International tech conference to be hosted in Cape Town

Cape Town - Wesgro and Silicon Cape will be hosting the AfricArena 2018 International Africa Tech Conference in Cape Town on 15 and 16 November.

The key themes for this year’s conference are SmartCity, SmartAgri, SmartCommerce, SmartSkills, SmartMedia and SmartTravel. Startups from all over the continent are expected to be joining.

This year’s event has attracted international companies like RCS, Air France KLM, Vinci Energies, Saint Gobain, VC4A and Silicon Cape. Local African players like MEST, SAVCA, ABAN, Startupbootcamp Africa, La French Tech, French Chamber of Commerce, EuroQuity and BPI France will also be involved.

Christophe Viarnaud, founder of AfricArena and CEO of Methys, said "on the back of a highly successful first edition of AfricArena with over $2m in deal impact and much more in commitments, we have decided to double down on our investment and exponentially increase our impact".

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This year AfricArena will be expanding its pan-African footprint to find the best start-ups on the continent.

"We will also be taking some of the winners of the AfricArena 2017 challenges on an investor roadshow in Paris and New York. With a fully open collaboration model bringing an increasing number of sponsors and ecosystem partners, AfricArena is committed to its mission to accelerating the African Tech ecosystems,” he said.

Taya van Lill, CEO of the outh African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA), said AfricArena brings together various players in the entrepreneurship ecosystem, highlighting the creative start-ups in and around Africa.

Furthermore, Mauritius, Reunion Island, Nairobi, Casablanca, Lagos and Dakar are regional focal points showing the fastest tech development and growth on the continent.

Tim Harris, CEO of Wesgro (the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape) said Cape Town can be regarded as the "start-up" capital of Africa, accounting for more than 60% of all start-ups in South Africa alone.

"Conferences such as AfricArena help make our ecosystem even stronger, by connecting the best and the brightest from across Africa. We are excited to be a part of this innovation, and we look forward to a successful 'world tour' and conference later this year,” said Harris.

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