[TROPICS BUSINESS SUMMIT (Pre-Summit / New York) : Call for Proposals for 2018 Business Plans]

The TROPICS BUSINESS SUMMIT Pty (Ltd.), PAN Diaspora Capital Management and ALIZELAVIE Corporation invite interested companies and ventures to submit applications to refine and scale their businesses.

 

Proposals from startups and companies can be received up until 28 February 2018 and this year the call has requested that the proposals focus particularly on solutions involving the Tourism/Lifestyle, Fashion/Beauty, Agribusiness/Packaging, Technology/ICT/Digital Media, FMCG – Fast Moving Consumer Goods and Fintech, as they will have more likelihood of meeting market demands and, consequently, of attracting greater investment by third parties, as well as being in line with Africa and the Caribbean regions’ plans for effectively diversifying their economies in the next few years. Another desirable, but not essential, factor is for the solutions to have begun their commercial validation process.

 

“We are thrilled to invite all established African and Caribbean Entrepreneurs to submit their proposals for our 2018 Business Plans. It will be the Summit’s first year to host a pre-summit in New York City, and our financial and strategic partners already expect tremendous start and significant growth of our portfolio.”

 

The calls have been elaborated with the contribution of PAN Diaspora Capital Management and ALIZELAVIE Corporation, two of the returning organizations at the 2nd annual TROPICS BUSINESS SUMMIT which is scheduled this year on 16-20 October 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

 

“It is our hope that we will see great proposals that address all the important areas in innovation, business and job creation. In this release, each Entrepreneur will find all the necessary information to help them prepare the best possible proposals. We have attempted to simplify the process and make it more transparent, so we can concentrate our energy on developing excellent initiatives that will allow us to get ever closer to reaching the goals stated in our Strategic Agenda. We hope to see many of African and Caribbean Entrepreneurs and CEOs at the upcoming Pitch-Competitions during the TROPICS BUSINESS ‘Pre’-Summit event in New York in May 2018 and our Matchmaking event in Johannesburg, South Africa during the TROPICS BUSINESS SUMMIT grand gathering in October 2018.”

 

Selected companies will receive financial investment in the form of seed capital and acceleration services including connectivity services, guidance and direct support from the PAN Diaspora Capital Management team, mentoring on key issues for business growth (such as advice on strategy, sales, marketing and communication) by TROPICS INTERNATIONAL Inc., ALIZELAVIE Corporation and other selected Partners, training in entrepreneurship tools and business management, access to the TROPICS BUSINESS NETWORK of contacts and experience not only in the city where their venture is based but also from across the world where the initiative and opportunities are present, and exposure in the media and vis-à-vis potential investors.

Requirements for participation include: having a product/service already launched which is validated by the market (active users); having a scalable business model with global projection; boasting a multidisciplinary task force, with experience in the company’s sector; and being committed to the acceleration process.

To apply for this call of proposals, please click here :

 

Funding Available

The TROPICS BUSINESS SUMMIT Acceleration Program 2018 will choose and fund a small number of projects that will run over a 9 – 36 month period, starting in approximately May 2018. The whole funding process will be managed by PAN Diaspora Capital Management in New York City on behalf of the Summit and its Partners.

Selected applicants can receive up to a maximum of US $ 10,000,000 from the american investors to support eligible project costs.

 

Program Benefits

Eligible applicants will be able to realize the following benefits from participating in the Acceleration Program:

1. An opportunity to exhibit the company’s products, services and processes during the Pre-Summit in New York in May 2018 and also during the 2nd annual TROPICS BUSINESS SUMMIT in Johannesburg, South Africa in October 2018. The Acceleration Program is a unique opportunity to get access to a multicultural population of diverse end-users or diverse community of consumers attending both events.
2. An opportunity to generate evidence of the effectiveness of the company’s product/service which will help differentiate the product/service in the global marketplace.
3. An opportunity to establish a working relationship with a leading American private equity institution which adds credibility and referenceability for the company and its product or service.
4. An opportunity to work and develop a relationship with African and Caribbean leaders in your sector whose advice and guidance could further improve the product/service making it more valuable in the marketplace.
5. Support Afro-Caribbean innovators in building synergies and helping them diversify their respective economies by generating sustainable employment opportunities across Africa and the Caribbean region.

 

Important dates

Program announcement : February 1st, 2018.

Submissions deadline : February 28th, 2018 (by 5:00 P EST).

Notification to selected applicants  and invitation to pitch : March 15th, 2018.

Agreements signature in New York City during at the Pre-Summit : May 26th, 2018.

Projects official start date : July 1st, 2018.

 

For more information please contact the team:

TROPICS BUSINESS SUMMIT at , PAN Diaspora Capital Management at or ALIZELAVIE CORPORATION at