75 Kenyans are among 1,000 startup entrepreneurs from Africa who will benefit from the US$100 million Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) this year.
Launched in 2015, the programme funded by United Bank for Africa Group Chairman Tony O. Elumelu seeks identify and empower 10,000 African entrepreneurs, create a million jobs and add $10 billion in revenues to Africa’s economy in the next 10 years.
According to TEF CEO Parminder Vir OBE: “We are proud to have established a unique platform for African entrepreneurs to forge relationships and business partnerships. In doing so, we are creating an ecosystem that fosters innovation and collaboration, on a scale few believed possible.”
The seed capital funding will be released at the close of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Foundation (TEEF) Entrepreneurship Forum taking place in Lagos, Nigeria with a global audience of entrepreneurs, incubators, business, corporations, government, investors, academia and foundations.
The entrepreneurs represent sectors as diverse as agriculture and fashion. Thirty-six per cent of those chosen were women, a significant increase on the first year’s twenty-four per cent. Entrepreneurs range from 18 to 54 years old.
The Forum allows entrepreneurs to share and gain knowledge, build cross border partnerships, and connect with investors and policymakers.