We met with Ryan J. Yoder, Executive Director at the tech hub ActivSpaces to discuss the first edition of #PitchDay237, a competition which aims at helping startups in Cameroon to grow and break into the market.
What was the goal of Pitch Day 237 ?
Pitch Day 237 was the coming together of two separate competitions with a common goal of identifying high potential startups in Cameroon. The #YouCAN startup challenge awarded cash prizes to three startups that evening. During the same event ActivSpaces selected 4 startups to enter its accelerator, Activation Bootcamp.
How is your appreciate of the startup / tech scene in Cameroon?
Both ecosystems are still fairly nascent. Qualified developers and angel investors have been lacking, which, along with many other factors, has slowed growth in these sectors. However I believe we are witnessing a major change in these domains.
Which ideas impressed you the most during this competition ?
The participants of the event were all selected from a larger pool of applicants, so quite honestly they all impressed us, or they wouldn’t have been there. Additionally some of the most impressive ideas were not selected for the event because the product simply was not ready yet. In short, I’ll let the results of the competition speak for themselves.
Who are the winners and what is the next step for them?
The winner for #YouCAN were CarDispo, Djoss.tv, and New Era Publishers, each of which received a cash prize of 250,000 fcfa. The startups that were selected for Activation Bootcamp were Djoss.tv, Kwiizi, IMX, and New Era Publishers. The startups in Activation Bootcamp will begin a grueling 6 month acceleration program that will culminate in a demo day. The acceleration includes legal advice, professional development, marketing consulting, financial advice, and a 1 million FCFA investment.
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Diplômée en relations publiques, Jodelle Mayoda a eu l’opportunité dans son parcours de côtoyer et de collaborer avec de nombreux entrepreneurs dans différents domaines : technologie, mode, media, etc.
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