Lagos has constantly positioned itself as a hub for entrepreneurship and tech innovation. In recent times, the city has played host to some of the biggest names in the tech industry which include Steve Case Co-founder America Online, Micheal Seibel CEO of YCombinator and Mark Zuckerberg Founder of Facebook to name a few. Over the years, the interest in the tech scene in Africa has grown and Lagos has continued to attract international investors some of which include Omidyar Network, Seedstars World, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Google Ventures, YCombinator & 500 Startups.
As you might already know, earlier this year, two Nigerian Startups, Podozi and Sure Bids (owners of Sure gift) joined the 500 Family and it’s safe to say with the Geeks On A Plane Tour Coming to Lagos in March 2017, Dave McClure is on the hunt for more Nigerian startups and I do hope we are able to overwhelm him with the great companies being built in this City. In an article titled “The Unicorn Hedge”, Dave explained that while many future unicorns will come from the US & China, others will come from Nigeria, Pakistan, Brazil, & Indonesia which is why 500 Startups is here.
Teniola, founder Podozi, beauty ecommerce startup from Nigeria @500Startups #Batch16 #DemoDay @TeniBeauty @mypodozi pic.twitter.com/dNJ5XokRJc
— Dave McClure (@davemcclure) May 13, 2016
Geeks On A Plane (#GOAP) is one of the most internationally recognized initiatives for bringing tech entrepreneurs, investors and executives around the world together to build cross-border partnerships. Organized by 500 Startups, GOAP is an invite-only exploratory mission for geeks to learn about business opportunities in explosive technology markets and get “backstage” access to the key players in each ecosystem.
For the first time, Geeks On A Plane (#GOAP) is organising an Africa Tour from March 20-April 1, 2017 which features visits to 4 Cities – Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg & Cape town
More information could be found here