U.S. Embassy Announces the 2019 GIST Tech-I Competition
By Sean McIntosh Public Affairs Officer
October 26, 2018 Phone: 357000 NR/1193/26/10/2018
Sean McIntosh Public Affairs Officer
Lusaka – The U.S. Embassy enthusiastically announces the 2019 Global Innovation through Science and Technology Initiative (GIST Tech-I), a competition organized by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
The 2019 GIST Tech-I Competition offers young science and technology innovators and entrepreneurs an opportunity to compete for mentorship, training, and seed capital to advance their ventures.
Eligible applicants for the 2019 GIST Tech-I competition are startups from all areas of science and technology innovation, such as agriculture, education, energy, environment, health, information communication technologies, and space science. Companies that have completed some market analysis, have a launch timeline or have recently launched a product/service for distribution, or have a realistic strategy to sell a product/service can apply.
Applicants must be between 18 and 40 years old on November 23, 2018, and either have a business or be willing to start a business in a GIST eligible country. Zambia is among the 132 emerging economies eligible to participate in the 2019 Tech-I Competition.
US Ambassador to Zambia Daniel Lewis Foote at Mukuba House Monday 30 July 2018 pix b Derrick Sinjela
After an expert review and a public vote, 24 finalists will attend the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) on all-expense paid trip to Bahrain on April 15-18, 2019 to pitch their startups to international investors for a chance to win over $35,000 in seed capital and $200,000 in entrepreneurial resources from Amazon Web Services.
Finalists will both gain international visibility from pitching their ideas at the GEC and compete. In addition, all finalists will receive extensive training and mentoring before the GEC and up to three months of mentorship following the GEC.
Applications for the 2019 GIST Tech-I competition will be accepted now through November 23, 2018. To apply, interested parties should submit responses to questions on their science or technology innovation along with a 90-second video explaining their idea or product/service at http://bit.ly/TechI2019. Additional information is also available at the same link.
