Unearthed and Investing in African Mining Indaba have partnered to offer four African emerging technology businesses the opportunity to pitch their innovative industry solutions at one of the world’s largest mining investment conference on February 6, 2019, in Cape Town, South Africa.
Startups Unearthed Africa is an online competition aimed at raising the profile of African hardware or software companies across the global mining sector, with applications open to any business across the continent that has a prototype, product or service that can impact industry.
“Companies do not need to have worked on a mining project before, they just need to have exciting technology solutions that can make a difference,” Unearthed and Indaba said in a joint press release.
The four successful applicants will be able to present to approximately 750 investors and dealmakers, leaders from over 220 mining companies, and 34 government ministers.
In addition to awarding four pitching spots, each startup will receive one full complimentary pass to Mining Indaba that runs from Monday to Thursday.
Industry Lead – Crowdsourcing at Unearthed, Holly Bridgwater will moderate the startup session showcasing these upcoming transformative mining technologies.
Bridgwater said: “I am excited that we have the opportunity to share some of the amazing tech being built across Africa with an audience of potential customers and investors at one of the world’s largest mining conferences.”
Investing in African Mining Indaba Managing Director, Alex Grose said the mining industry has been perceived as an old-fashioned sector, but it’s not the case as technology has rapidly been changing the way the sector operates.
“From AI and big data to new satellite technologies and more efficient production, mining companies are embracing innovation. We are very proud and excited to be running this fantastic initiative together with Unearthed, set to bring new ideas to one of the world’s oldest industries as well as provide four African tech startups with exposure to the world’s largest mining companies,” said Grose.
To apply for Startups Unearthed Africa, visit: https://unearthed.link/SUA and submit your application before November 30, 2018.
Unearthed is an organisation that generates opportunities for entrepreneurs and helps improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the global resources sector through hackathons, online competitions, and a technology accelerator. Since 2014, it has connected over 5,000 innovators to over 100 industry challenges, producing over 400 prototype solutions.