Seven (7) Nigerian startups have been selected to the 2023 class of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200, an invitation-only cohort of game-changing early-stage startups given the opportunity to pitch at the annual TechCrunch Disrupt conference.
The 7 Nigerian startups are Akowe, Alusoft Technologies Ltd, Bus54, Famasi Ltd, Flowmono, Foris Labs, and Genesis 360. All seven startups cut across industries ranging from fintech, SaaS, AI and machine learning to Blockchain.
The 2023 edition will be held in San Francisco, USA, from September 19 to 21. It will have the startup founders showcase their exhibitions to investors as well as have the chance to compete to be among the selected winners, which will then go ahead to get funding and mentorship opportunities.
Read also: Meet the 4 African Startups selected for TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 Startup Battlefield
TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield, 2023
Disrupt is an original startup conference relevant and focused on founders, investors, and the future of tech year after year. The Startup Battlefield 200 is a preeminent startup competition that showcases the top 200 tech startups from around the globe, across multiple industries at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023.
All 200 companies pitch on the Pitch Showcase Stage at TC Disrupt, go through training, and have access to masterclasses, private receptions, communities and investor meet and greets. Of the 200, the top 20 are selected for the final round to pitch on the Disrupt Stage. Companies compete for a $100K equity-free prize and a chance to win the Disrupt Cup.
According to TechCrunch, last year, the Startup Battlefield was expanded to match the pace of technological innovation across geographies and industries with a goal to select the game-changing startups most likely to have a positive impact on the world — and invite them to exhibit at Disrupt 2023.
This year, it opened applications for the SB 200 last April and received literally thousands of applications from around the globe and according to it, each application was reviewed numerous times by the TechCrunch editorial team.
“The batch this year gave us an excellent snapshot of where the early-stage industry is headed,” it said in a statement. “While AI took an obvious lead in applications, selected companies stand to disrupt biotech, healthcare, climate tech and even some “crappy” startups. The volatility of global financial markets drove innovation in the fintech space,” it added
Each selected company receives a complimentary exhibition space, access to pitch trainings, masterclasses, private receptions, mentorship opportunities, VC office hours and more.
TechCrunch
Read also: Anticipate the Art of Technology Lagos 5.0 – Unveiling the creative economy and a digital Lagos
More on 2023 Startups Battlefield
Apart from the seven Nigerian companies that made the list, nine (9) other African startups also made the list of 200 startups selected for the pitch and competition session. Amongst them are Bizzyn, a Tanazania fintech platform, Omnisient and LIMA, both in the fintech and AI industries.
Others are AppCyclers (Cleantech), Duhqa Ltd (SaaS), FinanceGPT (Fintech), Flexpay Technologies (Fintech), KSOC (Security and Privacy) and Kyuka Ventures Innovation Hub (Cleantech).
The list features startups mainly from the U.S. Canada, Japan, Australia, India, France, Germany, China and the U.K. representing all seven continents of the world.
The Startup Battlefield 200 contestants receive free tickets to attend Disrupt as well as a free demo booth in the Expo Hall at the conference. They are also invited to digital events as well as any other private events aimed at Startup Battlefield founders – masterclasses, trainings, etc.
Of the 200 selected companies, 20 will be chosen as the Startup Battlefield Finalists. During the afternoon sessions at Disrupt, each Startup Battlefield Finalist company will pitch and live-demo the virtual on-stage for 6 minutes and then answer judges’ questions for six minutes. All pitches will be live-streamed on TechCrunch’s homepage
Following all Startup Battlefield Finalist sessions, judges and TechCrunch editors select a group of finalists, typically 4-6 companies. Finalists will pitch for a second time to a new group of judges. The judges and the editors pick the winner, who receives $100,000 and the Disrupt Cup, and the runner-up.
Technext Newsletter
Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!
