Staff Reporter, Author at Ventureburn

Top startup events in South Africa, Africa you should know about this week [28/08/2017]
By Staff Reporter on 28 August, 2017
Looking to get into the South African startup scene or catch up on some of your skills? Well, you've come to the right place. There are loads of competitions, networking sessions and workshops happening around South Africa and the rest of the continent (namely Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana) that we've rounded up to make your life a bit easier. This article is part of a weekly series that highlights all the top startup competitions, networking sessions, workshops and conferences around South Africa, and the greater region. If you have any event recommendations for us to add to the list, or...

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Dutch consulate announces names of startups for #cocreate2ACCELERATE 2017
By Staff Reporter on 25 August, 2017
The Dutch consulate in Cape Town today announced the names of those South African and Dutch startups that will take part in #cocreate2ACCELERATE 2017. The programme, an initiative the Netherlands Consulate General in Cape Town introduced last year, is aimed at building of relationships between high-potential young companies from the Netherlands and South Africa. This year the initiative will include a long programme based on a rigorous process aimed at matching companies from both countries within specific vertical sectors to actively collaborate in the solving of identified challenges. A short programme will accompany this process and is aimed at introducing Dutch companies to the Cape...
Mercedes-Benz SA launches innovation challenge with Launchlab
By Staff Reporter on 25 August, 2017
Mercedes-Benz South Africa in collaboration with business incubator Launchlab together with global innovation platform Startup Autobahn have announced the launch of the Mercedes-Benz South Africa Innovation Challenge. The challenge is aimed at students, professionals and startups with innovative solutions to big data and machine learning, smart operations (digitisation of logistics and production), apps for evaluating pre-owned vehicles, sales and marketing. Selected startups in the MBSA Innovation Challenge could get up to R600 000 in supplier development capital The challenge is split into two streams -- with one aimed at students and professionals and a second at existing startups. Successful participants from the first stream stand to win incubation...
OfferZen hits 500-customer milestone, launches new pricing model for startups
By Staff Reporter on 24 August, 2017
A year and a half since the launch of their talent marketplace, SA startup OfferZen has blasted through the milestone of 500 companies hiring software developers through their platform. OfferZen, which was launched in November 2015 by brothers Malan and Philip Joubert, connects companies with top software developers looking for permanent work. Employers register with OfferZen and are given access to a curated list of developers. The startup today launched a new pricing model, in the form of monthly billing. Instead of a 12.5% upfront fee, OfferZen will take 1.5% of a candidate's first-year salary every month for 10 months, the startup said in a...

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Click2Sure’s Daniel Guasco steps down as chairman of Silicon Cape
By Staff Reporter on 24 August, 2017
SA entrepreneur and founder of insurance startup Click2Sure Daniel Guasco will next Thursday (31 August) hand over the reins as chairperson of Silicon Cape, to academic Sumarie Roodt. Guasco told Ventureburn today that he is stepping down as he no longer has the time to do the organisation justice as its chair, as he's having to dedicate more time on his startup. In an earlier press release Silicon Cape managing director Ellen Fischat said Guasco will continue as a director of Silicon Cape, to provide mentoring and guidance to the broader ecosystem. Guasco says he no longer has the time to do Silicon Cape justice as chair,...
Airbus accelerator scouts aerospace startups from East and Southern Africa
By Staff Reporter on 24 August, 2017
Global aerospace accelerator Airbus BizLab, through its #Africa4future initiative, is on the search for two aerospace startups from Southern Africa and East Africa. Interested startups in Southern Africa and East Africa have until 30 August and 6 September to apply respectively. One startup from each region will be selected. The global business accelerator wants to empower mobility through aerospace technologies that will help define the aerospace industry in the future. Airbus BizLab will be looking particularly for proposals relating to new technology, processes, business models and new ways of working and thinking. The focus of the initiative is on startups developing solutions and...
Listen to how startup founders messed up, Fuckup Nights is back in Cape Town
By Staff Reporter on 23 August, 2017
FuckUp Nights (FUN) has returned to the Mother City, with co-working space Cape Town Office announcing yesterday that it will be hosting the fifth chapter of FuckUp Nights (FUN) in Cape Town, on Monday, 4 September. In a press release to Ventureburn yesterday, Cape Town Office founder and director Lizelle van Rhyn said the event will be held at Bob’s District Six, 46A Canterbury St, Zonnebloem, from 18h00 to 21h00, doors open at 17h30. "This is the fifth FUN instalment in the Mother City after a self-imposed winter interval, and for this one we are collaborating with CoCreate2Accelerate, a programme in Cape Town initiated by the...
Unicef Innovation Fund opens call for VR and AR startups to join its latest cohort
By Staff Reporter on 21 August, 2017
An innovation fund of the UN Children’s Fund, Unicef has opened a call for startups developing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) tech to apply for its next cohort by 17 September. The Unicef Innovation Fund is offering equity-free seed funding of between $50 000 and $90 000 to promising startups from around the world developing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications that have the potential to significantly improve children’s lives. Unicef Innovation Fund will offer selected startups equity-free funding of up to $90 000 To qualify, startups should be registered private companies in one of the Unicef's programme countries and have...
Top startup events in South Africa, Africa you should know about this week [21/08/2017]
By Staff Reporter on 21 August, 2017
Looking to get into the South African startup scene or catch up on some of your skills? Well, you've come to the right place. There are loads of competitions, networking sessions and workshops happening around South Africa and the rest of the continent (namely Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana) that we've rounded up to make your life a bit easier. This article is part of a weekly series that highlights all the top startup competitions, networking sessions, workshops and conferences around South Africa, and the greater region. If you have any event recommendations for us to add to the list, or...
XTC 2018 deadline extended to 31 August
By Staff Reporter on 17 August, 2017
Tech entrepreneurship contest the Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) has announced an extension of the application deadline to 31 August. Tech startups interested in entering the fourth annual edition of the contest will have two more weeks to apply, the initial application date was set for Tuesday this week (15 August). In a press release, the organisers said the deadline had been extended because a record number of applications had been submitted. XTC now in its fourth annual year, will see the top ten entrepreneurs showcase their startups at CES Las Vegas The challenge is headed by entrepreneur Richard Branson and Consumer Technology Association...