NIW.Startups | Nairobi Innovation Week

JUDGING & SELECTION

What do I need to do for my startup to be selected to be among the 30 pitches?

To be considered for selection to be among the 30 pitches follow the following steps that provide information for evaluation by judges.

Have a member of the team go to the portal startups.niw.co.ke and create their individual account using the JOIN option.
The individual account created is used to create a startup profile.
The individual account is used to add other members of the team to be associated with the startup, specifying their positions and nature of engagement. Added team members will receive an email notification to enable them to login and update their profiles.
One or more team members progressively update the information required under the startup profile sections namely General, Idea/Product, Impact & Scalability, and Traction & Next Steps.
All team members added ensure that they update their own individual profiles to bring out theirs strengths and commitment levels to the startup - which is a major judging criteria.
Curate and update your startups’ profile fully.This gives your startup visibility.
Participation in the startup activities and mentoring during NIW week through the partners or NIW is vital in helping improve on your pitch, business model or any space deemed needed.
Communicate with the partners or mentors at all times.

What is the judging criteria for the competition?

The four main criteria items for judging throughout the various stages of the challenge are :-

Ingenuity of the Idea or Product
Scalability & Impact
Traction (progress) & Next steps
Team composition & commitment

Ingenuity of the Idea or Product - evaluators will assess the articulation of the following :-<
- Problem / Customer Pain
- The Solution
- Technological Advantage or underlying magic
- Revenue Streams Tested and envisaged

Scalability & Impact - Evaluators will assess the articulation of the following
- Impact Opportunity & Market Size
- Analysis of The Competitive Landscape & Positioning
- Customer Acquisition Channels & Growth Plan

Traction & Next steps.
- Traction - progress attained by the business sofar
- Envisaged Next steps in the short and medium term

Team composition and commitment
- Complementarity of team skills
- Levels of commitment among team members

When do I know that my startup has been selected to be part of the 30 pitches?

When do I know which of the thematic / sectoral tracks i have been chosen for?
Announcement of the list of Startups that qualify for the 30 pitches and their respective sectoral tracks will be made around 1st - 3rd May 2019. This announcement will be on the NIW website

When do I know that my startup has been selected to be among the 6 most promising Startups in 2019?

Announcement of the list of Startups that qualify as the most promising startups in 2019 will be made during the innovation week (Date to be mentioned later). This announcement will be on the NIW website.

How Does It Work?

1. General Inquiry 2. Privacy & Confidentiality 3. Judging & Selection