The Freetown Pitch Night took place on 26 April 2023 and was organized by Innovation SL. The event aimed to provide a platform for female entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas. The theme of the pitch night focused on supporting and promoting women-led businesses.
The Freetown Pitch Night, with its theme Fempreneur, aimed to showcase women pitching their innovative business ideas. Seven female entrepreneurs had the opportunity to present their business ideas to a panel of judges and the audience. The winner, Emily Fanday emerged as the winner of the pitch night with her business idea called ‘The Community’. The start-up’s business idea is a financial marketplace that facilitates investment opportunities for individuals and providing easy access to microloans at competitive rates for borrowers. The business aims to address the challenges of access to finance by offering innovative solutions in the fintech industry. The panel of judges for the pitch night included the following individuals:
- Mavis Madaure – Aurora Impact’s Programme Manager
- Fatima Sesay – Founder Unimax
- John Wearing – SME business consultant
- Tafadzwa Chiganga – Founder Muzambiringa
- Waheed Awonuga – CEO Of Infinity Studios
The winner of this Pitch Night, Emily Fanday, received seed capital to help develop her business idea. The seed capital provides financial support to turn her concept into a reality and help fuel the growth of her business. The event had a total of seven female pitchers who presented their business ideas. These participants showcased their entrepreneurial ventures and contributed to the promotion of women-led businesses in Sierra Leone. The event provided a platform for female entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative ideas, gain recognition, and receive financial support to bring their business concepts to life.