Programme: Start-Up Night Africa 2024

Welcome to Start-Up Night Africa in The Hague

A warm welcome to Start-Up Night Africa, the sixth event of its kind and our second here in The Netherlands. It plays a key role in Lionesses of Africa’s ‘Access to Markets and Investment Programme,’ which aims to connect Africa’s high-growth women entrepreneurs to international markets and investment opportunities. This year’s event also showcases and connects women entrepreneurs in the Netherlands to their African counterparts to encourage collaboration and partnership opportunities.

Start-Up Night Africa showcases and celebrates the inspiring stories of women-owned start-ups that are shaping industries, disrupting norms, and driving sustainable change. Get ready for an evening of business pitching, networking, and inspirational storytelling from women entrepreneurs who are in growth mode and looking for investment, new markets, and partnership opportunities.

We hope Start-Up Night Africa ignites your entrepreneurial spirit and inspires you to join us in taking action to positively change the funding and access-to-markets landscape for Africa’s women entrepreneurs, and for their fellow Lionesses here in the Netherlands.

Melanie Hawken Founder & CEO Lionesses of Africa

Welcome from Peter Derrek Hof

It is an honor to be able to welcome you, on behalf of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the second Start-Up Night Africa in The Hague. We are proud and grateful to be part of this important event. As the Ambassador for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, I have witnessed the incredible journeys of many women entrepreneurs and seen the endless potential when they are equipped with adequate funding and support . The Lionesses’ Start-Up Night aligns perfectly with our Dutch feminist foreign policy, which strives for equal rights and equality for all worldwide.

Tonight, we celebrate innovation, entrepreneurship, and the boundless potential of women entrepreneurs worldwide. I look forward to meeting each of you and share an evening filled with inspiration, learning, and meaningful connections. Together, we will unlock new possibilities and drive forward a future where gender equality and business success go hand in hand.

Peter Derrek Hof Ambassador Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Director Social Development 
 Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Welcome remarks from Lionesses of Africa Host, Nomalanga Sitol

Welcome remarks from Melanie Hawken, founder and ceo, Lionesses of Africa

Peter Derrek Hof, Ambassador Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Director Social Development, Ministry of Foreign Affair

Nishdeep Sethi, Group Director, Structured Finance, African Guarantee Fund

Erik Parigger - Programme Coordinator, Orange

5 Women Entrepreneurs from Africa looking for investment and to expand into European markets and partnerships pitch their businesses to the audience

Sasha Knott, co-founder, Job Crystal (South Africa UK

Dr Salma Bougarrani, founder, Green Watech (Morocco

Joyce Kamande, founder, Safi Organics (Kenya

Dupe Killa-Kafidipe, founder, Platinum Fisheries (Nigeria

Siny Samba, founder, Le Lionceau (Senegal)

Topic - The challenges and opportunities for women entrepreneurs to drive socioeconomic impact through access to funding and investment.

Chair - Melanie Hawken, founder and ceo, Lionesses of Afric

Patrick Lumumba, Group Director - Capacity Development, African Guarantee Fun

Vignesh Subramani, Head: Sales Planning, SME Business, Absa Bank, South Afric

Chiinga Musonda, Co-founder, Savanna Premium Chocolate

9.30 – Pitch Session 2

5 Women Entrepreneurs from Netherlands looking to expand operations into African markets and partnerships pitch their businesses to the audience

Barbara Gwanmesia, founder, Batazi

Thekla Teunis, founder, Grounde

Marieke de Ruyter de Wildt, founder, Open Food Chai

Solange Domaye, founder, Symfonio B

Merel Van der Lei, ceo, Wyzetalk

19.50 – Closing Conversation

Melanie Hawken, founder and ceo, Lionesses of Afric

Peter Derrek Hof, Ambassador Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, Director Social Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs - launches the 2024 Pledge to Act

Melissa Basque-Roux, Ag. Coordinator, AFAWA, African Development Bank Grou

Closing remarks - Wampie Libon-van der Wal, Director, International Enterprise

Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 20.05 – Refreshments and networking

Women entrepreneurs showcase their businesses and products services in the networking area

Sasha K ott, co o der, Job Cryst l

(So th ric /UK

Dr Sal a Bougarra , o der, Gree W tech

(Morocco

Joyce Ka a de, o der, S fi Or ics

(Ke y

Dupe K lla-Kafid pe, o der, Pl ti Fisheries

(Ni eri

S y Sa ba, o der, Le Lio ce

(Se e l

Barbara Gwa es a, o der, B t i

(Netherl ds

Thekla Teu s, o der, Gro ded

(Netherl ds

Mar eke de Ruyter de W ldt, o der, Ope Food Ch i

(Netherl ds

Sola ge Do aye, o der, Sy o io BV

(Netherl ds)

Merel Va der Le , ceo, Wy et lk

(Netherl ds)

Sasha
 Knott

Founder of Job Crystal (South Africa/UK)

Job Crystal recruits talent using AI and a human touch. Company Profile

Job Crystal is a Recruitment Technology business, founded by two female entrepreneurs experienced in Technology and Recruitment. They have developed an award-winning AI tool, called Crystal, to help the end user have a simpler better way to recruit. Their technology was originally developed in South Africa, since then the company has also opened in the United Kingdom and remains steadfast in their vision to make a dent in unemployment.

Contact Details

Email: sasha@jobcrystal.com

Website: www.jobcrystal.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sashaknott/

Founder of GREEN WATECH (Morocco)

Company Profile

GREEN WATECH is a low-tech solution for wastewater treatment and reuse for irrigating vegetables destined for human consumption.

GREEN WATECH is a Morocco-based company that offers a low-tech solution for wastewater treatment and reuse for irrigating vegetables destined for human consumption called SoilBased Filter (SBF). The solution does not require any energy to operate, works only with gravity, and is adapted to rural and decentralized areas. Our vision is to become the leading organization in Morocco in decentralized sanitation services with a special focus on the African market and to democratize the right of access to water and sanitation for all. Since 2018, GREEN WATECH has brought safe sanitation services to more than 21,000 people in 23 villages and farms across Morocco, and hopes to double the number of rural communities receiving safe sanitation services by 2025.

Contact Details

Email: s.bougarrani@greenwatech.com

Website: www.greenwatech.com/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-salma-bougarrani-35507385

Bougarrani

Joyce Kamande

Founder of Safi Organics (Kenya)

Company Profile

Safi Organics, harnessing the power of technology to create an impactdriven fertilizer production business.

Safi Organics is decentralizing fertilizer production using a combination of technology innovation and proprietary recipes to enable profitable, villagebased production of high-yield, carbon-negative fertilizers from locally available crop residues and labor that help rural farmers reverse soil degradation and improve their yields by up to 30%. We have created employment for over 600 rural youths within our production plant in Kirinyaga-Kenya which can produce over 10 tons/day of fertilizers serving around 15,000 farmers. Because our fertilizer blends are rich in recalcitrant carbon, for each acre of field that utilizes our output, about 1.5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent is being sequestered into the soil every year for at least hundreds of years. At scale, we envision this to sequester around 3 gigatonnes per year of CO2 equivalent. We are being certified through existing offset standards, PURO Earth, and are actively seeking to speak with prospective carbon offset purchasers.

Contact Details

Email: joycekamande54@gmail.com

Website: www.safiorganics.co.ke

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joyce-kamande-60911315a

Dupe Killa-

Kafidipe

Founder of Platinum Fisheries (Nigeria)

Company Profile

Platinum Fisheries, an ethical and sustainable B2B seafood production company.

Platinum Fisheries is a Nigerian-based, holistic fish farming company that promotes ethical and sustainable fish production practices. Platinum aims to increase local food security with a sustainable protein source, empower local fish farmers (with training, mentoring, and trade aggregation) to generate sustainable livelihoods and tackle climate change. The company also offers fish fingerlings sales from a hatchery line to other fish farms. Platinum Fisheries’ current production capacity is 390 metric tonnes per annum, a 40% increase compared to the previous year’s. It plans to scale operations by implementing a bioech-driven system - Recirculatory Aquaculture Systems (RAS) - which recycles and reuses water. This game-changing technology will cut operational costs by almost 50%, and allow the company to scale efficiently, sustainably, and profitably.

Contact Details

Email: dkilla@platinumfishfarm.com

Website: platinumfishfarm.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dupe-killa-kafidipe-a8a421210

Siny Samba

Founder of Le Lionceau (Senegal)

Company Profile

Le Lionceau, a social enterprise producing nutritious baby food to build an inclusive, high impact food value chain in Senegal.

Le Lionceau is a Senegalese social enterprise that processes, produces, and distributes from farm to fork, locally sourced baby food products formulated from African indigenous crops. Our diverse range of products, including baby purees, infant flour and biscuits, prioritizes the nutritional needs of babies while championing African indigenous flavours. Through workshops, we empower communities with nutritional education and promote local consumption, fostering economic development. Our mission extends to reducing food waste, strengthening the local food value chain, and nurturing healthier children. Le Lionceau is committed to both quality and local origin, contributing to sustainable practices and empowering women in Senegal.

Contact Details

Email: siny.samba@le-lionceau.com

Website: www.le-lionceau.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/siny-samba-05b77196

Barbara Gwanmesia

Founder of Batazia (Netherlands)

Company Profile

Batazia – Translation AI for African languages.

Batazia develops Translation & Language AI solutions that enable effective text and audio translation & localization of content, education, and product experiences from, into, and across African languages. We desire knowledge, information, education, entertainment and digital services to be accessible in every African’s mother tongue, to improve their quality of life and expand their economic options. Businesses, freelancers, educators, researchers, developers, and governments, can achieve more accurate document translation and app localization results, as well as benefit from generative AI applications for native African languages which are currently unavailable. By digitizing Africa’s languages and enabling them for AI, we seek to contribute to Africa’s transition into a digital and tech-enabled future.

Contact Details

Email: bt.gwanmesia@batazia.com Website: www.batazia.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-gwanmesia/

Thekla Teunis

Founder of Grounded (Netherlands)

Company Profile

Grounded supports farmers in their transition towards regenerative agriculture, and helps buyers access high-quality, ethical products.

The Grounded Investment Company is on a mission to scale regenerative agriculture in Africa, by making it economically attractive for smallholder farmers. We invest in a key leverage point in the value chain: processing companies. Processing companies are well-positioned in the value chain, with the economic heft to generate tangible impact for thousands of farmers. We are backed by a growing group of investors who are equally committed to transforming the food system. We focus on high value crops such as spices, coffee and tea. Our team has ten years of experience in building regenerative agriculture ventures - and our first investments are proving that our model can work.

Contact Details

Email: thekla@grounded.co.za

Website: www.grounded.co.za

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/thekla-teunis-288b6218

Founder of Open Food Chain (Netherlands)

Company Profile

Open Food Chain (OFC) connects data from farm to fork.

OFC is a tech firm leveraging blockchain technology to build a public data infrastructure for more connected, transparent and sustainable food supply chains. Our team of experts is dedicated to delivering a highquality, scalable, and secure infrastructure that meets the unique needs of the agrifood industry.

Contact Details

Email: marieke@openfoodchain.com

Website: www.openfoodchain.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marieke-de-ruyter-de-wildt-9501086/

Marieke de Ruyter de Wildt

Solange Domaye

Founder of Symfonio BV (Netherlands)

Company Profile

Symfonio, a pioneering force in organic African food production and distribution, empowering over 2,000 women cooperatives in Burkina Faso.

Symfonio bv is a pioneering force in the realm of organic African food production and distribution, collaborating closely with over 2,000 women cooperatives to cultivate and distribute organic fonio, a nutrient-rich grain.

By creating direct and equitable partnerships with women cooperatives in Africa, we can help them achieve financial independence and improve their livelihoods. Thanks to the utilization of modern techniques, women cooperatives and small farmers can cultivate, clean, and process fonio. This nutritious grain not only serves as a source of sustenance for their families but also provides an opportunity for them to sell it at local markets and export the surplus for additional income. By fostering the growth of fonio, these practices contribute to the well-being, livelihoods, and independence of rural communities, particularly women.

Contact Details

Email: solange@symfonio.bio

Website: www.symfonio.bio

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/solangedomaye

Merel

Van der Lei

CEO of Wyzetalk (Netherlands)

Company Profile

Wyzetalk: the smart solution to connect and engage with frontline workers.

With a proven track record of adding value to organisations in emerging markets, Wyzetalk’s mobile employee experience platform enables companies to connect with their frontline and non-desk workers, across multiple business sites and complex structures. From crisis and mission critical comms to access to training and smart HR, Wyzetalk provides employers with the solution to reach their often dispersed workforce at any time, from any where and on any device. No more reliance on notice boards, heavy paper footprints and broken telephone or queuing systems: Wyzetalk’s mobile platform creates access and opportunities for the often disconnected and underpriviliged frontline, while significantly impacting businesses’ bottom-lines.

Contact Details

Email: merel.vanderlei@wyzetalk.com  Website: www.wyzetalk.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merelvanderlei/

Start-Up Night Africa

Lionesses of Africa is a 1.8 million women entrepreneur strong social impact innovation company working to advance Africa’s women entrepreneurs. We build and deliver women entrepreneur development programmes, research, mentoring programmes, business tools, networking events, and information resources, at scale and always free of charge. Our Start-Up Night Africa events take place in major cities across the globe and connect Africa's high-growth potential women entrepreneurs to international market and investment opportunities and to their fellow Lionesses in those markets.

www.lionessesofafrica.com admin@lionessesofafrica.com

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ) makes our Kingdom safer and more prosperous and works to create a just and sustainable world.

BZ also supports Dutch nationals abroad 24/7. We do all this together with our partners at home and abroad. Working for the Netherlands, worldwide.

African Guarantee Fund (AGF) is a specialized guarantee provider whose mission is to facilitate economic development and poverty reduction in Africa. To achieve this, AGF increases access to finance for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) across key economic sectors through an array of guarantee products and capacity development assistance. Since inception, AGF has unlocked more than USD 4.3 billion in SME financing, through partnerships with 250 partner financial institutions across 43 African countries.

AGF is backed by the following shareholders and sponsors: The Government of Denmark through the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), the Government of Spain through the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID), the African Development Bank (AfDB), French Development Agency (AFD), Nordic Development Fund (NDF), Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU), German Development Bank (KfW), French Agency for Private Sector (PROPARCO), West African Development Bank (BOAD), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), USAID's West Africa Trade & Investment Hub (WATIH), TechnoServe and NORAD.

African Guarantee Fund is rated AA - by Fitch Ratings

AFAWA is an African Development Bank pan-African initiative that contributes to closing the $49 billion financing gap for women in Africa through a comprehensive support. AFAWA aims to unlock $5 billion in financing for 30,000 women-owned and women-led small and medium enterprises by 2026.

AFAWA is supported by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), participating G7 countries such as France, Italy, Canada, Germany as well as Netherlands and Sweden. Through AFAWA, the African Development Bank has approved $1.7 billion of investment for women entrepreneurs in 32 countries, channeled through 96 financial institutions.

Absa Group Limited (‘Absa Group’) is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and is one of Africa’s largest diversified financial services groups. Absa Group offers an integrated set of products and services across personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management and insurance. Absa Group owns majority stakes in banks in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania (Absa Bank Tanzania and National Bank of Commerce), Uganda and Zambia and has insurance operations in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. Absa also has offices in China, Namibia, Nigeria and the United States, as well as securities entities in the United Kingdom and the United States, along with technology support colleagues in the Czech Republic.

Information

Contact Organiser

For registration or media information please contact us at events@lionessesofafrica.com

Public Transportation Route

Venue is easily accessible via public transportation. Nieuwspoort is walking distance from CS The Hague (Anna van Buerenplein exit).

Cycling Route

Please note: due to safety measures bicycles may not be parked in the direct vicinity of the House of Representatives. One option is the bicycle parking strip along the Bezuidenhoutseweg across from Coolblue (Babylon). Or in the CS The Hague bicycle parking.

Parking

The House of Representatives does not have public parking facilities. You can park at Q-Park CS New Babylon or Q-Park Malieveld

Q-Park CS New Babylon

Address: Prinses Irenestraat 1, 2595 The Hagu

Q-Park Malieveld

Address: Koningskade 1, 2596 The Hague

Event Venue: Nieuwspoort – Bezuidenhoutseweg 67, 2594 AC, The Hague

Please note that Nieuwspoort is located in the Chamber building, there are security measures in place. In order to ensure that your visit runs smoothly, we suggest you pre-register to enter Nieuwspoort. Importantly, you must arrive with a valid form of ID.

Pre-registration

for Nieuwspoort in the House of Representatives building:

Visitand enter your information. You will receive an email with a QR code with which you can access the House of Representatives building. You can also register upon arrival, using your valid ID.  bezoekers.nieuwspoort.nl