It’s go-time people. As in go apply right now to compete in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 — do it now because in 48 short hours, the application window slams shut for good. Think you have the best early-stage startup in Sub-Saharan Africa? Do you dream on a global scale? Then come to Lagos, Nigeria on December 11 and launch your business to the world in front of the influential people who help make big dreams come true. Apply right here no later than September 10 at 5 p.m. PT.

Up to 15 of the best pre-Series A startups across Sub-Saharan Africa will compete head-to-head for the Startup Battlefield Africa 2018 championship, $25,000 in non-equity cash plus a trip for two to compete in Startup Battlefield in San Francisco at TechCrunch Disrupt 2019 (assuming the company still qualifies to compete at the time).

One of the great things about Startup Battlefield is that all participants — win or lose — benefit from broad exposure to investor love, media attention and access to an incredible network of influential technologists and entrepreneurs. That network, our Startup Battlefield alumni community, consists of more than 750 companies — including names like Dropbox, Mint, Vurb and many more — that have competed and gone on to collectively raise more than $8 billion in funds and generate 102 exits. The experience and advice these folks bring to bear can be invaluable.

Clearly our editors have a knack for picking winning startups, and they’ll scrutinize every eligible application. The chosen founders will all receive extensive, expert pitch coaching to prepare them for the six minutes they’ll have onstage to present a live demo to a panel of distinguished judges — and then answer all questions the judges throw at them. Five teams will move on to a second round of pitching and inquisition in front of a fresh set of judges.

Ultimately, one winner will rise above the rest to be Sub-Saharan Africa’s best startup. Will it be yours? The first step — before you apply — is to check whether you’re eligible to compete. Startups should:

• Be early-stage companies in “launch” stage
• Be headquartered in one of our eligible countries*
• Have a fully working product/beta that’s reasonably close to, or in, production
• Have received limited press or publicity to date
• Have no known intellectual property conflicts
• Apply by September 10 at 5 p.m. PT

Pretty standard stuff, right? So now that you’ve got that detail out of the way, don’t waste another moment. We want to see you strut your startup stuff in Lagos, Nigeria on December 11. Apply right here to compete in Startup Battlefield Africa 2018. The application window closes on September 10 at 5 p.m. PT.

*Residents in the following countries may apply:

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the foregoing language, the “Applicable Countries” does not include any country to or on which the United States has embargoed goods or imposed targeted sanctions.