Nadya Eka Lestari
TechInAfrica — The Social Tech Startup Challenge (STSC) is a 12-month program, created by the Diageo Empowerment Trust South Africa (DETSA), empowering tech-enabled startups through access to industry experts, design professionals, relevant business training, and funding to help scale up their innovations from idea to viable business.
Focusing specifically on innovations that produce positive social impact while still being a viable business concept, this year saw a record of 2,256 applications of which 271 concepts were evolved to actual Social Tech Startup Ideas. These were further evaluated and tested for viability, scalability, and sustainability until a group of 30 emerged as the most promising social innovations.
After a three-day user testing workshop in April, where the 30 cohorts were given guidance in better defining their business problem and how to apply design thinking to solve it, the Social Tech Startup Challenge selection committee further shortlisted the field down to the Top 15 applicants. Working closely with Urbian, a digital product studio, this group then developed working prototypes of their digital solutions.
Being able to accelerate prototype development is critically important for a tech-startup and as Lesego Ndlovo, Founder of BallTalent, explains, “The guidance in terms of product design was essential because it helps us get to market quicker.”
The Top 15 also attended a GIBS entrepreneurship program in Johannesburg, receiving valuable startup-specific business training which, as Ntsako Mgiba, Founder of Jonga, remarks, “Just having access to knowledge and resources from experts within various fields and aspects of entrepreneurship. That’s been a huge learning curve for us as a business.”
The Five Social Tech Startup Finalists emerged from this process included Foonda, Jonga, iSpani, SkillShift, and BallTalent, who will be pitching for their share of R5-million at a Social Tech Startup Challenge Pitch Event at the end of November this year.
Social Tech Startup Challenge 2020 is expected to provide Social Entrepreneurs the chance to submit their ideas and develop these through to launch, with expertise, support and seed funding offered to the most promising and scalable business ideas.
Pre-registrations for the 2020 STSC cohort are now open. To register your interest visit https://www.socialtechstartup.co.za/
Source: it-online.co.za
