Home - Digital Entrepreneurship Competition

Eligibility

Application Process

Selection Process

Prize Structure

Total package of
^$ 12,500

Total package of
^$ 7,500

Total package of
^$ 5,500

Evaluation Criteria

General Rules & Disclaimer

Important dates

The two-minute pitch should address the following:

Value proposition/Problem – What
problem are you solving?

Solution – What is the solution to
the problem?

Market, Growth, and Revenue Model

Areas of Interest

October 16, 2020

November 12, 2020

November 16, 2020

November 18, 2020

#DigitalNigeria2020

#DigitalNigeria2020

#DigitalNigeria2020

#DigitalNigeria2020

#DigitalNigeria2020

#DigitalNigeria2020

DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COMPETITION

Digital Drivers in West Africa: Focus on Nigeria

Apply Now

DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COMPETITION

Digital Drivers in West Africa: Focus on Nigeria

Apply Now

DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COMPETITION

Digital Drivers in West Africa: Focus on Nigeria

Apply Now

DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COMPETITION

Digital Drivers in West Africa: Focus on Nigeria

Apply Now

DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COMPETITION

Digital Drivers in West Africa: Focus on Nigeria

Apply Now

DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
COMPETITION

Digital Drivers in West Africa: Focus on Nigeria

Apply Now

As part of the 2020 Digital Economy Conference, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Africa Business Center (USAfBC) and the American Business Council Nigeria (ABC Nigeria), are hosting a Digital Entrepreneurship Competition.

The Competition will award innovators for developing solutions through digital products and services while creating a positive impact on the Nigerian citizens during the onset of COVID19. A Digital Innovation Award of $25,000 to be allocated in cash and in-kind will be distributed among the top three winners. The Award is sponsored by Zenith Bank and other companies supporting the event.

The Digital Entrepreneurship Competition is open to entrepreneurs, startups, and independent innovators who have turned ideas into digital innovation to improve living conditions forNigerians amid the pandemic.

To be eligible, an applicant (or their startup) must:

Be a startup or innovator with at least 51% Nigerian ownership

Must be incorporated /registered with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)

Not be a government agency, public administration, political organization, or non-profit of any type

Have at least one physical or business location within Nigeria

Not older than five (5) years and not be part of a franchise brand or licensing agreements for distribution in a different country

Not be a Business engaged in any illegal activity and not listed on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Sanctions List.

The application for the Digital Entrepreneurship Competition can be accessed at www.amchamdigitalcompetition.org. Applications are due on November 12th at 11:59 pm (Nigeria time) . Questions regarding the competition must be submitted via email to info@amchamdigitalcompetition.org. Questions and answers will be posted to the website for all potential applicants.

Each applicant will need to fill out the online application form and upload or send a two-minute video pitch of their product/innovation on the website www.amchamdigitalcompetition.org or by email at info@amchamdigitalcompetition.org. The following questions will be required in the application:

In addition, applicants will be asked the following narrative questions about their startup:

Provide a brief story about the issue being considered by your innovation.

Explain how your product/service works and how it is unique. Show a picture or video of the prototype or demonstration.

How big is your market? Who are the customers? What is the plan to scale the startup? How do you sustain the business / How is revenue generated? Has the innovation/product been tested? What volume on sales are you generating?

Applicant will need to demonstrate critical challenges resolved through digitally enabled innovation solutions in the areas of healthcare, education, Agribusiness, financial services (fintech), or supply chain & logistics.

Applications will be valid and examined only if the form is fully completed and the video is submitted online by the above due date.

Each Applicant will certify that the responses to the questions are truthful to the best of their knowledge and that they are prepared to provide supporting documents.

The top ten candidates will be pre-selected and notified on November 16, 2020. The top ten finalists will be invited on November 18, 2020 for an interview with a panel of judges, where they will be required to make a presentation based on the two-minutes video pitch submitted. The presentation will be followed by a series of questions from the panel of judges. An evaluation criterion will be used to rank the candidates (see section 6 below). The top ten candidates must also submit an executive summary (3-5 pages maximum) of their innovation on November 18, 2020.

The top three finalists will be notified on November 27, 2020 and the two-minute video pitch of their product/innovation will be featured at the U.S.-Nigeria Digital Economy Conference on December 3, 2020, where . the first, second and third place winners will also be announced.

The Digital Entrepreneurship Competition will award a total prize valued of $25,000 for which startups will have an opportunity to apply. The prize breakdown is $10,000 in cash prizes and $15,000 worth of in-kind services to be provided to the top three winners. The in-kind services may include mentoring and digital marketing/advertising services for the top three winners of the competition.

First Prize

including $5,500 in prize money

Apply Now

Second Prize

including $3,000 in prize money

Apply Now

Third Prize

including $1,500 in prize money

Apply Now

The top three winners will be offered a virtual platform to engage with mentors and participants during the Digital Economy Conference on December 03, 2020.

Each applicant will be evaluated by a panel of judges based on the pertinence of the idea being resolved, the quality of the innovation/service response, the business model, its scalability, the size of the market, and the clarity and persuasiveness of the two-minute video pitch. The winners of the competition will be determined by the judges’ ranking of the applicants based on a set of pre-determined criteria:

Note: 0 = no relevance; 1 = very minor impact or relevance. 2 = some relevance, minor impact; 3 = relevant, met standards. 4 = pertinent, impactful; 5 = Very pertinent, outstanding, very impactful

View Criteria

- All applications must be submitted online and completed by 12th November 11:59pm. The top three finalists’ supplementary narrative must be submitted within three days of finalist notification.
- Only those applications submitted on time through the online application processes will be accepted. Applications received by any other means will not be considered.
- Applicants are responsible for ensuring proper contact information has been submitted and is maintained throughout the Digital Entrepreneurship Competition Process to allow communications about the Digital Innovation Award.
- Erroneous or false information provided in the application will result in immediate disqualification of the Applicant. ABC & USAfBC otherwise retain the right to disqualify any Applicant in their sole discretion.

- If for any reason, the Digital Entrepreneurship Competition is not capable of running as planned, ABC & USAfBC reserve the right in their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Digital Innovation Award Program at any time.
- By submitting an Application, or by being an Applicant, you understand that there is no joint venture, partnership, employment, or an agency relationship between you and ABC & USAfBC, or Partner Organization/ Companies arising from any application or Innovation Award.
- Once notified about having a finalist application approved and receiving an Award, a Recipient has three weeks to submit information for processing the Award payment. Not meeting that deadline will result in a forfeiture of the Award.
- Award Recipients grant permission to ABC & USAfBC, and its Partners to use the name, logo, statements, including city and state of primary physical location, and the submitted Application information in perpetuity, worldwide, royalty-free in any and all media now known or which may be developed in the future to promote the Digital Entrepreneurship Competition Program and its objectives.
- The decisions of the Digital Entrepreneurship Competition are final, and Applicants specifically agree that the decision of the Program and any decision of ABC & USAfBC is not subject to review or appeal in any form whatsoever, including courts of law.
- By submitting your email address and/or an Application, you consent to our processing of the included personal data in order to take action on the Application and to contact you about other programs you may be interested in.
- No warranty of any type is provided for any award. No Award may be transferred to any other party.
- By completing an Application or being an Applicant, you agree on behalf of yourself and each of your respective heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives, agents, successors and assigns (“Releasing Party”) to the Digital Entrepreneurship Competition General Rules and the decisions of the competition, as applicable, and any affiliated entities or persons, and by completing an Application or being an Applicant, you release ABC & USAfBC, and their affiliates, advisors, agents, licensees, and any social or other media used for the Competition, and any of their respective officers, directors and employees as applicable (“Released Parties”), from any and all causes of action, suits, debts, dues, sums of money, accounts, reckonings, bonds, bills, covenants, contracts, controversies, promises, lost profits, indirect or direct damages, consequential damage, incidental damages, punitive or exemplary damages, judgments, claims and demands whosoever, in law, or equity, whether known or unknown, foreseen or unforeseen, which any Releasing Party has or may ever had, now or hereafter, arising from or related to the Digital Entrepreneurship Competition, these General Rules, any Application materials, including but not limited to any use or non-use of any Application materials, delivery, misdelivery, acceptance, possession, attendance at, travel related to, misuse, and/or use of or inability to use, any Award, or technical or other failures of any kind.

Launch of the Digital Entrepreneurship Competition

Applications due by 11:59 pm (Nigeria Time). Late applications may be accepted at the discretion of the ABC & USAfBC.

Selection and notification of the top ten finalists.

Is the problem identified by the startup pertinent for Nigerian?

Is the solution/innovation unique and relevant to issue identified?

Is the business model viable and scalable?

Does the innovation likely to have an impact on the population?

Was the presentation and video pitch clear and well-done within the time allotted?

Executive summaries due for top ten finalists. Documents should be submitted in a word or PDF format and emailed to info@amchamdigitalcompetition.org by 5:00 pm (Nigeria time).