DEMO Africa 2016 concludes for the first time in South Africa

More than 600 delegates, 30 speakers, and four master classes concluded this year’s DEMO Africa event, which is a launchpad for African tech startups.

In the past, DEMO Africa events took place in Nairobi, Kenya before moving to Lagos, Nigeria for two years. For the first time since its inception, it has taken place in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The DEMO Africa LIONS programme saw 723 applicants applying for the initiative. This list was eventually scaled down to 131, of which only 30 were chosen to pitch – five applicants were from South Africa.

Three of the five startups selected at DEMO Africa are South African

The five winners of DEMO Africa have been backed by Stephen Ozoigbo, CEO of the African Technology Foundation (ATF). ATF is also the agency responsible for implementing the LIONS@FRICA initiative.

“These companies have a global appeal and have the highest potential to becoming global companies,” said Ozoigbo in a blog post.

“By participating in the innovation tour, we are helping to connect these companies to the global innovation ecosystem and also continue connecting them to potential investors,” he concluded.

The five winners that made it into the programme are as follows:

• Sortd – This suite is targeted at people that generally have difficulty managing their emails into bite-sized tasks. The product works seamlessly with email, instant messages, Skype and Slack
• ConnectMed – An online telehealth platform that allows patients to seek treatment for common ailments from GPs over video either through the app (ConnectMed Prime) or indirectly through clinic partners (ConnectMed Care)
• Strauss Energy – Provides cost-effective and renewable energy solutions through Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) technologies, being an innovative solar roofing tile manufactured in Kenya
• Solstice Home Energy Solutions – A data-driven approach to help Nigerian households become more energy efficient, being available via an app
• MediaBox – A streaming device which allows you to watch on-demand and live TV over the internet. All the available local and international content providers are pre-installed on the box as well, which means you simply have to login to the content provider of your choice

The winners will head to Silicon Valley for two weeks, where they will look to foster better relations with businesses and investors.

Featured image: Andrew Moore via Flickr