Project NINJA

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Ethiopia (MinT) are pleased to announce that the "Ethiopia Startup Pitch Event in Japan" will be held for investors and companies from Japan and from all over the world as well as anyone interested in Africa, as part of "Project NINJA (Next Innovation with Japan)". ^[1] In conjunction with this event, MinT's officials (the Minister, State Minister and officials) and Ethiopian startups participating in the acceleration program will come to Japan.

We invite lecturers from Japanese companies and economic organizations engaged in business and investment in the African region, and they will introduce the status-quo of African business. In addition, six Ethiopian startups selected from about 100 companies after passing three rounds of selection will pitch and showcase their innovative businesses. This will be a valuable opportunity to learn about the current state of business in Africa and build relationships with startups in Ethiopia. It will be a hybrid event, but we look forward to your in-person participation at the venue in Japan.

[Please register here (Online participation) (external link)] Maximum 500 participants

[Please register here (In-person participation in Japan) (external link)] ^[2] Maximum 80 participants

Ethiopia's Tech Market is attracting global attention

As digital transformation (DX) accelerates worldwide, new businesses utilizing technology are attracting attention, and investment from Europe and the U.S. is increasing as they focus on the potential market. With a population of around 112 million, Ethiopia is a market large enough for startups to develop their businesses. In recent years, the transition to a digital economy has progressed due to the improvement of the communication environment and government policies, making it one of the countries full of business potential.

Event Details

- Event Title: Ethiopia Startup pitch in Japan
- Organizes: JICA, MinT
- Date: Tuesday, June 20th, 2023, 9:30am-12:00am (EAT), 3:30pm-6:00pm (JST)
- Place: JICA Takebashi Headquarters in Japan and Online (Zoom Webinar)
- Interpretation: English/Japanese (simultaneous interpretation)

9:30-9:40	Opening remarks (MinT's Minister)
9:40-10:00	Lecture 1: Startups in Ethiopia (MinT)
10:00-10:10	Lecture 2: Investment in Africa from Japan (Keizai Doyukai; Japan Association of Corporate Executives)
10:10-10:20	Lecture 3: Business and CSR Activities in Africa by Japanese Companies (Ridgelinez Limited)
10:20-10:25	Rest
10:25-11:40	Pitches by 6 Ethiopian startups Each company will pitch according to the following flow A - C. Regarding the information on startups, please refer to the "Startups participating in the pitch" section below. A: Business overview in Japanese (2 minutes) B: Startup pitch (5 minutes) C: Q&A session and advice from judges (5 minutes) Judges: Presenters of lecture 2 & 3 and Mr. IMURA Satoshi, Manager, Business Produce Department, Deloitte Tohmatsu Venture Support Co., Ltd.
11:40-11:50	Comments and Q&A sessions from general participants to startups (Please use Zoom's "Questions" function) . Public voting (Please participate in the voting using the "Vote" function of Zoom.) . Awards for the first and second place startups.
11:50-12:00	Closing remarks

Startups participating in the pitch

Gebeta Software PLC

Product name: Gebeta Maps/Gebeta Kitchens
Sector: Digitization in ICT/ logistics-tech
Established in 2019
Number of Employees: <5
Description: Gebeta Software is a software company working on providing solutions and platforms to facilitate logistics, routing and similar services at an affordable rate.
Website: gebeta.app (external link)

Fibermart Trading Company

Product name: Fibermart
Sector: Manufacture (Energy)
Established in 2018
Number of Employees: 10+
Description: Fibermart Trading designs and deploy energy kiosks that are powered by solar. They can be used to provide financial access and connectivity for frontier markets. The kiosks have a refrigerator, charging hub and WiFi.
Website: Fiberkiosk.com (external link)

Guzo Technologies PLC

Product name: Guzomap XR Studio
Sector: E-Tourism/VR-Tourism
Established in 2019
Number of Employees: 6-10
Description: Guzo Technologies Plc (Guzotech) is an Internet of Things and XR(Extended Reality) products prototyping startup headquartered in Addis Ababa. Guzotech builds interactive and immersive experiences for enterprises and government institutions.
Website: guzo.tech (external link)

WeCare Digital Health

Product name: WeCare Digital Health
Sector: Health-Tech
Established in 2021
Number of Employees: 6-10
Description: WeCare Digital Health is a SaaS company with an innovative virtual health consultation service. Their mobile applications, along with their call center, aims to help clients book and consult a healthcare professional of their choice from the comfort of their homes.
Website: wecare.et (external link)

Storm Online Technologies/Shemach

Product name: Shemach
Sector: Digitization in ICT
Established in 2022
Number of Employees: 10+
Description: Shemach is a one-stop digital marketplace that connects retailers and FMCG manufacturers. Retailers order products via their platform from the comfort of their shop and receive same-day free delivery.
FMCG manufacturers are then able to obtain real-time market insight and processed data on their retail customers.
Website: shemach.co (external link)

Commerce 360 / Taywan

Product name: Taywan
Sector: Retail Tech
Established in 2020
Number of Employees: 20+
Description: Taywan is a B2B E-commerce and financing embedded platform that empowers informal trade and restocking for merchants, retailers, and kiosk across Ethiopia.
Website: taywan.store (external link)