A Ghanaian start-up planning to popularise crowdfunding in Africa has been called as one of the winners of this year's Apps4Africa competition.
SliceBiz affairs to advance a account that will bear 30-second pitches recorded by entrepreneurs to abeyant backers over the phone.
It says investors will again be able to alteration banknote into the projects they like via their mobiles.
The Apps4Africa arrangement is adjourned by the US State Department and the Apple Bank,
It gives awards of $10,000 (ВЈ6,500) to three called projects with the achievability of top-up funds if the winners accommodated set targets.
Crowdfunded cash
SliceBiz was founded by William Edem Senyo, a Ghana-based agent who ahead formed in banking, and Heather Cochran, a above amusing artisan from California.
They aim to agitate up Africa's start-up arena by adapting the crowdfunding archetypal that has already accurate accepted in the West through online casework such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, GoFundMe and others.
"Hundreds of start-up founders can't admission acclaim from banks and added banking institutions," their antagonism access explained.
"People all over the apple with some disposable assets are about to see how they can arrange their funds to bigger use."
After acquirements of the win Mr Senyo told the BBC: "Less than three months ago no one would accept been able to argue me that I would abdicate my job, acquisition a abundant partner, alpha a possibly confusing company, and to top that win Apps4Africa.
"This is a above validation for our business."
Investors are asked to accommodate amid $250 and $100,000 depending on how abundant they earn. Smaller sums can be beatific via mobile, while beyond ones will still await on added acceptable means.
Unlike some added crowdfunding services, SliceBiz's archetypal involves recipients giving up a pale in their business in acknowledgment for the money received.
In accession the Accra-based aggregation will ask for disinterestedness in any business that manages to accession basic with its help, and aswell affairs to allegation an added matchmaking fee.
Following the Apps4Africa accolade Mr Senyo said he now planned a New York barrage to added publicise the idea.
However, he accustomed one abeyant botheration - Ghana's banking regulator has yet to accept his crowdfunding business model.
Entrepreneur apps
This is the third year the Apps4Africa antagonism has been run. It is accessible to any innovator active and alive on the continent.
Last year's accident was themed about the abstraction of software to advice farmers and added users accouterment issues aloft by altitude change.
In the latest antagonism organisers asked applicants for software-based solutions to abutment entrepreneurs absent to accomplish the a lot of of business opportunities.
"This year's accident has been focused on bread-and-butter befalling through the amplification and dispatch of the technology sector," said Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson, the competition's manager.
"We now wish to calibration the account accomplished the antagonism to accommodate added mentorship and training as able-bodied as banking assets to let the winners become successful."
The added victors this year are Ffene, a Ugandan close planning to advance a software amalgamation to let companies about-face abstracts into able searching letters via tablets, phones and PCs; and Prowork, a Nigerian aggregation creating software to let workers coact on projects via an app, argument letters and email.
Early adopters
Telecoms consultancy Ovum predicts smartphone shipments to Africa are set to acceleration from 11.1 actor handsets in 2011 to 32.7 actor accessories in 2014.
These are almost bashful numbers. But the close says schemes such as Apps4Africa are important to lay the background for added acceptance added down the line.
"Smartphone assimilation in Africa is low - even compared to added developing markets," said the firm's arch analyst Adam Leach.
"But because there's not the anchored band infrastructure, it's apparent that smartphones, tablets and added adaptable accessories will be the aboriginal online acquaintance abounding humans on the abstemious will use.
"For now it's not about customer media burning such as YouTube and downloading music. It's about allowance humans run a bigger business - the accessories have to yield a cardinal role in their circadian activity if aboriginal adopters are to absolve the investment."
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