{"id":186104,"date":"2025-07-12T18:37:43","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T17:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/articles.connectnigeria.com\/?p=186104"},"modified":"2026-08-16T11:09:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T11:09:01","slug":"milken-motsepe-prize-in-ai-and-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/2025\/07\/12\/milken-motsepe-prize-in-ai-and-manufacturing\/","title":{"rendered":"Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing seeks established African companies that are transforming manufacturing through artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technologies. This competition distributes $2 million in total awards, with the top prize being $1 million. Beyond monetary rewards, participants gain exclusive networking opportunities and the chance to present their innovations to industry executives and influential decision-makers.<\/p>\n

Read more about Opportunities<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Companies utilising AI and sophisticated data analytics to enhance operational efficiency, minimise waste, and create scalable solutions are encouraged to apply. The Milken-Motsepe Prize targets technology-driven innovations that can stimulate job creation, accelerate commercial expansion, and catalyse transformative breakthroughs worldwide.<\/p>\n
Selection Criteria<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The championship team must showcase a scalable manufacturing innovation that harnesses AI to produce quantifiable improvements in efficiency and waste reduction. Evaluation focuses on four key areas: commercial potential, technology integration, operational profitability, and market expansion capabilities within Africa.<\/p>\n
Company Requirements<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Eligible participants must be:<\/p>\n
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Established businesses with at least 2 years of operational history.<\/li>\n
Companies that have secured Series A or later-stage funding.<\/li>\n
Active players in Africa’s manufacturing industry.<\/li>\n
Organisations are committed to workforce development and employment growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Sign up for the Connect Nigeria daily newsletter<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
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Prize Structure<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The competition offers a comprehensive $2 million prize pool distributed across multiple award categories:<\/p>\n
Initial Round Awards:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Ten Semi-Finalists: $50,000 each<\/li>\n
Five Finalists: $30,000 each<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Final Competition Awards:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Grand Prize Champion: $1,000,000<\/li>\n
Second Place: $250,000<\/li>\n
Most Advanced 4IR Implementation: $100,000<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Competition Timeline<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The contest unfolds through three distinct phases:<\/p>\n
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Phase 1: Application Review<\/strong> Teams present their concepts and business strategies to an independent expert judging panel. Ten companies advance as semi-finalists, each receiving $50,000.<\/li>\n
Phase 2: Presentation Round<\/strong> Semi-finalists deliver pitches to industry leaders and key stakeholders. Five teams progress to the final status, earning $30,000 each.<\/li>\n
Phase 3: Final Evaluation.<\/strong>\u00a0Finalists submit comprehensive materials for ultimate judging. Winners receive the grand prize ($1 million), runner-up award ($250,000), and advanced technology recognition ($100,000).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The grand prize ceremony will take place in May 2026.<\/p>\n
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Register to attend the CN Business Mixer<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
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Participation Restrictions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The following entities cannot participate:<\/p>\n
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Individuals or organisations based in or primarily operating from countries under the US embargo.<\/li>\n
Entities appearing on the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List or similar US government sanctions lists.<\/li>\n
Current or former employees of the Milken Institute or Motsepe Foundation, including their immediate family members.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Application Deadline: July 31, 2025. Click HERE<\/a>\u00a0to apply.<\/p>\n
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Got something you want to read about on our platform? Contact us: <\/em>editor@connectnigeria.com<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing seeks established African companies that are transforming manufacturing through artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technologies. This competition distributes $2 million in total awards, with the top prize being $1 million. Beyond monetary rewards, participants gain exclusive networking opportunities and the chance to present their innovations to industry executives and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":186105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_bookmark_settings":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-186104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jnews_demo_tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186104"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":186687,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186104\/revisions\/186687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ndsdemos.com\/cna\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Company Requirements<\/strong><\/h2>\nEligible participants must be:<\/p>\n\nEstablished businesses with at least 2 years of operational history.<\/li>\nCompanies that have secured Series A or later-stage funding.<\/li>\nActive players in Africa’s manufacturing industry.<\/li>\n

Prize Structure<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe competition offers a comprehensive $2 million prize pool distributed across multiple award categories:<\/p>\nInitial Round Awards:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\nTen Semi-Finalists: $50,000 each<\/li>\n

Initial Round Awards:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\nTen Semi-Finalists: $50,000 each<\/li>\n

Final Competition Awards:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\nGrand Prize Champion: $1,000,000<\/li>\nSecond Place: $250,000<\/li>\n