MY heart is overflowing with gratitude. The inaugural Ideas Festival was a huge success.
Attendance was great, characterised by high levels of engagement.
The quality of speakers and panellists was top-notch.
All the event partners who happened to be in the room were a brand match and have been generous in their feedback.
Next year’s event is scheduled for October 30 to November 1 at the same venue.
On the strength of feedback from the delegates, sponsors, speakers and panellists, we expect #IdeasFestival2024 to be bigger and better.
At the Ideas Festival launch in December 2022, we signalled our desire for a different kind of live space that would focus on nation-building through sharing impactful ideas.
We believe Zimbabwe will change when we change and that values- and principles-driven enterprises will be important vehicles for the change that we want.
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All the government of the day must do is create an inclusive enabling environment and get out of the way.
Ethical private enterprise with a social conscience and focused on fulfilling demand for public goods will help to change this country.
There were so many highlights from the packed three-day event. One of the highlights was the Ideas Tank which saw 10 start-ups from the Old Mutual Eight2Five incubation initiative pitching their ideas to the audience.
One of the entrepreneurs signed an NDA [non-disclosure agreement] for a significant investment into their start-up before they departed Troutbeck Hotel, Nyanga.
Deliberations after each pitch were rich and impactful.
The “Ideal Start-up Ecosystem” panel of Gugulethu Siso, Brian Munyawarara, Victor Mapungu and Ryan Katayi made many in the room realise that Zimbabwe confuses SMEs with start-ups and that in reality there is no start-up ecosystem in place.
So, there is clearly a lot of work to be done to enable start-ups to emerge, grow and create jobs and have a positive impact on the economy.
The economic environment is hostile for start-ups and many of them have relocated to countries that support them.
All the speakers were absolutely amazing and the feedback is still pouring in. We are grateful to all the speakers and panellists who made this inaugural event impactful and memorable.
All the #IdeasFestival2023 proceedings were recorded and will be broadcast on YouTube.com//InConversationWithTrevor starting this week. Please subscribe to our channel so that you don’t miss out.
The Ideas Festival is not just another conference. It is an immersive space where participants share practical lessons on moving from an idea to the creation of products and services.
They share lessons from their failures, successes and more. Tinashe Nyamudoka’s lived experience of launching and taking Kumusha Wine to the world, had many almost in tears.
We are still on cloud nine from last week’s #IdeasFestival2023 and we can’t wait to have you join us for the #IdeasFestival2024. Drop me a line at [email protected] if you want to get involved as a speaker, delegate or sponsor.
