The Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) is a big deal. The joint initiative between the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Innovation Foundation (AIF), awards a first prize of US$100 000 for the best African innovation with the greatest social impact and clear business potential. The finalists for 2013 has been announced and looking at this year's crop, one thing is abundantly clear, there is no shortage of innovators in Africa. Entrepreneurs developed ten practical solutions to ...

We've written our fair share in support of more women in tech, and we've been pleased to witness the emergence of new initiatives that support the development of female entrepreneurs. The latest push comes via the South African Girls in ICT event. Now in its fourth year, the event in partnership with HP aims to inspire girls to consider a future in technology, with more than 130 schoolgirls expected to attend a conference with leading women in the local ICT sector. "South ...

Right around the time Omidyar Network released its Accelerating Entrepreneurship in Africa report, we had an opportunity to talk to Malik Fal, managing director of Omidyar Network Africa. Fal has a finger on the pulse of entrepreneurship in Africa. He leads Omidyar Network’s investment strategy and operations on the continent, and for the last 15 years has been involved with social entrepreneurship, business, and development, primarily in the African context. In this monster one hour interview Fal tells us why he is ...

PromiseUP, a free app that tracks and incentivises the promises we make, launched this week on iOS. The goal of the app is to use social gamification to rid the world of broken (or forgotten) promises and ultimately improve the relationships in our lives. The idea is to make us accountable for the things we say we'll do, and when we'll do them. Each promise is custom-made, with a simple and intuitive UI. A wager is placed on that promise (with ...

Seed Engine, the early stage venture accelerator, recently announced the first six startups that will receive R100 000 startup capital as part of its acceleration programme. The funding goes toward helping the startups convert their ideas into practical business plans. In May, the startups hope to raise between R200 000 and R2-million in additional funding at a showcase event with investor attendance. So, what has the inaugural Seed Engine experience been like? We've been given four videos of Seed Engine finalists ...

Running your own business is hard work, especially when that business has been named Digital Agency of the Year six years running. Gloo, founded in 2005, is not what one would typically call a startup, as it's a service-based business rather than a product-driven one. The company is one of the most successful advertising agencies in South Africa and was recognised as such last year when it was named overall "Ad Agency of the Year" by AdReview Awards. In our new entrepreneur ...

African hardware startups are in the minority. Instead, as capital barriers are low, the continent is seeing a boom in online ventures. That doesn't mean however, that hardware manufacturing success is exclusive to the East. Since 2003, PVision, a South African manufacturer of LED and LCD displays, has been rolling out locally manufactured products which include commercial displays, lite commercial displays, nano displays, touchscreen technology, mounting solutions and back-end architecture. PVision CEO, David Ross, sees South Africa's increasing engagement in the ...

It's the birthday of Mxit's open APIs and the launch of its mobi portal. To celebrate the last year we're not having cake, but rather showcasing a lovely infographic on the South African social network's developer (dev) and app growth. Since the mobi portal launched in April 2012, 126 active developers have launched 219 apps onto the platform, showing steady progress. Highlighting the infographic's stats, the 2012 to 2013 growth saw between five to 35 apps published each month, taking the total ...

In 2010 China was the place of choice for foreign investment in the tech sector. Fast forward to today and it's an IPO ghost town, with less money and deals than a mid-level casino. At the heart of this "decline" in foreign interest are a number of factors. The Next Web states that political unrest, audit checks and internet censorship are but a few reasons for investor hesitation while Bloomberg pips rising employee and land costs as lowering China's "attractiveness as ...

Electricity shortages is the single biggest challenge African entrepreneurs face. That's according to the Omidyar Network's sublimely comprehensive Accelerating Entrepreneurship in Africa report. What Africa has no shortage of however, is creative thinkers, and that's why the 13th annual Africa Utility Week is organising a 48-hour utility hackathon to uncover innovative solutions for Africa's power, water and sanitation problems. The hackathon is being held at the Cape Town International Convention Center (CTICC), and runs from Tuesday 14 May to Wednesday 15 ...