Winners of the online Township Tech Hackathon, an initiative from the City’s growth coalition partner, the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi) were announced on Friday, 13 May.
The Township Tech Heckaton is an initiative that aims to spark innovative solutions and promote industry growth while exposing new businesses to potential investment opportunities.
It started on 1 April and participants were given the opportunity to solve problems in three categories with a specific focus on how to apply them in township environments. The categories included Open Innovation, FinTech/Commerce and EdTech Solutions, with a bonus category for the EdTech Pitches.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos, said organisations such as CiTi, which receives funding from the local government are the reason why Cape Town has gained a reputation as Africa’s start-up capital. “Through initiatives such as the Hackathon, we engage young tech entrepreneurs who come up with bright ideas for the unique challenges of people in our communities,” he said.
Winners were judged on the effectiveness of their solutions, how easily it can be implemented, and the overall use of tech creativity to support the product.
The Young Innovators Movement which addresses the problem of food wastage in South Africa scooped the top spot in the first category for their product, Me2You. They also won the Pitch of the Day. Team Basket e-Commerce, which aims to connect informal traders directly to fresh produce farmers, won the second category for their app.
Team Intlantsi were hailed the EdTech solution winners for their Intlantsi Tech Learning product, which seeks to offer users an opportunity to learn in the language of their choice. inOgital took the gold in the bonus EdTech Pitches category for their solution that addresses the digital divide by focusing on the pillars of software, upskilling of educators and hardware.
“It is wonderful to witness these Capetonian tech gurus putting their experience, community knowledge and ingenuity to creative use. As a City, we are proud to again support the TownshipTech hackathon and the various other initiatives from the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative that helps us to develop the leaders of tomorrow,” said Alderman Vos.
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