This is an important partnership between two brands, one global and one local, that will bring to the fore the importance of programs and community for entrepreneurs in Africa. Seedstars brings the international expertise of empowering startups in emerging markets and providing them access to fundraising and a global network of investors, while GrowthLab brings together a community of local entrepreneurs and executives who are committed to building high-growth businesses in Africa. It is a powerful match that will create a positive impact not only for startups and investors in the region but also for the society through innovative solutions.

Seedspace GrowthLab, opening in the second half of September in Lagos, will host a series of programs aimed to enable the growth of local startups and provide them access to international funding. Part of this is the Seedstars’ Investment Readiness Program, currently running in seven other Seedspaces across the world, through which entrepreneurs can save time and money typically spent in lengthy fundraising rounds.

GrowthLab, previously known as Starta, will focus on providing online educational growth content that many African entrepreneurs, digital marketers, freelancers, and creative professionals seek. These professionals will be connected in an exclusive community where events will be curated, ideas can be shared, connections created and innovation fostered.

Dotun Olowoporoku, Co-Founder and Non-executive Director at GrowthLab, states: “We founded Starta on a simple idea of supporting entrepreneurs who are building high growth businesses in Africa with the relevant content, community, and connection to capital that will help them succeed. GrowthLab is the next logical step to achieve what we set out to do since 2016. This partnership with Seedstars takes us several steps closer to that goal.”

Seedstars first started its operations in the country in 2013 with the first-ever Seedstars World Lagos event. The plans for Seedspace Lagos started in 2015 and it became the very first hub in emerging markets by Seedstars, leading the way to building a global network of 13 Seedspaces to help connect with the 70+ ecosystems we work in with our programs and events.

Alessia Balducci, Seedstars’ General Manager in Nigeria states: “As Seedstars started looking at emerging markets, Nigeria has always been a country of primary interest. I joined the Lagos team in 2017 and since then I have been amazed at the great opportunities and interactions with the local startups and innovation ecosystem. It’s great to see the drive to grow and have an impact through innovation and entrepreneurship. I think this partnership embodies just that drive for us to come together and do something that matters.”

Besides the upcoming opening of the hub, Seedstars is also ecstatic to host the Amazon AWS Startup Day in the new Seedspace GrowthLab on August 20th. The event is open to the public and registrations can be done through this link. Moreover, Lagos will proudly host the seventh edition of the Seedstars World local competition on October 18th, inviting all the local early-stage startups to run up for the prize of USD 500,000 awarded at the Seedstars Global Summit in Switzerland in April 2020. Applications are already open through this link.

Seedspace is the largest network of campuses for entrepreneurs in emerging markets. Built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, the hubs offer many growth opportunities to entrepreneurs and digital nomads such as training, events, coworking & coliving areas, and our tailored Investment Readiness Program (IRP). Seedspace has 13 hubs in more than 10 cities around the world including Abidjan, Cairo, Casablanca, Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Geneva, Lagos, Lima, Nur-Sultan, Mexico City, Yangon.

GrowthLab, formerly known as Starta is an online content-driven membership that provides top business executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals with access to curated resources, training, and tools for growth. GrowthLab’s vision is to gather 1000 active members that are achieving 2x growth for their organization every 12 months. This will be attained by creating platforms and programs that enable businesses to understand their growth levers and optimize their metrics for growth.

For further enquiries on engaging with Seedspace GrowthLab, interested parties can contact [email protected] or Alessia Balducci ([email protected]).