Congratulations to the Youth Innovation Challenge 2020 winners!

Winners from the Youth Innovation Challenge 2020

• First prize winners – Team BlueChips Bytes; Kiren Sewnath and Tashleen Kasipershad

• Second prize winners – Team O’Waste; Zibusiso Ted Mhlanga and Elijah Djan
• Third prize winners – Team Royaume; Andre Adkins, Francis Junior Djumo, Sipho Sithole, and Sphephelo Mlunguwana

The winners of the Zutari Floating Trophies were:

• Student Excellence – Team Saterco; Sipho Mabunda and Nkosinathi Mkhize

• The Woman in Design Award went to Coceka Mngweba

A small gathering of the winners and partners, including Software AG, eThekwini Municipality, Zutari, Adams&Adams, the Domino Foundation, and media partner – Independent Media, was held at the Innovation Co-Lab (Cato Manor). We were also joined by Derivco, who assisted with the judging of solutions this year!

Partners expressed the importance of innovation in the social and economic transformation of the region. Itayi Mandonga, of Software AG, highlighted the important role that the Youth Innovation Challenge and facilities such as the Innovation Co-lab have in providing opportunities, access and delivering outcomes. Lunga Madlala reiterated the municipality’s commitment to innovation and the role of digital transformation versus digital optimisation. Richard Alschlager from Zutari (formerly Aurecon), a long-standing partner of the organisation, expressed his joy in seeing the programme produce tangible results through the example - HyDrop (a solution that was presented to him as a judge in the YIC 2017) that is now a commercialised product!

Whilst the Youth Innovation Challenge 2020 is over, the journey for the innovators will continue as they embark on a year long programme with Innovate Durban through the Startup Support Programme that will provide them with business and technical skills to take their solutions further, as well as opportunities to further prototype their innovations.

If you missed it before; this year we worked with eThekwini Municipality, to tackle challenges around the Smart City Pillars; looking at six challenges that speak to these pillars. These challenges focus on Smart Government, Smart Environment, Smart Living, Smart Infrastructure, Smart Economy and Smart People.

For more information on the Youth Innovation Challenge 2020 contact:

Amy Benn

Innovation Co-Lab Lead – Innovate Durban

Tel.: 087 821 1023 | Email: nabrud.etavonni@yma