The top 10 teams have been announced for the second annual #Hack.Jozi challenge.
The competition sees young tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs submit start-up ideas that address a community need using digital technology.
Last year, the challenge attracted more than 140 applications. This year, there were more than 400 entries.
Ravi Naidoo, executive director for economic development for the City of Johannesburg, says they were overwhelmed not only by the number of entries but also by their quality.
"After a rigorous process that has been playing out over the past six weeks, we now have 10 superb businesses which have fought through three rounds of the competition and have been judged on the technical feasibility of their venture, scalability and the wow-factor," he said.
#Hack.Jozi is a project of the City of Johannesburg and the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering at Wits University.
A demo day will be held on Friday, 13 May, when all 10 finalists will present their ideas. The prize-giving will take place on Thursday, 19 May, when the winning business ideas will be picked. First prize is R1 million and two runners-up will receive R350 000 each.
All three winners will be supported by a business mentor who will guide them on how best to use the prize money and further develop their idea into a successful enterprise.
"This competition is designed to accelerate early stage ICT start-ups. It supports capacity development, job creation and enterprise development in our city," says Naidoo.
The city will not take any equity in any of the businesses.
The top 10 contestants for this year include a mobile app that connects tutors with students, a tool for parents to address screen-time issues with their children, an online marketplace for quality business advice, a low-cost robotics kit, and an online pickup and drop-off laundry service.
There is also an online financial advisory service, a property investments portal, an online platform to upload building plans for quicker approval by local authorities, an automated analysis on multiple-choice question tests for educational institutions, and a smart-locker innovation for chronic medication collection.
Last year, a mobile wallet app for feature and smartphones was placed first. An education game and an Uber-like app for moving home scored the runner-up prizes.
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