DEMO conference set to link techies with venture capitalists

Efforts to link local software developers with international venture capitalists got a boost following Intel’s Sh1.7 million ($20,000) sponsorship deal.

The donation will go towards sponsorship the second annual DEMO Africa conference, a Pan-African launch pad for emerging technologies and trends, to be held in Nairobi in October.

Intel’s investment in Africa will also seek to enhance local innovation by providing Kenyan developers with design tools, resources and expert consulting.

DEMO Africa’s executive, Harry Hare, said that although the  number of local application developers is increasing tremendously, the developers  are finding it difficult to link with international investors.

“I would like to take this chance to thank Intel for supporting DEMO Africa, which is that one chance where a hand-selected class of new products is introduced to the world for the very first time to the global press, investors, strategic partners and buyers,” said Mr Harry.

The 2013 Demo Africa conference has attracted 300 entries from across Africa, which are undergoing adjudication to determine the top 40 projects that will be launched in October.

Mr Hare noted the increased attention that Africa’s technology start-ups are getting from around the world and said the event will lift profiles of software developers.

The keen interest by venture capitalists is seen to boost the sector which has been stifled by lack of capital for translating ideas into marketed products.

The country has seen an increase in the number of research hubs, opening doors for young innovators.

There are at least seven start-up hubs in Nairobi. These are iHub, Nailab, Startup Garage, mLab, Fablab, 88mph, iLab, and GrowthHub Africa. But most of the innovators have failed to turn these ideas into viable business.

“By sponsoring DEMO Africa we see this as an opportunity to enable local tech start-ups to nurture their skills and get exposure on the global stage. These are critical components in the growth of the local software economy,” said Agatha Gikunda, Lead for Intel Software and Services Group in East Africa.

“We are excited about the growing developer engagement in Africa and seek to increase collaborations with tech hubs, independent software vendors and universities in order to build a foundation for robust solutions and industry innovation.”

Each year, over 2,500 people from around the globe attend the DEMO conference to experience innovation at its birth.

DEMO Africa is the flagship initiative of the Liberating Innovation in Opportunity Nations (LIONS@FRICA) partnership, an innovative new partnership aimed at enhancing and deepening start-up and innovation ecosystems of fast-growing African economies.