The semi-finalist judging panel for 2019 Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) has been announced.
The judges to include the founder and CEO of SoleRebels, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, who owned the premium coffee brand, Garden of Coffee.
The other judge is Fatoumata Ba, a technology entrepreneur and venture capital investor currently serving as the Founder and Executive Chair of Janngo and Managing Partner of Janngo Capital.
Also on the panel is Marième Diop, the Investment Manager at Orange Digital Ventures Africa, Orange Group’s 50 million euros venture capital fund dedicated to African startups.
Another person on the panel is AuM, Hasan Haider , Partner at 500 Startups, the most active Venture Capital firm in the world, based in Silicon Valley, with more than 2,000 investments in more than 50 countries and 400 million dollars.
Also on the panel are, the founder and Managing Partner of 4DX Ventures, Peter Orth, and René Parker, Managing Director and CEO of RLabs, a global social enterprise with a strong focus on community-driven innovation and social change.
The last judge listed was Fred Swaniker, founder of the African Leadership Group, an ecosystem of organisations that collectively aims to develop three million entrepreneurial leaders for Africa by 2035.
The ANPI is a prize competition for African entrepreneurs spearheaded by Jack Ma Foundation.
The aim of the competition is to identify and spotlight African entrepreneur heroes and their stories to inspire the continent and beyond.
The panel would evaluate the semi-finalists and select the top 10 finalists for the ANPI.
The judges would award a share of one million dollars in total grand prize money during the finale event in Accra in November.