Questions

No. ZBIF is a year-round marketplace, not a one-off event. Organisations post real problems as challenges, innovators respond, and the best matches move into Deal Rooms to agree pilots, partnerships and investment. That runs all year online. Forum week (21 to 24 September 2027 in Bulawayo) is where shortlisted teams pitch in person and deals are signed, but it is one part of ZBIF, not the whole of it.

ZBIF connects Zimbabwean organisations that face real operational problems with the local innovators who can solve them. Companies, public bodies and investors bring the problems. Innovators, university teams, consultancies and freelancers build the answers. The organisation that posted the problem decides who to work with.

Two groups. Organisations (companies, NGOs, public bodies, investors) that want a problem solved, and innovators (startups, technology companies, university and research teams, consultancies and freelancers) who can build the solution. Each signs up with their own account type.

Sign up as an organisation, complete your profile, then choose Submit a challenge. Describe the problem, where the challenge will be held, what a strong solution looks like, the deliverables, your pilot budget (or agree it once a team is matched) and the date applications close. It is published to the marketplace straight away.

Describe the outcome you want, not the solution you expect. Share numbers where you can, such as downtime, losses, costs or time spent, and list the data and access you can give matched teams. Clear challenges attract stronger responses.

Tracks split a broad challenge into focus areas, such as Audience growth or Content verification. They are optional. Each track appears on the challenge page as Challenge Track 1, Challenge Track 2 and so on, so innovators can see which part they are answering.

Yes. Organisations can edit the brief, photos and close date from My challenges, or remove a challenge. The ZBIF secretariat can also help with edits.

Anyone with a ZBIF innovator account: startups, technology companies, consultancies, university or research teams and freelancers. At least one team member must be based in Zimbabwe. Some challenges ask shortlisted teams to attend in person at the challenge location, which you confirm when you apply.

Open a challenge and choose Apply. Tell the organisation about your team, how you would solve the problem, your delivery plan and what a pilot would cost, and add links or files that show your work. You can edit your application until the challenge closes.

No. Creating an innovator account and applying to challenges is free.

Yes. Your profile holds your main innovator team. To bring in teammates and work on several projects together, create a team under My teams and invite people to it.

When you submit, your response is screened and ranked against the challenge brief, using AI where it is available or otherwise by when it arrived. The ranking only helps the organisation review. The organisation that posted the challenge reads the responses and makes the final choice of who to shortlist.

You and the organisation are matched into a private Deal Room. From there you message each other, share documents, book meetings and video pitch sessions, and move through stages from first conversation to pilot and MOU.

A private space for one match between an organisation and an innovator team. It keeps the conversation, files, meetings and the deal stage in one place, so both sides can see where things stand.

IP ownership and pilot terms are agreed between your team and the challenge owner in the Deal Room, before any work starts.

Each challenge shows its pilot budget. Some organisations set an amount when they post; others agree the budget once a team is matched. The challenge page says which.

Not to take part in the marketplace. Challenges, applications, matching and Deal Rooms all run online. Forum week is where shortlisted teams pitch live and deals are signed, and some challenges ask teams to attend at the challenge location if shortlisted.

ZBIF is organised with ZB Financial Holdings and partners across banking, telecoms and industry.

Use the Contact page to reach the ZBIF secretariat. If you are signed in, check Notifications for updates on your challenges, applications and Deal Rooms.