Every year, Cape Verde sends ten young entrepreneurs to Lisbon to participate in the international event, Web Summit. The aim, according to Pedro Lopes, Cape Verde’s Secretary of State for Innovation, is to showcase the ‘Cabo Verde of the future’ through its national startups.
As stated:
We are working on building critical mass and tech-based entrepreneurship. We want empowered young people, who believe they can establish successful digital businesses, who present innovative services and products, and who are doing it at the same level of what is being done out there.
The State Secretariat for Innovation supports the chosen youths not only with their Web Summit participation, but also with air travel to Lisbon, accommodation and meals during the event. Additionally, it carries out prior mentoring work so that the young entrepreneurs can be prepared for fruitful and active involvement.
According to Forbes Magazine, Web Summit is the best technological conference on the planet. More than 70 thousand people have previously attended, representing close to 160 countries. Around two thousand startups from all over the world have given presentations at Web Summit, in their attempt to convince more than 1000 potential investors about their project’s viability and business plans.