GEN SL in Partnership with The Freetown Pitch Night hosted the Fempreneur Pitch event on April 26, 2023, at Limkokwing University Of Creative Technology aimed to promote female entrepreneurship by providing a platform for female entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas for seed funding.
Mercury International proudly sponsored the event with a star prize of $5,000. Seven talented female entrepreneurs were selected to participate, and they underwent two weeks of prepping sessions to refine their pitch presentations and Pitch decks.
Opening and Keynote:
Ms. Margret Cassel and Ms. Francess Beresford-Renner hosted the event. Mr. Francis Stevens-George, CEO/MD of the company, delivered a keynote address. He stressed the importance of fostering a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem in Sierra Leone. He noted that innovation thrives when there's a pipeline of ideas and investors to support those ideas. Mr. Stevens-George expressed gratitude to Mr. Martin Michael, the MD of Mercury International, for sponsoring the event and providing seed capital, particularly for female entrepreneurs.
Introduction of Judges:
The panel of judges introduced themselves. Notably, the judges were predominantly women, emphasizing the event's focus on promoting female entrepreneurship. The panel included Fatima Sisay, founder of Unimax, John Wearing, Tafadzwa Chiganga, CEO, and Founder of KwaTerry Farm, Waheed Awonuga, CEO of Infinity Creativity Media, and Mavis Madaure, Impact Project Manager of Aurora Foundation.
Pitch Session:
Each of the seven female entrepreneurs had five minutes to present their innovative ideas, followed by a two-minute Q&A session with the judges, for a total of seven minutes per pitch.
Pitch Summaries:
Panashe Chikhata (Recycle2Skill):
- Pitch: Empowering unskilled youths by providing skills training in exchange for plastic waste.
- Emily Kumba Fanday ("The Community"):
- Pitch: A peer-to-peer lending platform connecting lenders directly to borrowers in formal and informal businesses.
- Mariama Bah (Rise Radio 96.3 FM):
- Pitch: Creating radio content and radio drama to raise awareness about climate change.
- Lydia Bernard-Jones ("The Bridge"):
- Pitch: Connecting underprivileged Sierra Leonean students to scholarship opportunities.
- Nippy Bah ("Mamie Coker"):
- Pitch: A platform for connecting clients with skilled workers in various service fields.
- Fatmata Kargbo (Tamara Millennium Company):
- Pitch: Empowering underprivileged women with training in crop practice and basic business management skills.
- Hawanatu Sesay (Wi-AgricTech):
- Pitch: Designing farming technologies to increase crop production, especially through IoT-based plant monitoring.
Guest Speaker:
The guest speaker for the event was Ms. Isatu Harrison, the CEO/founder of Creative Hub Africa and Izelia Fashion. She shared her entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing the importance of using available resources until one can attain what is needed for one's business. She encouraged young female entrepreneurs to persevere in the face of challenges.
Winner Announcement:
Certificates were presented to all the pitchers, and the judges unanimously declared "The Community" led by Emily Kumba Fanday as the winner of the 2023 Freetown Pitch Night - Fempreneur Edition. Mr. Martin Michaels, the MD of Mercury International, presented the winner with a $5,000 cheque as seed capital. The event concluded on a high note with anticipation for the next edition scheduled for May 13, 2023.