Art of Superwoman blog is an 8-year-old baby now. During the 2020 global pandemic and lockdown, we launched the Art of Superwoman Store, and with that growth, employing staff, having to upskill employees, and having our own hand in the ways entrepreneurship can help address the unemployment rate in South Africa, through:
- increase in employment
- Stimulating regional and international trade
What I know for sure though is that so many young people, like myself, have amazing ideas and need that extra nudge in the right direction. This is why I am excited to share this amazing initiative with you:
Following the success of the two last challenges, TotalEnergies has relaunched the Startupper of the Year Challenge in 32 countries across the African continent.
“Ideas need energy to grow!”
The Startupper of the Year Challenge will support and reward young local entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35, that have a business creation project or a start-up business in operation for less than three years, covering all sectors. A local jury made up of experts, people from the start-up world, company managers and local sustainable development players will select three winners in the following categories:
- The “best business creation project”
- The “best start-up under 3 years old”
- The “best female entrepreneur”
The “best female entrepreneur” prize is a new category this year’s challenge to encourage female entrepreneurship.
There will be three finalists per country, following which an international jury will meet to select the three “Grand Winners” for the continent.
Projects will be evaluated according to three criteria:
- Their response to the challenges of sustainable development;
- Their innovative character;
- Their feasibility and development potential.
For the “best female entrepreneur” award, female candidates will be evaluated on their ability to carry out actions to promote women’s entrepreneurship and improve the daily lives of women in their communities in addition to the criteria listed above.
Each winner will carry the title “TotalEnergies Startup of the Year” and will receive financial support, personalised coaching, and a media campaign to give their project or business additional visibility.
During the previous edition TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa rewarded Nonhlanhla B. Phalama for her Davinon Hydroponics Project, to establish hydroponics farms in rural schools and orphanages across the country. This solar-based solution is targeted at rural communities where there is little or no access to electricity and will contribute towards sustainable employment in the region.
“If I had one word to describe the Startupper of the year Challenge by TotalEnergies, it would be monumental or epic, I would describe it as such, because of the impact it has had on our business, as well as the communities we serve.” Said Nonhlanhla.
Registrations opened on November 4th, 2021 and will be accessible directly online at http://startupper.totalenergies.com/. Candidates will then have until December 23rd, 2021, to submit their application.
About TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa (Pty) Ltd
Established in 1954, TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa (PTY) LTD is 50.1% owned by France-based company TotalEnergies. TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa (PTY) LTD is an integral part of, and plays a significant role in, the international, world-class TotalEnergies. This means that our affiliate benefits from shared access to internationally acclaimed best practices, technological expertise, and top-flight business innovations.
About the Marketing & Services division of TotalEnergies
TotalEnergies’ Marketing & Services business segment offers its professional and private customers a wide range of broad energy products and services—petroleum products, biofuels, charging and related services for electric vehicles, gas for road and maritime transportation—to support them in their mobility and help them reduce their carbon footprint. Every day, over 8 million customers visit our 16,000 service-stations all over the world. As the world’s number four in lubricants, we design and sell high-performance products for the automotive, industrial, and maritime sectors. And to provide the best response to the needs of our B2B customers, we deploy our sales forces, our international logistics network, and our diverse offering. We operate in 107 countries, where our 31,000 employees stand close to all our customers.
About TotalEnergies
TotalEnergies is a broad energy company that produces and markets energies on a global scale: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables, and electricity. Our 105,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, clean, reliable, and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.
Contact [TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa (Pty) Ltd].
Media Relations: Baxolile Msomi l +27 (0) 11 778 2147l Baxolile.Msomi@totalenergies.com