The French South African Tech Labs (FSAT Labs) Cape Town Soft-landing Program for European and African Tech Startups
Are you a European or African tech startup interested in scaling your business or technology to South Africa?
The French South African Tech Labs (FSAT Labs) has just launched its call for applications for its two-week South African Soft-landing Program in Cape Town. The aim of the program is to support high-potential European and African startups in Setting Up Shop in South Africa and pitching to potential South African investors and ecosystem players.
The Cape Town Soft-landing program is being implemented by the FSAT Labs in partnership with the Enrich in Africa Centre with the focus of providing European and African startups access to the Cape Town tech and investment ecosystem and providing resources to startups that can assist in establishing operations in South Africa.
Through a curated 2 week program immersed in the Cape Town ecosystem, European and African startups will get access to workshops with government departments, legal firms, local startups, innovation centres, and investors; learning expeditions of Cape Town’s innovation centres and co-working spaces; a 2-day deal flow bootcamp; and access to all of AfricArena’s Grand Summit events. The startups will also get access to pitch to ecosystem players and investors at the AfricArena Grand Summit on the 6th and 7th of December.
Eligibility criteria
To apply for Cape Town Soft-landing Program, you should:
Be a registered entity incorporated in any country in Europe or Africa.
Provide an innovative product and service that could address a pertinent African market problem.
Have a strong business model with demonstrated traction in the European and African markets.
Have made a decision to scale to the South African market with clearly defined market opportunities.
Be able to communicate sufficiently in English, both orally and in written form.
Application
Deadline:
The call for applications for the scaling programme is now open and will officially close on October 31st, 2023. You can apply through this link below:
https://forms.gle/yEiZppgKGdc6auE28
Screening and Shortlisting:
Applications will be reviewed upon submission on an ongoing basis until the 31st of November
Interviews and Final Selection:
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview with the team following which the top participants will be selected and informed. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed between the 2nd and 7th of November.
The final selected applicants for the Cape Town Soft-landing program will be announced on the 10th of November 2023.
Program:
The final selected applicants for the Cape Town Soft-landing program will attend a program onboarding and orientation workshop on the 16th of November to assist with Visa, logistics, and the start of the program.
Startups will arrive in Cape Town on the 26th of November 2023 to start the program tour.
You can find further information about the program by clicking on the link here.