collaborated with RiseUp, the one-stop-shop for connecting startups in the MENA region with the most relevant resources worldwide, to launch “African App Launchpad Cup”; the first pitch competition in Africa.
The competition invites startups working in either gaming or application development from 19 different African countries to participate in the contest that offers grants totaling $60,000. The African App Launchpad Cup is striving to set a global stage for thriving early-stage startups to present to hundreds of regional and international investors and VCs.
Applications are now open for startups in Egypt and Africa to apply via the competition website: http://techleaders.eg/aal/competition/ until November 18th. The startups will compete on December 7​th and the winners will be announced in alignment with RiseUp summit; MENA’s largest annual entrepreneurship event at the American University in Cairo, new Campus.
 
“We are excited to launch the African App Launchpad Cup, which will allow us to educate young African calibers and spur their innovation on the latest app and games technology, in addition, to support the creation of job opportunities for African youth”, Clarified Hala El-Gohary, CEO of ITIDA.
 
“It is such a pleasure to be able to host the first African pitch competition in the region during RiseUp Summit. This is a step towards achieving our vision of creating more opportunities in the entrepreneurship ecosystem through connecting more stakeholders to the community in Africa. We would like to thank ITIDA for launching and sponsoring the competition and becoming the supporting arm behind the growth of Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem,” Abdelhameed Sharara, Founder and CEO of RiseUp, says.
The African App Launchpad Cup is not only an Africa-wide pitch competition for startups but also a valuable learning experience for participating entrepreneurs. The participating startups will get the chance to join an accelerator program and will be granted exhibition spaces during RiseUp Summit. They will also pitch to a wide audience, as well as jury members of local and regional VCs and investors, guaranteeing wide regional exposure for the startups.
The competition is part of the Africa App Launchpad the presidential initiative that targets building the capacity of 10 thousand learners and establishing 100 startups while positioning Egypt as a hub for startups in Africa by gathering some of the continent’s best startups in one place.