First Steps Venture Centre ‘Blazing’ The 2014 IASP Africa Division Pre-Conference Training

As the world leaders, experts and professionals from Science and Technology parks, areas of innovation and technology - based incubators, academia, the public sector and business converge in Gaborone for the 2014 IASP Africa Divison Conference, First Steps Venture Centre (FSVC) is putting together a showstopper curtain raiser to the conference dubbed the ISAP Africa Division Pre-Conference Training.

The showpiece with a youth and technology entrepreneurship focus is slated for 9^th April, 2014 at Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC). The theme of the workshop is, “Expanding African Economic Frontiers through Emerging Technology Entrepreneurs and Innovators.”

The workshop will address issues around Business Incubation and Acceleration, Financing Technology Startups and Protection of Intellectual Property. Also featured into the workshop are real-life testimonials from distinguished business leaders and guests in the technology entrepreneurship development and enterprise development space at The Innovation Hub of South Africa.

Also included in the lineup is an exciting module on How to slay the Dragon. Based on the famous BBC Dragons’ Den television programme which features entrepreneurs pitching their viable and potentially very profitable business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists “Dragons” with a view to secure investment finance from the panel.     

FSVC Programme Manager, Tshepo Tsheko says, “The goal of the event is to put into perspective some of the key components of becoming a successful technology entrepreneur.” He called on, “all Techies, youth, entrepreneurs and those aspiring alike to come and be part of an emerging and interactive platform that is aimed at assisting them with making bankable business proposals. He said he hoped The Dragons Dan will engender investment opportunities for FSVC hosted startup companies.