The official was speaking last Tuesday, within the scope of the Economy Briefing, of the Ministry of Economy and Planning, whose central theme was the realization of the second edition of the Angola Startup Summit. "On the occasion, the PCE of the Bank of Commerce and Industry, Renato Borges, announced that his institution has 10 million kwanzas available to finance the participant who presents the best technological solution for agribusiness", reads a note from the Ministry of Economy and Planning, to which VerAngola had access.
In the briefing, says the note, it was also advanced that the event "will facilitate the financing of at least three startups via venture capital and crowdfunding, the incubation of 10, and the acceleration of another 10 startups".
According to the Secretary of State for the Economy, Ivan dos Santos, the Government is "committed to the growth of these companies as part of the strategies for the development of the economy, which is why, in 2022, the Angola StartUp Summit was created ", says the statement.
Thus, the event, which will take place between the 27th and 29th of April at the Instituto Superior Politécnico de Tecnologia e Ciências (ISPTEC), aims to stimulate business and investment "for initiatives launched by national youth", also aiming to promote "greater cooperation between startups and public and private institutions".
"INAPEM intends to be an active part of this transformation process, promoting the birth of channels and initiatives that can stimulate the creation and formalization of small companies, their effective implementation, and their consolidation in the national economic fabric", reads the note.
According to the Secretary of State "this vision stems from the fact that Angola is not immune to the process of digital transformation that the world is facing, with initiatives that have already had an impact on the real economy, such as the increase in electronic commerce (e-commerce) and companies with functionalities focused on digital, also fueled by the increase in connectivity, with more and more Angolans connected to the internet".
"As a result, there has been an increase in services dedicated to startups, with greater emphasis on financial services, such as payments through mobile phones", added the official.
On the occasion, Ivan dos Santos also announced that, in order to "stimulate and influence startups to think about innovative solutions and bring resolutions, through disruptive ideas, to the various problems that society faces", the event will have three challenges that will be beneficial to the country: the MEP Challenge, in which the Minister of Economy and Planning challenged startups to find "innovative solutions to problems and dysfunctions identified in the market"; the Executive Challenge, designed together with other ministries, in order to identify the "transversal problems of their modi operandi and faciendi, and the presentation of innovative solutions for these problems" and also the Governador Challenge, which was launched by the government of the province of Luanda, "so that startups can create solutions for some of the problems that the city of Luanda presents, such as the lack of parking, for example".
In addition, the event will also feature a program full of initiatives, in order to understand all the needs of the sector, with the provision of lectures, debates, masterclasses, elevator pitches, fundraising and exhibitions.
According to the statement, the winners, as a prize, will receive an investment from the Fundo Activo de Capital de Risco Angolano (FACRA), as well as will have, "at their disposal, a set of products and services provided by the bodies responsible" by the Ministry of Economy and Planning and its partners.
According to Bruno Albernaz, CEO of Grupo Arena, "more than 100 companies are already in the process of processing and finalizing their registrations". However, the process is still ongoing at ISPTEC, "from the digital channels and telephone contacts of Grupo Arena (924 901 280) and also through the event's website.
Cited in the statement, Bruno Albernaz also said that the organization has been working to find solutions for startups that are unable to pay 85,000 kwanzas to register for the event. "There are many that are still in the beginning of their activity and we are here trying to find a way, either via a sponsor, or the creation of a vehicle for those angel startups, where we can find another price to motivate their participation. We call angels those who are younger, between one and two years old, and create a special price here so that we can also have these angels here to participate", he indicated.
At the event, it is expected to have the participation of 200 national and international startups.
