Zafree Papers, an Ethiopian Startup that is introducing a clean-tech paper solution by making a 100% tree-free unbleached paper pulp from crop residue saved from being set on fire, selected as one of the best 10 startups at the Entrepreneurship World Cup ( EWC) global Finals.
Zafree Papers will be pitching against the other finalists to become the overall winner. Finalists to compete for cash prizes totaling US$1 million; mentoring, networking, and in-kind prizes valued at US$85 million.
The EWC is one of the world’s largest and most diverse pitch competitions and support programs for the next generation of entrepreneurs – with 175,000 entrants applying from 200 countries in 2020.
The EWC finalists are competing at the Global Finals for a share of US$1 million in cash prizes – US$500,000 for first place, $250,000 for second place, and $100,000 for third place. In addition, a cash prize of US$50,000 will be awarded to one top-scoring startup from each of the following categories: idea stage; early stage; and growth stage. There is also a new social entrepreneurship category for this year’s competition. Each of the EWC finalists will also receive a package of in-kind services valued at US$850,000 each.
The EWC is hosted by the Misk Global Forum, Global Entrepreneurship Network and The Global Education & Leadership Foundation. It is supported by a range of global partners, including GSVlabs, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, TechCrunch, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, WebCongress, Endeavor, and organizations that hosted the EWC National Finals.
All 175,000 global participants gained access to free training materials from experienced mentors and US$25,000 worth of perks from dozens of partners including Zoom, Amazon Web Services and Shopify. Already, more than US$3.5 million worth of perks has been claimed by EWC 2020 contestants.
Zafree was also a winner of Seedstar’s DOEN Land Restoration Prize that awarded the startup $10,000.
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