Can your innovation change the nation?
We believe it can!
If you are an early-stage social entrepreneur who wants to solve a major social challenge, we invite you to register now for our Social Tech Start-up Challenge, due to start 25 Feb 2019.
We believe it can!
If you are an early-stage social entrepreneur who wants to solve a major social challenge, we invite you to register now for our Social Tech Start-up Challenge, due to start 25 Feb 2019.
Aspiring entrepreneurs and young start-ups, we want to give you an opportunity to continue developing your innovative digital solutions for the agricultural, manufacturing and technology sectors in order to help solve some of the country’s biggest social challenges.
You have the opportunity to positively impact big social challenges in South Africa
Stand a chance to secure R 1 Million in funding towards developing your innovation
Receive first class training in essential skills for building your social business
Plug into a network and connect with other innovators in South Africa
Develop a prototype to test your idea
Marlon Parker
RLabs - Participant 2018The application and implementation of technology-based solutions have the potential to transform the South African economy and create social impact. Innovation is the lever that can open these opportunities, and improve the lives of millions of South Africans, by making goods and services more accessible and affordable, directly contributing towards reducing poverty and growing the economy.
The sectors likely to benefit most from innovation in South Africa are agriculture, manufacturing and technology, but their innovations’ impact can only fully be realised if they are commercialised and able to scale, at low cost, to the largest possible group of beneficiaries.
The agricultural sector in South Africa forms a vital part of the country’s socio-economic and socio-political stability. Challenges faced by this sector include the fact that 45% of sub-Saharan Africa’s population is younger than 15 years of age and will be looking for employment in the next decade, likely in agriculture, the realities of climate change disrupting rainfall, environmental risks such as rising average temperatures and the impact of technology and telecommunications.
This sector needs to create substantially more direct and indirect employment and maintain a positive trade balance from primary and processed agricultural products.
Agri-tech start-ups or innovations ensuring higher yields while keeping production costs low, and growing employment in the sector will have wide-ranging impact.
A key component for job creation, GDP growth and development in any country is a robust and vibrant manufacturing sector. In a market that favours automation over traditional manufacturing processes, innovation within the South African manufacturing sector is required to continue stimulating industrial growth and national competitiveness.
Innovations in this sector should not be linear, since sustained success will require consistent innovation, especially to stay ahead of competitors. Innovations in manufacturing are likely to include new cost-cutting technologies, the benchmarking of standards and production methods and extending business development initiatives, ensuring that companies capitalise on opportunities while minimising threats.
Innovation involves taking risks, and those who are most willing to take risks in this sector are also most likely to have success.
Technological progress has enabled even the poorest South Africans to have their own mobile phones, providing access to information and connecting people to companies in interesting and novel ways.
The emerging internet of things (IoT), where we are all connected to everything all the time, will not only cut the cost of services like job-hunting, healthcare and education, it will also help with a person’s general integration into the national economy.
Greater access to the internet, and the ubiquity of smart phones, make this ability to access information, communicate and share data possible for anyone, everywhere. This presents an unprecedented opportunity for developing new mobile applications that solve everyday problems.
Join us as and help us move South Africa to a more prosperous future.
Register now
Sign up and receive confirmation of registration
Submit your application and connect with other entrepreneurs
The Top 30 applications will be selected by a panel of innovation Experts
The Top 30 join a 3 day entrepreneurship workshop in Cape Town and develop a pretotype.
Each of the Top 30 assemble a team for their Start-up
A panel of Experts selects the Top 15 applications
The Top 15 develop a prototype and join the GIBS entrepreneurship program in Johannesburg.
A panel of Experts selects the Top 5 teams
The Top 5 ideas will be further developed into a MVP that can be tested on the market.
At the final in Johannesburg the Top 5 pitch their MVP to a panel of experts and can land up to R1 Million in funding.
The scope includes new products, new services – or a combination of the two. However, the product or service must be a digital solution. The Social Tech Start-Up Challenge is only seeking solutions related to social problems in South Africa. Digital solutions that do not address a social problem will not be considered for evaluation.
3 day Kick off entrepreneurship workshop Develop a Pretotype in collaboration with Urbian
All travel related expenses will be covered for the Top 30 applicants.
Before you can submit your idea you have to register to the Social Tech Start-Up Challenge. Click on “register” and create an account with Google, Facebook or your email. Once you have registered you can enter the Social Tech Start-Up Challenge and submit your idea. Simply, click on “create idea” and fill out the form.
Full ownership of the idea remains with the idea author.
We expect that all applicants are passionate and motivated by their idea. If selected for final round(s), we expect you to attend all courses and trainings to ensure the highest possible success rate.
If you have any questions that are not answered in the FAQ, you are welcome to reach out to us.
Contact: Verdra Brown
Phone: +277227613440
Email: verdra@cheerszventures.com
