Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship (MIT Legatum Center) has partnered with The MasterCard Foundation to launch a series of events in three cities across Africa to discover and support local entrepreneurs who are bringing their knowledge to bear on their continent’s greatest challenges.
“Africa represents the fastest growing region for entrepreneurship in the world,” said Georgina Campbell Flatter, the MIT Legatum Center Executive Director and lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. “Open Mic Africa is designed to unearth, inspire and celebrate the next generation of global technology ventures that are powering this movement. The Legatum Center community is looking forward to working with all the entrepreneurs we encounter during our summer tour.”
The 2017 Prize will also honor one African leader with a Legatum Leadership Award for his or her extraordinary contribution to African entrepreneurship. In total, the Zambezi Prize will award US$200,000 in cash prizes to entrepreneurs from the continent. The 2017 Zambezi Prize’s inclusive approach is reflected in the diverse teams of supporters that will be working together to celebrate Africa’s entrepreneurship landscape in the months ahead.
The inaugural Zambezi Prize went to Umati Capital, a Kenyan financial service company that raised Seed and Series A rounds from Accion Venture Lab, Blue Haven Initiative and the Lundin Foundation.
