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Student resource app by Tiger Bytes takes the reins at Startup Knight 2014
Byte Orbit’s Startup Knight 2014 pitch competition recently concluded with Cape Town, South African-based Tiger Bytes being awarded first place for its learning slash student resource app Vula.
The third annual event, which seeks to empower aspiring tech entrepreneurs and visionaries in South Africa, ran with the theme “Technology that enables” and saw over 150 entries this year, making it the biggest competition thus far.
There was no jousting involved, however.
Tiger Bytes won a total bounty worth R250 000 with runner-up MediaBox claiming R50 000 in PR and software development.
Among other media entertainment devices, MediaBox has created a set-top box running Android.
Founded by Tighe Barris and Alastair Hendricks, Tiger Bytes has created the Vula App, which is a platform that connects students — as well as teachers or lecturers — and allows them to stay up-to-date with course work, materials and announcements.
Read more: Startup Knight is on a crusade for SA’s top savvy tech startups
Since launching in 2012, the app (available for Android and iOS) has gained traction at the University of Cape Town, and has so far scooped up over 15 000 users.
“Winning Startup Knight will allow us to grow Tiger Bytes and have apps deployed at more Universities and schools nationally,” Hendricks told Ventureburn.
Going forward, the startup wants to further develop another app which is currently active in three schools in Johannesburg:
With the opportunity that Byte Orbit has given us, we’re looking to launch two more University apps in 2015 and hope have our school app at 15 different schools by January 2015 and keep growing.
Byte Orbit will take a small equity stake in the winning company.
The winner of Startup Knight’s Concept Stream — and a nice R100 000 — is Mobisurance with runners-up LanteOTC being awarded R35 000 and Twanga R25 000.
Mobisurance wants to provide insurance to low-end crop farmers against the failure of a harvest via USSD. LanteOTC is a marketplace that connects SMEs with investors while Twanga is a loyalty reward system that uses an NFC app.
The Startup Knight winners of 2014 will also be given the opportunity to further showcase their business at the Standard Bank Matchi Event in Johannesburg in December.
