Publiseer: A Nigerian Startup Emerges Among 14 Finalists at the 2018 Harvard Business School New Venture Competition

The New Venture Competition (NVC) is an annual event sponsored by the Harvard Business School’s (HBS’s) Rock Center for Entrepreneurship and Alumni Clubs & Associations. NVC serves as a launch pad for innovative new ventures from HBS alumni, providing access and exposure to potential investors, mentors and advisors. The Africa Business Club at Harvard Business School, in partnership with SheaMoisture, will be hosting the 2018 HBS’s New Venture Competition, taking place in Boston, MA, United States, on March 2, 2018. Among the finalists for this NVC is Publiseer, a free digital publishing platform for independent Nigerian authors and artists.

Great news! Publiseer has been announced one of the 14 finalists of the 2018 Harvard Business School's New Venture Competition, taking place in Boston, MA, United States.

I see greatness ahead!https://t.co/opkOuHzS3H pic.twitter.com/c7ISMoq3a3

— Publiseer (@wearepubliseer) February 20, 2018

Publiseer, co-founded by Chidi and Chika Nwaogu, is an online publishing platform for Nigerian authors and artists living in Nigeria, with the plan for developers still in the works. It has a mission to promote the creativity of Nigerians to the rest of the world. Publiseer has been announced among the 14 finalist in the 2018 HBS’s New Venture Competition this year. The competition will be held along with the 20th Africa Business Conference with the theme “Values And Value-Chains: Africa In A New Global Era”.

The finalists, from the pool of applications for the NVC, have been invited to pitch their business before approximately 700 attendees and receive feedback from a panel of experienced judges in hope of winning cash prizes of $10,000 and $5,000 for the winner and runner-up respectively. The judges include Samuel Z. Alemayehu of Cambridge Industries, Steven Koltai of Koltai & Company and Josh Sandler of Lori Systems.

We are excited to announce that Daphne Mashile-Nkosi, Executive Chairperson Of Kalagadi Manganese will be a keynote speaker at the Africa Business Conference on March 3, 2018. Get your tickets now at https://t.co/eVED1impT9 #hbsabc20years #harvardbusinessschool #harvard #hbs pic.twitter.com/GEkcCax8NE

— HBS Africa Business Club (@HBSABC) February 18, 2018

All the finalists, Publiseer inclusive, will have the opportunity to participate in the Startup Lab. The Startup Lab is a workshop for early-stage entrepreneurs to solicit advice from conference participants. According to the organisers—The Africa Business Club, conference participants and Harvard Business School faculty and students with experience in strategy, operations, finance, and other relevant business fields will be recruited to engage with the entrepreneurs and help them ideate and solve their problems.

Seize the day to get your resumé in order, and register for the Africa Business Conference Career Fair on March 3 https://t.co/ZbKhPjh0Dc

Network with top companies, including Afrixembank / Africa Foresight Group / Bain / BCG / MasterCard / OCP / IFC / Quona Capital & more!

— HBS Africa Business Club (@HBSABC) February 17, 2018

Lastly, there will also be a Startup Fair to recruit, market and network opportunity for the top 20 businesses that applied for the New Venture Competition. Selected start-ups will be given a booth to showcase their business in Batten Hall, adjacent to the broader career fair at the Africa Business Conference.

I am personally impressed that a Nigerian Startup qualified and I wish Publiseer the very best of success, I hope they make Nigeria Proud! And a big kudos to all other finalists.