Seedstars, a swiss-based company that brings together key stakeholders focused on driving technological change in emerging markets, is set to launch Seedspace in Cape Town after a similar move in the MENA region, in Cairo.
According to Romulo Navarrete, Head of Operations at Seedspace, “For a long time we’ve been active in the Cape Town ecosystem, organizing our Seedstars World startup pitch competition and engaging with ecosystem actors like Spin Street House, which played a vital role in our settlement in the city. Now, by fusing this local hub with Seedspace globally we aim to consolidate our activities in Cape Town and South Africa, providing the local ecosystem not just with a space, but also access to a robust international community”
The launch of Seedstars’ new hub will happen with a bustling event on the 21st of June at 6pm, at Seedspace Cape Town, with the support of the Swiss Embassy and Payfast.
The event will bring remarkable speakers together including Ambassador of Switzerland to South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia and Swaziland, (H.E.) Mrs. Helene Budliger Artieda; Vuyisa Qabaka, Founding Partner at Entrepreneur Traction; Dr. Yaseen Khan, Founder at EMGuidance (winner of both Seedstars World South Africa 2017 and Merck Healthtech Prize at the Seedstars Global Summit 2018); Claudia Makadristo, Regional Manager for Africa at Seedstars; and Nathan Heller, co-founder of Spin Street House and Experience Manager at Seedspace. There will also be live entertainment, by musician Jeri Silverman, refreshments and snacks included in the evening’s festivities.
Currently, Seedspace has eight hubs: two in Geneva, Switzerland (La Chevillarde and La Praille); one in Lagos, Nigeria; another one in Abidjan, Ivory Coast; one in Cape Town, South Africa; two in Colombia (Bogota and Medellin), and one recently opened in Cairo, Egypt.
Seedstars aim to set up 15 hubs around the world by the end of 2018.