She Leads Africa

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About Seedstars Pitch competition

Seedstars World promotes, connects and invests up to $1.5 million in emerging market startups, through its exclusive startup competition, held in in 60 countries. Seedstars is one of the largest pitch competitions in the world, they hold a series of local start up competitions, a regional one and then global.

 

The motivation to pitch

I had been following Seedstars for over 3 years, and had been thinking about pitching, however I didn’t quite have the idea yet. I just knew that if JamJar was going to expand into Africa we needed something scalable and relevant. Within the last 3 years of working in the events industry, our experience has highlighted challenges that our customers face, particularly international customers who are unsure about the African market.

I decided there was a solution for this: A platform which makes it easier for clients to find, book and plan events in Africa, through our network of venues and suppliers. This is what I pitched and although it was my first time pitching ever, I came second place.

The whole experience of pitching was thrilling and also interesting, in terms of venturing into the tech space. The one thing I noticed was also the fact that in Accra, I was the only woman pitching. Now, some people say this would have been an advantage, but considering that all the other contestants and the judges were male, I wasn’t too sure. I did however see this as a great opportunity to stand out further by delivering a stellar pitch.

 

Lessons learnt as the only woman pitching

  1. Don’t be intimidated, You know what you are capable of and no matter what, do what you have to
  2. Put your gender aside, let your capabilities shine through
  3. Never see it as a problem, rather an opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

 

Lessons for a successful Pitch

  1. Be clear about what your product is and what you are trying to achieve
  2. Practice your pitch, but most of all, your answers to the tough questions
  3. Get a mentor, someone who has pitched before that can guide you and give you valuable insights
  4. Sometimes it’s not about whether your product is good, but what the pitch competition is trying to achieve. You may have the perfect pitch, but if your solution doesn’t align with the goals of the fund, it may not work out. If you can find this out before hand, do so.
  5. The key here is to keep going, believe in what you are trying to create, and the problem you are solving.

The biggest lesson I learnt is that, there is still a long way to go for people and companies to acknowledge the tech innovations in the creative industries, particularly fashion, events, photography, design etc.

Many investors continue to focus on Fintech, agriculture, health and education, and although these may be the big industries, it’s also time to value the creative and service industries and provide them with the support they need.

 

About JamJar

JamJar was created in 2013 out of frustration with the way corporate and creative events were organised in Ghana. Many events felt poorly organised and were identical. As a result JamJars’ founding partner, Frances Quarcoopome, found the need to put her skills to work and provide the industry with a creative alternative.

JamJar continues to be recognised for its innovative and forward thinking design concepts and exceptional event planning services.

Their vision is to be the top African creative agency, fueled with passion, innovation and the desire to make every client happy.

http://www.jamajrgh.com/

instagram.com/jamjar


 Do You have any tips on how to deliver a successful pitch? 

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