In a move to bolster entrepreneurial talent in Africa and to help the youth to develop innovative solutions on the continent by making best use of the power of mobile technology, MTN Group, SAP and Microsoft have announced they will financially support AMPION’s 2014 operations.
Free hardware and bandwidth granted by Inmarsat will provide the AMPION Venture Buses with satellite connectivity.
According to Fabian-Carlos Guhl Founder & MD, AMPION, “Sponsoring and partnering with AMPION is an investment into the African mobile technology, start-ups and ICT space of tomorrow – and the creative entrepreneurs behind it. We are proud that world leading companies are convinced that our work is making a difference and decided to be a part of it.”
Microsoft will also give free software and training to winning startups of the 2014 AMPION Venture Buses. Merck will be AMPION’s prime sponsor for the East African Venture Bus which are specifically developing e-Health solutions.
In September 2014, AMPION had launched two crowdfunding campaigns to aid with operational costs and to finance an extensive Fellowship Program for the most promising start-ups; the first crowdfunding campaign on 1%Club has now been successfully completed and is being granted 70% of its €15.000 funding goal through The Cheetah Fund, which is powered by the Dutch National Postcode Lottery.
AMPION is targeting to raise €50,000 via crowdfunding to enable it set up a Fellowship Programme for successful startups.