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Brief

A key challenge facing rural and urban communities that lack affordable, safe and sustainable resources to cook food.

ENGIE is looking for African tech start-ups to partner with and support.

Expectation

CLEAN COOKING – AN ENERGY SOLUTION

  • A solution that is electric and or LPG
  • A solution suitable for an off-grid market + also applicable to urban & suburban market
  • A solution that is safe and easy to use
  • Environmentally friendly (no charcoal or carbon-emitting substances)
  • A solution that utilizes: IoT / business intelligence / software. Perhaps use of an app. This software element is important for data capturing and data analysis.
  • Hardware solution (MVP is enough – as long as there is a working prototype that demonstrates functionality)
  • Integrated payment (if needed)
  • Reasonable production costs & affordable sale prices

mission

In Africa, over 800 million people lack access to clean cooking facilities, relying instead on biomass, coal or kerosene as their primary cooking fuel, which poses important health issues due to smokes (specifically to women and children). On the other hand, the impact on the deforestation, linked to biomass collection, is becoming a major concern.

 

Therefore, ENGIE Africa is looking for cooking solutions for access to clean cooking that align with any of the following goals:

1. Providing affordable, fast-deployed and energy-efficient access to cooking for households connected or not to the grid

2. Taking advantage of digital solutions through mobile economy, efficient payment platforms and powerful data platforms

3. High growth potential offering the opportunity to replicate the model elsewhere.

Submission Requirements

GEOGRAPHIC AREA

This challenge accepts applying start-ups that are incorporated and operating from ANY African country.

MATURITY CRITERIA

The level of maturity of the project must be:

  • Innovative solution or service
  • Less than 5 years of existence
  • Early-stage // Seed-stage company
  • A minimal viable product to prove functionality of solution

 

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Required format:

1. Deck pitch: 8 slides max (ppt, pdf) - MAX 50 Megabytes

Last day of submission: 25st September 2019 – 12 midnight (GMT +2)

20 start-ups will be shortlisted from the applications – of which 3 will be selected to showcase at AfricArena Summit 2019 - 1 WINNER chosen by ENGIE.

Submit to Win

Prizes & rewards

NETWORK

*For the 3 selected startups*

Return flights and accomodation in Cape Town - to showcase at the AfricArena Summit 2019!

Meet and greet with the "who's who" of the African tech scene, at the AfricArena Summit this year.  A great opportunity for exposure to international investors, VCs, angels, corporates, and other high rise startups from across the continent.

WIN

*For the 1 WINNING start-up*

1. Return flights and accomodation in Cape Town - to showcase at the AfricArena Summit 2019!

2. VIVA Technology showcase in Paris next year (2020).

3. Depending on the maturity of the solution: help from ENGIE for funding a prototype development : the winner will receive 10 000 € to help to finance a prototype; 

OR

a testing phase : the winner will be able to test the efficiency and viability of his solution in the relevant environment, within the ENGIE Africa business framework over a period of 6 months. Based on the results of the testing phase, the integration within the ENGIE Africa business portfolio and further co-development of the project.

Location for the testing phase: 7 countries in Africa (South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Tanzania and Benin).

PITCH

*For the 3 selected startups*

1. Showcase at the grand stage for Africa's tech future - the AfricArena Summit 2019! Taking place 11-12 November 2019. Location: Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town.

2. Showcase your innovative solution in front of international investors, VCs and corporates, who are looking for wolrd-class talent to partner with.