Six entrepreneurs have been chosen to go to Italy to represent SA at the U-Start Bloom global business showcase.
U-Start is a global online platform that puts entrepreneurs worldwide in touch with international investors who are focused on innovative, high growth, and impact-driven projects.
Over 250 enterprises entered the SA leg, 19 finalists were short listed and 6 winners emerged at a pitching session held on 11 April.
Who chose the winners?
The judges for the U-Start Bloom business plan competition were:
- Zachariah George from U-Start South Africa
- Alex Fraser from Invenfin
- Justin Stanford from 4DICapital
- Colin Habberton from GivenGain
- Meredith Ryan from ABSA
Each of the finalists had a chance to pitch their business in the allocated time of three minutes, followed by a questions and answer session with the judges.
What is Bloom?
Bloom is an event dedicated to showcasing the best international start-ups on the U-Start platform. It entails three days of networking, meetings and seminars with successful Italian, Brazilian, Russian and South African entrepreneurs and investors.
The winners are….
The SA entrepreneurs who will be going to Milan, Italy from 11 to 13 May are:
Growth Sector:
Seed Sector: