Laurent Perrier hosts She Leads Africa Innovation Weekend Cocktail Reception & Entrepreneur Showcase

Last weekend, Laurent-Perrier hosted She Leads Africa’s Innovation Weekend, which included a Cocktail Reception and Entrepreneur Showcase.

It kicked off with a cocktail reception on Friday 19 September 2014, which brought together CEOs, Investors, Entrepreneurs, and the 10 finalists for the She Leads Africa

competition. Guests were able to mingle, connect and rub minds while they sipped on Laurent-Perrier Champagne. The ten finalists talked about their plans and ideas for their businesses with guests and potential investors.

Ebi Atawodi (middle)

The Finalists

Audu Maikori (Extreme Left)

Day 2 started with a panel of entrepreneurs who talked about how they started their own business, the challenges they faced and what they hope for the future of their businesses.

The Entrepreneur Showcase had the 10 finalists pitch their ideas to the audience of investors, guests and a panel of judges from different industries. The panel included Hakeem Belo Osagie (Chairman of Etisalat Nigeria), Ngozi Edozien (CEO of InVivo Partners), Audu Maikori (CEO of Chocolate City Group), Omoyemi Akerele (Founder of Style House Files) and Aliko Dangote (Chairman of Dangote Group) who went on to pledge support to She Leads Africa by providing a loan of up to NGN150 million at 5% interest rate through a facility managed by Bank of Industry.

Aliko Dangote, Ngozi Edozien & Hakeem Belo Osagie

Omoyemi Akerele & Audu Maikori

At the end of the pitch competition, 4 winners emerged. In fourth place was Oyindamola Honey Ogundeyi, CEO of Nigerian fashion e-commerce store, Fashpa.com.

The panels and Oyindamola Honey Ogundeyi (CEO, Fashpa)

In third place was Taffi Woolward, Thandos, a Nigerian based footwear company.

The Panel with Taffi Woolward (Thandos)

In second place was Nour Drissi of Loue 1 Voiture, an online car rental company based in Morocco. She also won an all-expense paid trip to China.

The Panel with Nour Drissi (Loue 1 Voiture)

First place went to Cherae Robinson of Tastemakers Africa, a travel app that allows millennials abroad to shop for curated travel experiences in Africa.

1st Place winner Cherae Robinson (Tastemakers Africa), Nour Drissi & Taffi Woolward

Apart from the grand prize of $10,000, Cherae Robinson also won a host of other prizes that included co-working space, domain name registration, access to prominent venture capitalists and angel investors, free legal advice for up to a year, interviews with major media outlets and other fantastic prizes.