SMME NEWS - JAN 2018 ISSUE

SMME
NEWS
8
January 2018
Land of Opportunity
ith the start of the
New Year, SMME
News is focusing on
usiness opportunities for student
ntrepreneurs. African and global
rganizations open business plan
ompetitions and awards annually
o support and encourage budding
nd successful entrepreneurs in
frica. Whether you need funding
o bring your bright idea to limelight
r have made innovative progress
s an entrepreneur in Africa and
eed a platform to demonstrate your
chievements, there are opportunities
ut there.
elow is an AfterSchoolAfrica list of
usiness plan competitions and awards
or African entrepreneurs. Most of
hese programs are offered annually.
. The African Innovation Prize
AIP)
is a UK based non-profit organization
ounded by Cambridge University
raduates to spur student innovation
nd entrepreneurship in Africa.
rough university based business
lanning competitions, AIP aims to
ncourage students to dream, design,
nd dedicate themselves to their
usiness ideas. AIP also develops
onnections between students and the
ocal enterprise community through
eeding entrepreneurship clubs within
niversities, and brokering mentorship
etween students and local business
eaders.
Business Funding Opportunities &
Awards for Student Entrepreneurs
2. The Dell Social Innovation
Challenge
identifies and supports promising
young social innovators who dedicate
themselves to solving the world’s
most pressing problems with their
transformative ideas. The program
provides university students with
world-class teaching and training, as
well as with start-up capital and access
to a network of mentors and advisors.
3. INDIAFRICA: A Shared Future
features a series of multi-disciplinary
contests across top campuses in Africa
and India. The contests are aimed at
offering students and professionals
from both geographies a common
platform for future collaborations in
business, design and culture.
4. The Cola-Cola Africa
Foundation Entrepreneurship
programs provide students with
the tools needed to prosper as a
young adult. The main objective is
to help today’s youth understand the
importance of self-reliance and the
impact they all have on the future of
the economy by addressing the issue of
unemployment in Africa and helping
to create a culture of entrepreneurship.
The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation has
invested $3.1 million in programs that
promote entrepreneurship amongst the
youth in 12 countries.
5. Allan Gray Entrepreneurship
Fellowship for South Africa, Namibia,
Botswana and Swaziland Students: The
Allan Gray Orbis Foundation offers
the exceptional Allan Gray Fellowship
to Southern Africa’s pioneering bright
young students. This initiative aims
to develop students, known as Allan
Gray Candidate Fellows, into Southern
Africa’s future high impact responsible
entrepreneurs.
6. The School Enterprise
Challenge is a global business
planning awards programme run by
the educational charity ‘Teach A Man
To Fish.’ It aims to create globally
aware, socially responsible, young
entrepreneurs. The School Enterprise
Challenge is an international awards
programme for schools around the
world with up to $50,000 in prizes
available for the most entrepreneurial
schools, teachers and students.
7. The Skoll Scholarships in Social
Entrepreneurship for International
Students, UKprovides funding and
exclusive opportunities to meet with
world-renowned entrepreneurs,
thought-leaders and investors. The
Skoll Scholarship provides tuition
for entrepreneurs who have set up or
have been working in entrepreneurial
ventures with a social purpose, and
who wish to improve their knowledge
of market-oriented practices so
they can be more effective in their
subsequent social change pursuits.
The Skoll Scholarship covers full costs
of Said Business School tuition and
college fees. The Scholarship also covers
partial living expenses based on need,
up to an additional £8,000.
8. Google Hash Code
Programming Competition for
Students and Professionals in Africa,
Europe & Middle East is a team-based
programming competition organized
by Google for students and industry
professionals (18+) across Europe,
the Middle East and Africa. You pick
your team and programming language,
Google picks a real-lifeengineering
problem to solve.
9. How will you change the
world with US$1 million? Apply
for 2018 Hult Prize – Social
Enterprise Challenge: thousands of
university students worldwide team up
to create start-ups aimed at solving an
issue faced by billions in need. More
than 10,000 applicants will begin the
journey, and only 300 start-ups from
around the world will move on to
pitch their start-up ideas at one of five
global locations, including: Boston,
San Francisco, London, Dubai and
Shanghai.
10. The Google RISE Awards is an
annual grant program for informal
education organizations around the
world that promote computer science
for K-12/pre-university age youth.
It aspires for students to be creators
not just consumers of tomorrow’s
technology, and that includes students
from all backgrounds. This is why
it’s efforts emphasize participation
from girls, youth in low-income
communities, and minorities who have
historically been underrepresented in
the field of computer science.
COMPETITIONS
The Milken-Penn
GSE Education
Business Plan
Competition (EBPC)
is open to applicants worldwide and
offers a tremendous opportunity to
entrepreneurs and investors alike.
The Competition includes a path for
Ventures (opening January 2018), as
well as a path for Ideas. In offering
multiple prizes and prize categories,
the EBPC attracts innovative ideas
in education from around the world,
ranging from those structured on
local or global needs, public or
private issues, Pre-K through adult
education, and social or for-profit
ventures.
Competition Themes:
• Urban Education
• Connecting Research to Practice
• Teaching & Learning
• Technology in Grades K through
12
• Special Education & At-Risk
Students
• Open & Collaborative Solutions:
The Education Ecosystem
• Online & Distance Learning in
Higher Education
• Global/Borderless Education
Solutions
• Early Childhood Education
• Workforce Learning
Ventures and Ideas
As of the 2017 Competition, the
Venture and Idea paths of the
Milken-Penn GSE Education
Business Plan
Competition will run in series
rather than concurrently. If your
innovation is further along in its
development, the Venture path
opens for submissions in early
January 2018. Applicants in the
Venture path are generally expected
to already have or plan to generate
revenue, grants, customers, or
investors.
The Idea Path, aimed at
entrepreneurs in the early stages
of ideation or product/service
development, recently held its
IdeaFest competition finals in
conjunction with the Reimagine
Education Awards & Conference in
December 2017. Applicants in the
Idea path are expected to be prerevenue
and pre-investment. Please
note: even if your idea is in the
early
stages of
development, if
you plan to generate
revenue, grants, customers, or
investments, you are still eligible to
apply to the Venture Path!
How to enter
For enquiries go to educomp@gse.
uppen.edu and to enter go to www.
educationcompetition.org
VALEO INNOVATION
2018
Valeo wishes to encourage students
from all over the world to innovate
and to develop their entrepreneurial
spirit, offering the winners the
opportunity to create their own
start-ups.
ABOUT VALEO
Valeo is an automotive supplier and
partner to automakers worldwide.
As a technology company, we design
innovative solutions for smart
mobility, with a particular focus
on intuitive driving and reducing
CO₂ emissions. The Group also
provides and distributes spare parts
for automakers and independent
aftermarket operators.
THE AIM OF THE CHALLENGE
The aim is to reward an innovative
project, whether it is a technological
innovation or an idea for new ways
to use cars. The participants will
have to propose new solutions in
one of the following categories:
Vehicle Electrification, Autonomous
Vehicle and Digital Mobility.
RULES AT A GLANCE
The competition is open to students
who have completed high school
and are now in higher education
(e.g. university) in higher education
from all disciplines and to the
teachers, one per team.
Entrants must compete in teams
made up of between two and a
maximum of five people.
Teams can take part to the challenge
by presenting a relevant, innovative
project in English by submitting:
1. Mp4 video pitch (maximum 3
minutes) that explains the project in
a clear, simple and audible way,
2. Accompanied by 5 slides
describing the composition of the
team; the problem identified; the
existing or known solutions; the
proposed technical solution; the
target market and the business
model.
Yale Young
African
Scholars
YYAS accepts applications from
current secondary school students
in Africa who will have to complete
at least one full academic term
or semester after August 2018. In
addition, applicants must be citizens
or permanent residents of an African
country. YYAS does not accept
applications from students in their
final term of secondary school, from
secondary school graduates, or from
university students. YYAS cannot
accept applications from students
who are younger than 14 years old
by the application deadline. Students
who have attended YYAS previously
are not eligible to reapply, but are
encouraged to apply for the Yale
Young Global Scholars Program.
A typical YYAS participant has:
• Excellent academic records
• Demonstrated leadership potential
• Strong written and verbal
communication skills
• A desire and ability to work
cooperatively with peers
• Persistence and determination
when facing challenges
• High standards of personal and
professional conduct
• The ability to read, analyze, and
reflect on large quantities of difficult
material in English
• Interest in engaging in discussions
about intellectual, moral, and
political issues in Africa
If you have any specific questions
about your eligibility, please email
african.scholars@yale.edu.