3rd India - Africa Entrepreneurship & Investment Summit
India Africa trade and commerce goes back to a thousand years when Indian merchants using strong and predictable monsoon winds, regularly sailed to the east coast of Africa in search of mangrove poles, elephant tusks, and gold and precious stones to sell them in the bazaars of Calicut and Surat.
During colonial times, indentured labour was brought in from India to work on the railways as well as on sugar and other plantations in Kenya, Mauritius, Madagascar and Southern Africa.
In time, Indian diaspora, with deep family roots, became a key driver of export of African commodities such as tea, coffee and cotton and the import of manufactured goods and grains such as rice, pulses and textiles.
Why India Africa Entrepreneurship Forum?
There is a growing realization that despite deep historical, commercial, and cultural ties, the entrepreneurial ecosystems between India and Africa remain to be connected in a meaningful way. Doing so presents a tremendous opportunity to harness the creative capacity of entrepreneurs in both regions to work together to solve common and pressing problems and accelerate trade and investment in the process. This is the mission of the India-Africa Entrepreneurship Forum (IAEF). Africa's fifty-four states produced a combined GDP in excess of US$3.2 trillion - almost the same as India. The economic growth of the continent that is estimated to be 3.2 percent in 2023 also houses six of the world's fastest-growing economies.
With 57,000 startups valued at $450B, India is the Third largest entrepreneurial ecosystem in the world. Over 650 African startups on the other hand, received total funding of $5.2B in 2022 (a 1700 precent increase since 2015) raising the combined valuation of about 900 startups to roughly $50B.
This gap presents an unprecedented opportunity for Indian and African entrepreneurs to partner with each other in their co-creating, co-founding activities, providing bilateral knowledge, funding and market opportunity to its early stage enterprises, thereby strengthening existing efforts in increasing trade and development between the two economies.
Collaboration between startups and large but entrepreneurial businesses, on the other hand can increase the reach and impact of innovation, according to Accenture Africa research, which increasingly correlates with higher economic performance at enterprise and economy-wide levels. By leveraging the power of ecosystems and open innovation, African economies can accelerate progress, unlocking Africa's abundance for all.
It is in this context, India Africa Entrepreneurship Forum (IAEF), has evolved to become the go-to platform that connects entrepreneurs and investors actively involved in the India Africa corridor. These dynamic ecosystems and subsystems have much in common, and much to gain from interacting.
IAEF has 3 objectives
Build bridges between Indian and African entrepreneurs.
Organize meetings and Focus Groups to encourage entrepreneurs in both continents to explore opportunities of mutual interest.
Help forge joint ventures and business partnerships for both capital and market access.
Workshops
Cross border FinTech
AgriTech and Agri Export
EdTech And Remote Teaching
HealthTech – Telehealth
International E-Commerce
Important Contacts
Convener - Baljinder Sharma: [email protected]
India - Pradeep Gupta: [email protected]
Africa - Vu Qabaka: [email protected]
3rd India Africa Entrepreneurship & Investment Summit*
20/21 July 2023 - Le Meridien, Mauritius
Day 1 : Pre Event Program : Thursday 20th July 2023
RoundTable on Internationalising the Mauritian StartUp Ecosystem - Challenges/Opportunites & Way Forward
Hosted by Mauritius Research and Innovation Council
Tomi Davies - President ABAN, Michel Cordani, Co Founder Mo Angels, Anirudh Damani - Artha Ventures, Mahavir Sharma TiE India Angels
Sudatta Mandal - SIDBI, Satya Narayan R - Indian Angels Network, Prof Sikochi Harvard Business School, Dr Praveen Mohadeb - JSS Academy
Future of Electronic Payments & Digital Currency
Presentation by National Payments Corporation of India
Akshay Grover - CEO Cellulant, Rahul Jain - Co Founder Peach Payments, Hitesh Makhija - Founder Regulus, TBD
Address by Mrs T. Gobin Jhurry - Director Payments Bank of Mauritius
Opening Address by Mr Sudatta Mandal - Dy Managing Director SIDBI
Keynote Address by Hon. Deepak Balgobin, Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Acting Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance.
Panel Discussion 1: Facilitating Global Capital into Africa & India - The Role of Mauritius International Financial Centre
Priscilla Balgobin - Dentons Mauritius, SBM Mauritius, Mahen Govinda CEO MiTCO, Dovina Pillay-Naiken Ministry of Financal Services & Good Governance
Panel Discussion 2: India & Africa - Bilateral Trade, Investment, Entrepreneurship
Mahavir Sharma TiE Angels India, Vu Qabaka - Founder HYBR Group, Sushil Jiwarajka Chairman OMC Power
Panel Discussion 3: Making the India Africa Bridge Work - The Adventurer and the Entrepreneur
Ramesh Awtaney Founder ISON Group, Sunil Kumar CEO DataFlow Group, Anirudh Damani - Artha Ventures
Tea Break & Networking Time
Special Address by Mr Tomi Davies - President ABAN & Mr Ranjan Navani - Founder & CEO JetSynthesys
Panel Discussion 4 : Demystifying Angel Investment
Yogesh Bhura - Angel Investor, Rishabh Golcha Venture Catalyst, Zach George - Managing Partner Launch Africa VC, SP Singh - SIDBI VC
Pitch Session - Organised in Collaboration with Mauritius Research and Innovation Council
Cocktails
Day 2 : Event Program : Friday 21st July 2023
BreakFast with Rajan Navani - Chairman JetLine Group & Founder Board Member Indiaspora
Registration of Delegates
Welcome of Delegates by Mr Yaduvendra Mathur, Chairman, India - Africa Summit
Address by Mr Tomi Davies - President ABAN
Remarks by Mr Ken Poonoosamy, CEO Economic Development Board
Address by Her Excellency Mrs K Nandini Singla, High Commissioner of India to Mauritius
Official Inaugural Address by His Excellency, President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Prithvirajsing ROOPUN G.C.S.K.
Tea Break and Networking
Panel Discussion 1: Funding of StartUp Activities in India and Africa: Landscape, Opportunities & Trends
Mr SP Singh, CGM SIDBI - VC, Zach George - Launch Africa, Rishabh Golcha - Venture Catalysts, Padmaja Ruparel - Founder Indian Angels Network
Panel Discussion 2: Sectoral Oppprtunities - Energy/EdTech/Health/FinTech
Prof Binagwaho (Health), Sushil Jiwarajka (Energy), Dr. Vijayakumar VIT University (Education), Andrew Bamugye, Senior Investment Manager SME from the Trade & Development Fund
Networking Lunch
Panel Discussion 3: Trade Agreements, Market Access, Opportunites and Incentives
Rajiv Chawla Chairman IAMSME, Busisa Moyo Chairman Zimbabwe Development Authority, Nalin Kohli - Ariana Group, Faraz Rojid - Director EDB
Andrew Bamugye, Senior Investment Manager SME from the Trade & Development Fund
Open House - Hosted by Kick Advisory
B2B Meetings/Exit Fest and M&A Conversation
Break
Address by Dr Rajiv Kumar, Economist Former Vice Chairman NITI. AAYOG
Q&A Session by Mr Rahul Sharma - CEO Apco Worldwide India
Artist as an Entrepreneur - Closing Address by Derrick Ashong, Singer, MediaTech Entrepreneur
Cocktails & Dinner
Day 3 : Saturday 22nd July 2023
Networking on Catamaran***
Networking by the Beach***
*Proposed **To be Confirmed/Awaiting Confirmation ***Weather Permitting
Speakers
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