Youth Innovation Challenge winners announced
Innovate Durban's Maritime Youth Innovation Challenge came to a close this month.
AFTER an inspiring, exciting and gruelling six-month challenge, innovators Smartipants were awarded first place in the Maritime Youth Innovation Challenge at the prize-giving awards ceremony held this month.
This is the fourth Youth Innovation Challenge, the flagship programme of Durban ideas and strategy incubator, Innovate Durban, with the 2018 challenge having a firm focus on the maritime industry.
Celebrating the innovators, a director on Innovate Durban board, Richard Gevers said: “The maritime industry is the heart of our country’s economy. Understanding that, this journey has been inspiring to see our young innovators understanding and stimulating skills and activities around our busy ports.”
The winning team Smartipants – comprising of Umbilo’s Chiemela Onuka, KwaMashu’s Lindelwa Dlamini, Musgrave’s Nonjabulo Gasa, Berea’s Ntuthuko Msimango and Sandile Goqo from Durban Central – focused their idea on port infrastructure enhancement.
READ RELATED: Youth innovation challenge winds down
The team won a R50,000 grant from top global IT company, Oracle, a six-month Acceleration Programme with Innovate Durban, a three-month internship with Transnet, and internship and support with global engineering and infrastructure advisory company, Aurecon. Law firm Adams & Adams will offer free consultations to all three winners, and for the top winner, they are offering free trade mark applications and free registered design application.
Earning second place was the team Load Box made up of Solam Dontsa and Mpumelelo Tembe and third place was tied between Trailblazer and the Sagiya Foundation.
The various stage winners will be included in Innovate Durban’s Aftercare Programme which consists of mentoring, prototype development, regular brain storming sessions and learning exchanges, trainings and workshops. They also have access to partner organisation programmes and funding opportunities.
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