VENTURE OUT Challenge OPEN to Jamaican Mobile App Developers and Entrepreneurs

According to global consultants PwC, the number of mobile telephone subscriptions in Africa exploded from 16 million in 2000 to 246 million in 2008 and to more than 500 million now. They expect 600 million subscribers by 2016. This amazing growth is great news for entrepreneurs throughout Africa and other emerging economies who hope to revolutionize markets through mobile apps.

Mobile apps developers benefit from the support of the entrepreneurial community. Kopo Kopo, a Nairobi-based mobile payment startup, recently graduated from the incubation at m:lab East Africa, an iDisc listed incubator in Kenya that is affiliated with the infoDev network of incubators. The company launched seven months ago and is currently raising seed funding, hoping to reach $400,000 to expand its platform globally.  Seeking to find and foster even more successful mobile apps, infoDev at the World Bank and CRDF Global partner to create the VentureOut Program that will be implemented this August through November 2013.

VentureOut is a new initiative to support entrepreneurs and mobile app developers through hands-on training, virtual learning opportunities, mentorship, international exposure, and seed funding. The VentureOut program is designed to encourage mobile app entrepreneurs to internationalize their apps into new geographies, and also gives participants a chance to meet other entrepreneurs from 33 countries, who will be encouraged by local technology community partners located in eight countries: Armenia, Jamaica, Kenya, Macedonia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Trinidad & Tobago.

Jamaican Mobile App Developers and Entrepreneurs

Interested participants from Jamaica have until September 9 to apply. Click HERE,

Do you have a mobile app that’s finished ( minimum viable product) but not yet launched that has the potential to go into new markets outside of Jamaica? Do you have a mobile that’s already in the Jamaican/Caribbean market and have a few users and have the potential to go further and into new markets? Do you have a mobile app already in the market with alot of Jamaican users and has the potential to go into new markets? Well this Challenge is for you.

They must also attend a Workshop that will give details on the competition, how to make a business pitch, how to write an Executive Summary; How to Take Internationalise Your Mobile App. Register for the free Workshop HERE . It will be held on Friday September 6th, 2013 10am-2:30pm at BATCO Conference Room, Ground Floor PCJ Building, 36 Trafalgar Road.. Have questions? Email ingrid@connectimass.com

The Global Competition

The top 12 entrepreneurs from the global competition will meet in Moldova this October 30-31, 2013 for the Dragon’s Den, a pitching exposition to compete for US$10,000 in seed funding. Thanks to a great partnership with TechCrunch, one selected VentureOut entrepreneur will also be attending TechCrunch’s Disrupt Europe event in Berlin this October 26-29, 2013.

In order to apply you must prepare a summary which will be reviewed by judges who are experts within the mobile entrepreneurship ecosystem. The judges will select the top 24 semi-finalist entrepreneurs. All 24 entrepreneurs will then create a PowerPoint presentation which judges will review, allowing them to select the 12 finalists. The top 12 will then receive mentorship throughout October, be invited to the workshop, pitch session, and award ceremony in Chisinau, Moldova on October 30-21, 2013. The finalists will be judged by experts to determine the winners. One competition winner from each continent will receive a grant of US$10,000.

The application is open to citizens and residents from:
Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine or Uzbekistan

Africa: Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania or Uganda

Caribbean: Jamaica or Trinidad & Tobago

See more details on VentureOut Challenge here www.ventureoutchallenge.org