The City of Johannesburg (COJ) has started its countdown in the search for Joburg's top three tech-savvv and innovative entrepreneurs who hope to address a community need using digital technology.
According to the COJ, the Hack.Jozi challenge, a boot camp for start-up entrepreneurs, was introduced by the city in partnership with the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) in 2015 to contribute towards fostering skills, innovation and entrepreneurship in the area of digital technology.
The challenge has received over 400 entries from aspiring tech-preneurs who aim to use their digital ideas to improve the city of Joburg.
The COJ says out of 400 submissions, 100 contestants have been selected and are undergoing the first training and mentorship phase of the challenge.
The first chapter of the initiative in 2015 showed how entrepreneurship in the broad area of digital technology can be identified and unlocked by providing meaningful support, says the COJ in a statement. In turn, employment and economic opportunities in the city are created, it says.
Ravi Naidoo, executive director for Economic Development at the City of Johannesburg, says 53 ideas representing teams which are made up of 109 people have been selected from the 414 entries.
"Over 40% of the entries we received seek to promote economic development in our city; some 22% are ideas around smart infrastructure; 5.5% relate to boosting our public space and tourism offerings; and 30% of the entries are in the general category of the challenge."
He says contestants receive guidance in structuring their companies' and how to prepare themselves for the panel of judges they will face this week during the play-offs.
The participants now undergo the playoffs, which will select the final ten, and ultimately the top three will be selected, explains Naidoo.
The first prize is R1 million and there are two runners-up prizes of R350 000 which will be managed by the JCSE together with a business mentor to ensure the prize money takes the winning idea beyond start-up into a lucrative enterprise.
"It is extremely encouraging to see how the #HackJozi Challenge has escalated in popularity since its foundation last year. We look forward to measuring over time how many jobs and economic opportunities are created as a direct result of this intervention", he adds.
The next leg of the competition will take place on the 16 April where 20 candidates will be selected out of the current 100. The final announcement of the top three winners will be made on on 19 May 2016.
For more information, visit the #Hack.Jozi Web site.
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