Biopharmaceutical company, Sanofi has called on technology entrepreneurs and startups to participate in the 2020 Africatech Challenge, an initiative that helps to promote entrepreneurship and development in the health sector in Africa.
According to Sanofi, the Africatech Challenge is part of its effort to get affordable and user-friendly solutions that would address the needs of Africans.
“We are in search of affordable and user-friendly solutions from African start-ups, with at least a proof of concept with positive results, in at least one country in Africa. This initiative provides a unique opportunity for aspiring tech-preneurs in Nigeria to showcase their talent and provide real solutions to some of the issues currently plaguing the health sector,” said Oladimeji Agbolade, Director, External Affairs at Sanofi Nigeria.
Inviting startups from Nigeria to submit their solutions towards these challenges, the company said projects is free and open to all, noting that interested applicants are to visit https://challenges.vivatechnology.com/en/challenges/sanofi-in-africa to register their ideas. Entries close on the 25th of February 2020.
Selected start-ups will be invited to AfricaTech to pitch and demonstrate their solutions before an audience of Sanofi leaders, industry professionals and a jury during VivaTech event holding in Paris, France on June 11-13, 2020. The jury will then select startups with the best ideas who will have the opportunity to be coached, mentored and collaborate with Sanofi to scale their solutions.
AfricaTech is a lab dedicated by Sanofi at VivaTech to encourage open innovation by African technology startups.
Viva Technology (VivaTech) is the biggest tech event in Europe. It gathers under one roof the brightest entrepreneurs, executives, investors, students and academics collaborate, network, pitch, get inspired and showcase their innovations. In the past four years, this 3-day annual event has become the biggest gateway in Europe for innovation actors worldwide.
There are four categories in this year’s AfricaTech challenge. Participants are expected to provide the best of innovative solutions on the following: