Orange Silicon Valley’s team of experts works every week to connect individuals and groups in our global ecosystem. On October 3 at TEDxSanFrancisco, we celebrated the opportunity to connect entrepreneurs in Africa with entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley.

This year’s event gathered more than 1,100 members of the local ecosystem. They listened to a day of inspiring stories from some of the Bay Area’s most engaging speakers.

As a sponsor, Orange Silicon Valley offered attendees a chance to see the world through our lens a few minutes. We provided visitors with three unique challenges being faced by startups and technology teams in West Africa. Then, we asked them to participate by offering their own ideas on how those teams can break through and overcome those challenges.

The scenarios we presented were not random. They came directly from recent feedback we received while managing a cross-border startup mentorship program with our colleagues in Senegal. During this program, we selected two Silicon Valley startups and provided them with mentors from Orange’s operations in Senegal. We also engaged three Senegalese startups and matched them with mentors in Silicon Valley. The goal was to foster better communication and lasting relationships between Silicon Valley and West Africa by creating a platform to exchange personal and professional experiences.

To learn more about the mentorship program, or to express interest in getting involved, please email hello@orangesv.com.