Each of the 5 startup founders engaged groups in 2 rounds of flash focus group sessions where attendees downloaded the apps or engaged the website for onboarding and provided feedback in real time. Following the focus groups, the founders pitched their early stage startups to a panel of investors/experts which included:

• Timi Dayo-Kayode - Investor & Co-Lead at BK-X
• Jemimah Orevaoghene - African Tech Angel and Director, Morgan Stanley
• Fatima Tambajang - Developer Relations, Startups & VC Ecosystem at NVIDIA 
• Claudine Moore -Managing Director at Allison Worldwide and an international public relations and communications leader 
• Oheneba Ama Nti Osei - seasoned Multimedia Journalist, Editor, and Content Strategist across Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA)

The featured founders represented diverse startups focused on tourism, sustainability, networking, and cultural experiences:

• Isaac Otoo, founder of MigranX, the cultural copilot connecting immigrants and international students with authentic cultural experiences
• Cavaughn J. Noel, MBA founder of daap, "Connect better"
• Ibukunoluwa Adebayo, co-founder of Greensol.io, an All-in-One App focused on Utility bills payment and Solar Sales, Maintenance and Management
• Marwh Nabil, co-founder of Easy Meets, a marketplace that simplifies planning hangouts & trips for groups or individuals and provides businesses with valuable information about potential customers.
• Yoma Onosemuode, founder of Travelbay, the best way to plan, curate, book and experience travel across Africa

"I have worked with African tech startups and founders over the past 10 years and have a deep understanding of their needs to achieve growth. A viable product and a community of loyal ambassadors can determine their capacity to scale and we sought to create that bridge for these founders with a focus on Africa during NY Tech Week," shared Muhammida El Muhajir, #dmaAfrica co-host Director of Strategy at WaxPrint Media, a boutique digital/communications agency with clients in over 22 countries.

NY Tech Week is an "unconference",  an unbranded week of events sponsored by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) a Silicon Valley based venture capital firm and  hosted by various members of the tech community all under the umbrella of "Tech Week." NY Tech Week was an opportunity to showcase what makes the New York tech community special, meet people from across venture and startups, and learn from the best founders and companies.

"The #dmaAfrica  event was an extension of our mission at AfricaNXT where we serve a global community eager to connect to Africa through diverse programming, immersive experiences, high-level conversations, and game-changing connections. We were thrilled to collaborate with Linkedin to support us in making an impact for these innovations from the African tech community in NYC," added Ngozi Odita,  founder of AfricaNXT one of Nigeria's leading innovation conferences.

The program closed with panelists iterating on each startup and answering the question "Will you download my app?".

"Participating in #dmaAfrica was one of the best event experiences I have had as a founder. It was unlike any other and allowed me to intimately exchange with users and investors, share my story and see how they experience my web app. It forced me to go deeper and rethink how I communicate my vision and product," said Yoma Onosemuode, the founder of Travelbay.