From Tunisia in North Africa, via the island nation of Mauritius, to Zambia in southern Africa. As part of the Cool Czechia project, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has selected young tech leaders from nine African countries. You’ll be able to hear about their experiences and learn about start-up ecosystems in Nigeria or Senegal, for example, on the very first day of the Czech Startup Week festival, which will take place from 19 to 23 October 2026 in Prague.

Among the most interesting guests will be Hapsa Dia, an entrepreneur and start-up ecosystem builder from Senegal, founder of the Nouakchott Innovation Lab and director of the Founder Institute Mauritania (the country’s first international accelerator for start-ups in the earliest stages). Hapsa Dia also works at Baloon Africa, has experience in expanding into 15 markets, and actively connects African start-ups with investors and partners. In addition, she is a singer and a well-known figure on the Dakar cultural scene.

Ahmed Nashaat Nassar will be flying in from Egypt; he is the co-founder and CEO of the start-up AQMAAR, which specialises in the manufacture of space satellites for international clients. In 2024, he was recognised by Forbes magazine in its ‘30 Under 30’ list for the Middle East. Nashaat also made a name for himself as co-founder of Labtronic, a company manufacturing laboratory equipment for technical colleges and universities. During his time there, he grew the company’s workforce from 3 to 25 and secured external funding through the TV programme Shark Tank Egypt.

Nigeria will be represented at CzechStartup Week by Nadia Chinelo Udochi, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of the start-up Majen. The company combines African fashion with technology and makes the work of independent designers accessible to a global audience. Majen positions itself as a platform for discovering and purchasing African fashion – from bespoke to ready-to-wear – with the ambition of reaching customers beyond its home market. Nadia is focused on innovation, international reach and long-term brand building in the fashion tech sector.

African businesspeople will speak at the ‘Scaling Up: Europe, Africa and Beyond’event on Monday 19 October 2026. During a practical workshop, they will learn about the practical steps involved in entering the Czech market, European business standards and the basic legislative and regulatory framework within which domestic companies operate.

Václav Skála, an expert and co-founder of Operation Hub, adds: “Doing business in the Czech Republic and the EU may seem complicated at first glance, but there aren’t actually that many fundamental aspects that founders need to be familiar with. I believe that start-up culture is very similar all over the world. “

Czech Startup Week brings together a main programme, which also gives rise to a number of accompanying events across the ecosystem. Last year alone, investors from 23 countries came to Prague, and this year is expected to be another record-breaking edition.

Would you like to get involved?

If you’re organising an event that could form part of Czech Startup Week 2026, you can contact the organisers right here. The conditions are simple: the event must take place in Prague during the week of 19–23 October 2026, be aimed at the start-up and investor communities, have an international dimension and be conducted in English.

This year’s organisers include CzechInvest, Google Cloud, Depo Ventures, Engaged Investment Conference, Startup Kitchen, the ESA BIC space business incubator, Technologická inkubace, CzechStartups, Warsaw Equity Group, Eldison, the Czech Startup Association, Czech Founders, Defence Hub CzechInvest, Future Forces Forum, Xport VŠE, Idea of the Year, Innovate Prague, the Prague Innovation Institute (PII), Opero, Ment2Grow, Hydra Consulting, UOL Accounting, SIC, Operation Hub and Y Soft Hardware. However, the list continues to grow.

photo source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs; pictured are Hapsa Dia and Ahmed Nassar