This past weekend, the annual Geekulcha hackathon (GKHack19) took place at 22 on Sloane startup campus. Led by Mixo Ngoveni, it focuses on boosting and sustaining a strong geek culture in South Africa.
This past weekend, the annual Geekulcha hackathon (GKHack19) took place at 22 on Sloane startup campus. Led by Mixo Ngoveni, it focuses on boosting and sustaining a strong geek culture in South Africa.
The 42-hour hackathon started on Friday evening and ended on Sunday afternoon, seeing over 200 sleep-deprived techies working non-stop throughout the weekend. Basically, it challenges local techies and innovators to build with capacity-based, market-relevant sustainability in mind and also helps them to understand and outline policy and regulations in the process.
The commercial uptake of the solutions post-hackathon is the end goal and, as such, the process is set to produce Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The five focus areas for GKHack19 were:
1. Revitalization of Township Economy
2. Civic Tech (Open Data, Open Innovation, Smart Citizenship)
3. Sustainable Development Goals
4. GeoData and Mapping Challenge
5. War on Tech
6. Financial Inclusion
The broader objectives of the hackathon are to:
– Instil more maker/developer confidence, especially amongst females;
– Gather young local talent, subject matter experts and industry leaders in one room for solutions and skills development;
– Channel and align industry standards and best practices;
– Develop data skills and present local tools, resources and platforms for innovation development and enable Smart Citizenship;
– Get techies and general citizens to build solutions that require less government buy-in and dependence;
– Offer a platform to test the technical competencies of young geeks by offering them the opportunity to solve challenges;
– Offer potential employers the opportunity to develop youth employability skills via experiential learning.
GKHack19 produced three finalists, who focused on Food Tech, Human Capital Tech and Water Tech respectively, with the Food Tech geek taking top honours and receiving a free six-month incubation programme at 22 on Sloane.
It was very refreshing and inspiring to see lots of young, highly-motivated and excited minds getting their geek on with their peers and building innovative ideas with a minimum value proposition – in just 48 hours!
At the awards evening, African Bank, a local bank in South Africa, was awarded the prestigious Ecosystem Catalyst Award – in recognition reserved for an organisation that demonstrates outstanding commitment to driving long-term, inclusive growth in their local entrepreneurship ecosystem, through programmes and education. From championing township entrepreneurs to pioneering new financial models for underserved communities, the bank continues to demonstrate what it means to not only fund ideas – but to believe in the people behind them.
READ MOREThe report affirms that MSMEs aren’t just part of the South African economy — they are its favourite black tax family member. They hustle hard, contribute over 40% to SA’s GDP, and employ more than 60% of the nation (yes, including your white cousin with his last-mile delivery bakkie). Despite MSMEs carrying more than one-third of the GDP, the golden egg bowl is mysteriously missing from the funding game for startups and early-stage businesses.
READ MORESouth Africa’s small-business battleground is quietly becoming a tax buffet. For SMMEs that earn a living out of an already slim profit margin, these charges are like tiny termites taking a bite from every rand of hard-won revenue. What looks like a humble R0.16/L extra at the pump is a profit drain for township SMMEs. Every extra penny on fuel will be etched in every invoice that lands in the mailboxes of small businesses...
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22 On Sloane is the largest startup campus in Africa. The campus offers disruptive startups and innovative SMEs a complete turnkey solution to scale, from the initial idea all the way to commercialisation, funding opportunities and access to markets. Its aim is to nurture the entrepreneurial mindset, ensure their sustainability, and explore development of new industries and contribute towards job creation in Africa.
Email: info@22onsloane.co
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