On the 27th of January 2021, the winners of the 2019 season of the Global Startup Awards (GSA) were announced at the Global Grand Finale Day. Bringing home an Award to Africa was Workshop17, which scooped Best Coworking Space in the world’s largest independent startup ecosystem competition.
On outshining the other finalists from around the world, Paul Keursten, Co-Founder and CEO of Workshop17 says: “We are thrilled to be a winner of such an established, global competition. It is a recognition for our vision to be a platform for entrepreneurship and innovation, and a tribute to the whole South African ecosystem of start-ups and innovator.”
Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde shares: “I am very proud of Workshop17’s win in the Global Startup Awards. Over the past year, we have seen traditional office spaces having to change and adapt to the new normal, and startups like Workshop17 have provided innovative solutions for remote working. This award comes hot on the heels of Cape Town being named on Big 7 Travel’s list of the 50 best places for remote working in 2021. The Western Cape has positioned itself as Africa’s Tech Capital and offerings that allow digital nomads and major corporations alike the space and flexibility to work from anywhere, further cement our reputation and offering in this industry.”
“The global winners’ geographical diversity reflects the global trend that the emerging startup ecosystems in Asia and Africa are fostering the next generation of startups capable of disrupting industries beyond their home market. Overall, in Global Startup Awards from 2012 until now, we have seen a shift globally from nationally-orientated startup ecosystems towards a more global interconnected ecosystem. We see more cross-border investment and startups expanding to new markets,” says Kim Balle, Co-founder and CEO at Global Startup Awards.
The competition saw 98 global finalists from six regions vying for the top spots in nine categories, with 18 finalists representing Africa. They were:
- Dololo Operations (Pty) Ltd (Namibia) – Best Accelerator or Incubator Program
- Workshop17 (South Africa) – Best Coworking Space
- MomSays (South Africa) – Best Newcomer
- Lynn Musonda of Savanna Premium Chocolate (Zambia) – Founder of the Year
- Kalon Venture Partners (South Africa) – Investor of the Year
- Joseph Rutakangwa of Rwazi (Mauritius) – People’s Choice: Individual
- Lynette Hundermark of Useful and Beautiful (South Africa) – People’s Choice: Individual
- Why Toyz (South Africa) – People’s Choice: Startup
- ZABANTU (South Africa) – People’s Choice: Startup
- Mama Money (South Africa) – People’s Choice: Startup
- YouFarm (Zimbabwe) – People’s Choice: Startup
- Appy Saúde (Angola) – People’s Choice: Startup
- The Loudhailer (South Africa) – People’s Choice: Startup
- Toolboksi Technologies (Tanzania ) – People’s Choice: Startup
- Roomscout Ltd (Mauritius) – People’s Choice: Startup
- Lige Pty Ltd (South Africa) – People’s Choice: Startup
- Growthwheel SA (South Africa) People’s Choice – Startup Ecosystem Supporter
- LULA (South Africa) – Startup of the Year
The 2021 season of the Global Startup Awards will be extended to include the entire African continent, giving future-shapers in all 54 countries immediate access to an established, independent and unified global innovation showcase. This year will see the addition of four more regions to the Awards – Northern, Central, Western and Eastern Africa.
“On everyone’s agenda is the need for an Africa strategy linking to emerging technologies. GSA Africa strives to play fundamental role in linking African innovators and ecosystem partners to global value chains and showcasing new markets grown by emerging disruptive industries,” shares Caitlin Nash, MD for The Loudhailer and Lead for GSA Africa.
For more information go to https://www.globalstartupawards.com/africanstartupawards. Stay informed about the Global Startup Awards Africa launch by signing up at http://bit.ly/GSAAfricaNews.