Launchlab's Ideas Programme supports entrepreneurial talent of caliberLaunchlab concluded another successful Ideas Programme, a bi-annual competition that is run on all four of the public university campuses in the Western Cape as well as the technical vocational education training institution, False Bay College. The competition is open to all students and other aspiring entrepreneurs from the broader community in the Western Cape and includes a three-day Ideas Workshop and Pitching Platform. On 14 October at the Nedbank Stellenbosch University LaunchLab, seventeen aspiring entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges and a live audience. Rasffi This semester's Ideas Programme was enabled through support from the Western Cape Government's Department of Economic Development and Tourism as well as industry partners, Nedbank, Multichoice and Woolworths. Participants were able to submit business ideas as solutions to challenges posed by industry partners within the following categories: Payments and Big Data, Paid Media, Cleantech, Agritech, and Education. The Ideas Programme is an exceptional platform for industry partners to access breakthrough innovation that the LaunchLab can then incubate on their behalf. "The pitching platform gives entrepreneurs the chance to step out of their comfort zone and to share their ideas in front of a critical panel of judges and a knowledgeable audience. Developing savvy solutions for real world problems is something Nedbank really believes in and is proud to support," says Chris Wood, Head of Emerging Payments and Strategy at Nedbank. Support for innovation and entrepreneurshipThe LaunchLab is an initiative of Innovus, the Stellenbosch University's (SU) industry interaction and innovation company. Led by Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Anita Nel, Innovus is responsible for innovation, entrepreneurial support and development. "Initiatives like Pitching Platform need the support of key ecosystem partners like government, universities and industry. It is indeed a key platform that contributes to enabling a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Western Cape. We started this competition at SU in 2012 and have subsequently incrementally expanded the opportunity to entrepreneurs from other education institutions and the broader Western Cape. It is essential to allow grassroots entrepreneurs to thrive and positively elevate society and the economy," comments Nel. Entrants of caliberPhilip Marais, the CEO of the LaunchLab announced the winners, saying that seventeen was a record number of finalists and expressed that the caliber of entrants is a reflection of the entrepreneurial potential in the Western Cape. "The Pitching Platform winners showcased the true potential of aspiring local entrepreneurs who are dynamic and have innovative, commercially viable business ideas," says Marais. "I am excited by the opportunity the LaunchLab provides and to see entrants grow to new levels through our acceleration programmes that help young entrepreneurs understand their entrepreneurial profiles and validate their business models," adds Marais. The LaunchLab received a total of 108 video business pitch entries. Seventeen finalists pitched at the Pitching Platform final and, the judges chose nine winners who each won a share of seed funding which is to be used to launch or grow their businesses. Here are the vertical category winners: Payments and Big Data Rasffi - USSD to cancel lost or stolen bank and credit cards. Education Technology CyFi - An online platform for educational content, exercises and tools to be distributed with access via subscription. Clean Technology Kwikdrink - Clean water filtration systems that you gain access to by purchasing a bottle with a chip embedded in it, and you can also display digital content while the consumer waits. Paid Media Cuppa Campus - Cheaper coffee sales subsidised by advertising on coffee cups, and diversifying into various other areas. Exceptional List - a tool to remember names of those you meet via the context in which you met them. |