SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, (THEWILL) – Nigeria played host to Silicon Valley’s leading venture capital seed fund accelerator, 500 start-ups, in partnership with African Technology Foundation and Ingressive, as the city of Lagos hosted the inaugural African edition of the world renowned Geeks on a Plane program alongside a select group of Silicon Valley investors and ecosystem stakeholders.
The trip was also supported by Venture Garden Group, Mall for Africa, AFFRIFF, Filmhouse IMAX, Imaginairum, EchoVC, Printivo, Growth Capital and Aluko & Oyebode among others.
The Geeks, who were in Lagos from March 20th – 23rd, engaged local thought leaders and ecosystem drivers, were involved in a techno-cultural journey across major ecosystem and culinary touch points – including a visit to the New African Shrine, a pitch event showcasing diverse and game-changing Nigerian start-ups, and a meeting with Nollywood stars to explore investment opportunities in film making in Africa with technology solutions at the Filmhouse IMAX cinema, Lekki, where a documentary on former US President, Barrack Obama, directed by a Nigerian, was screened.
Speaking at the Press Conference of the Geeks On A Plane tech tour, the founder of 500 start-ups, Dave McLure, said, the international tech is interested in partnerships with growing local corporates and looking toward the tech space for innovation, and also new clients.
“The African region is definitely of interest to 500 as we continue to look for and source deals from traditionally underrepresented ecosystems,” he said.
“While we invest 70% in the US, 30% of our deals are spread across 60 different countries currently.
“Through Geeks on a Plane we are looking to build stronger relationships with investors on the ground, maybe even find a few start-ups to invest in, and have a LOT of fun with local nerds.”
Others who spoke at the press conference are Chris Burns, senior coordinator for digital development, USAID; Stephen Ozoigbo, CEO, African Technology Foundation, who planned the event for about 2 years and is burdened with the task of walking the geeks through curated events across Africa; Chioma Ude (Founder Africa International Film Fest Festival); Jeff Harbach (CEO Kauffman Fellows); Monique Woodard (Major Partner 500 Shades, 500 Startups); Maya Harmondu (Founder and CEO Ingressive); and Gbenga Obadina.
They were also asked why they came to Nigeria despite the negative narratives about the country as most of them are visiting for the first time.
They responded that they are also aware of a lot of positive news emerging from the country and they have seen the entrepreneurial hustles of the citizens insisting that there are more opportunities in Nigeria than the challenges. Dave later added that the Nigerian Jollof rice and pepper soup was a major attraction.
The Geeks will also visit Accra, Johannesburg, and Cape Town, where they will be immersed in some of the continent’s most prominent technology innovation ecosystems.
