ITEC 2026 Southern Africa Track for Startups

The Southern Africa Track of the 14th ITEC Global Entrepreneurship Competition is open to eligible startups from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The track is delivered through Founders Lair and MARATTO and is intended for founders interested in accessing Beijing’s Chaoyang innovation, investment and market-entry ecosystem. The competition is industry-agnostic, with highlighted areas including artificial intelligence, industrial AI, data and digital technologies, digital healthcare and smart eldercare, smart hardware, embodied intelligence, metaverse/Internet 3.0, digital culture, aerospace and future industries. Eligible stages include bootstrapped, pre-seed, seed, angel, pre-Series A and Series A. Awards listed by the programme include one Grand Prize of CNY 5,000,000; five First Prizes of CNY 2,000,000 each; ten Second Prizes of CNY 1,500,000 each; fifteen Third Prizes of CNY 1,000,000 each; twenty Rising Star Awards of CNY 300,000 each; and Innovation Recognition Awards. Final award numbers may change based on participant quality. Prize conditions matter: recipients of Third Prize or above receive 40% in the first year and 60% in the second year based on development in Chaoyang. Awarded projects are generally expected to establish a legally operating entity in Chaoyang, Beijing to receive rewards and services. Rising Star and Innovation Recognition Awards are described as lump-sum payments. The programme also offers policy support, space services, financial and resource matching, support for international founders, market-entry connections, investor and industry exposure, incubation opportunities, mentorship and expert feedback. Applications are open until 15 September 2026 at 3:59 PM as displayed on the programme page; no timezone is shown, so applicants should submit early. Online semi-finals are planned for September to October 2026, global finals for late October, due diligence for November, and the Innovation Summit and award announcement for early 2027. Applicants create or log in to a Founders Lair account, complete the online application and submit through the Southern Africa Track page. The programme estimates approximately 15 minutes to complete the application.

The participating entity must have been established after 1 January 2016 and must not be publicly listed. Talent-track projects must be early-stage, generally Series A or earlier. The applicant/respondent should generally be the main founder. The main founder and founding team must hold at least 30% of the original shares after ownership is traced and consolidated. The business must own or have lawful rights to its intellectual property and demonstrate innovation and commercialization potential. The applying entity must be the same entity used for award redemption. Applicants outside Chaoyang must show a genuine intention and plan to develop in Chaoyang, Beijing. Award recipients are generally required to establish a legally operating Chaoyang entity to access rewards and services. Eligible Southern African ecosystems listed on the programme page are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Previous ITEC/OTEC winners may participate but cannot receive the same or a lower-level award. Applicants must comply with applicable PRC laws and programme integrity requirements.