TownshipTech Pitch winners announced 

Hosted by the Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative in partnership with the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT), The TownshipTech hackathon, and pitch competition winners have announced the winners of the prestigious competition.

TownshipTech Pitch winners announced

The competition aims to recognise young entrepreneurs who have created an innovative tech-based solution to challenges faced in township communities.

The TownshipTech hackathon

Out of a total of forty entrances, six finalists were selected to compete in the final pitch competition held earlier this week at The Woodstock Bandwidth Barn in Cape Town.

The judging panel for the final event included Ian Merrington from the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi), Bianca Mpahlaza from the Department of Economic Development & Tourism (DEDAT), Faith Kolala from the City of Cape Town, Charmaine Lambert from ABSA, and Ndithini Tyhido from the Khayelitsha Development Forum. 

Andrew Davies, Digital Partnerships Ecosystem Lead at Absa Group comments on the hackathon initiative. 

“The Tech Township Hackathon is a fantastic initiative that shines a light on the incredible entrepreneurial ingenuity that is thriving in township communities all across our country. Absa is proud to support it and the young technologists as they look to solve critical challenges within their communities.” 

The selected winners

Tech Khaltsha was announced as the official winner of the event and walked away with R10 000, a 10-month entrepreneurial programme, three-month access to a co-working space, and a video production package to showcase their business or product and launch into the market. 

Zandile Tlhapi, a team member of Tech Khaltsha comments on receiving the accolade. 

“Winning is amazing, we are really in need of the capital to move to the next level and get their business sorted with connectivity – this will help us get there.”

In addition, the innovative startup won the title in the Safety and Security Category. 

For the Reach of Services & Support theme, Basket won R5000 and a 10-month Entrepreneurial Programme.

And lastly, Cyberspace won the category for Increased Connectivity and was awarded R5000 and a 10-month entrepreneurial programme.

Carrie Leaver, Tech Khaltsha’s entrepreneurial coach that also won Coach of the Day comments on the entrepreneurial tenacity of the startup team that won first place. 

 “The experience with the overall pitch competition winners was an absolute pleasure. The team was utterly dedicated to their cause as well as to their existing business. They had great communication and time management skills when it came to building their project.” Carrie was most impressed by their team cohesion and how efficiently they worked together. Team Tech Khaltsha complemented each other with their various skills and they were open to feedback and suggestions.”

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Featured image: The TownshipTech hackathon, and pitch competition (Supplied)