MOBILE

By BiztechAfrica – Oct. 9, 2013, 6:29 a.m.

A handful of African startups will travel to Moldova this month to compete in the global finals of the VentureOut Challenge, an initiative of infoDev, a World Bank agency.

In the finals, 13 mobile apps from around the globe will be showcased before a live audience and a panel of mobile experts in Chisinau, Moldova on November 1, 2013. The VentureOut initiative was launched to help mobile app entrepreneurs to expand internationally and received 113 entries from around the world.

Finalists from Africa include GoMetro – a South African transit app that provides contextual public transport information from official and unofficial sources; Marodi.tv – a replay TV platform created in Senegal for mobile and web playing TV programs from channels in Senegal and Cameroon; Nearest Locator – a Nigerian app that helps users easily find the nearest ATMs, banks, eateries, hospitals, pharmacies and more;  Prowork – an app created in Nigeria that empowers businesses by bringing project management and collaboration together on one platform; and Waabeh –  built in Kenya to serve as Africa’s audio market place, helping with the discovery and distribution of audio content from the continent.

Over the next few weeks, the tech start-ups will receive ongoing mentoring from entrepreneurs and investors from around the globe who have experience building companies and taking them global. Beyond mentorship, infoDev, through its considerable network and influence with emerging regions, will assist the start-ups to make connections for globalization. The conference in Moldova will also include hands-on training sessions to help the finalists identify and develop their customer base and learn other critical aspects of business modeling.