Our 12 favourite startups from the 2016 Innovation Summit

Hosted in Johannesburg, the four-day Innovation Summit played host to a range of activities and events. Among these was the Ventureburn Pitching Den, which saw 40 startups pitch for a chance to compete at the Startup World Cup in 2017.

Over the two-day period, the Pitching Den was filled with all manner of entrepreneurs from all walks of life. While many of them pitched eco-friendly products, others looked to more traditional and IP-based companies.

Here are our favourite startups from the two-day Ventureburn Pitching Den event:

• Baoberry – creators of the “wetland in a box,” this product is an all natural solution for rain and grey water filtration.
• Delvv.io – winner of the Ventureburn Pitching Dean, the company helps brands test their marketing strategies. Customers can upload their assets to Delvv.io, which will outsource it to professionals and generate a report on the item in three to seven days.
• Dietnosix – this health-care startup creates fat burning test strips for low-carb diets. Users urinate on the sticks which gives them a read of their body’s fat-count. This technology can be used in a range of other products.
• Fuel Decontaminates – the product is comprised of three parts, which all act to detect water in fuel tanks. This, in turn, prevents damage to almost any vehicle.
• Finfind – is an online aggregator for loans from private and public sectors, and pulls from over 170 lenders.
• The Greeners – a solar panel company that creates a product for dissipation of heat. This allows the solar panels to generate up to 20% more electricity.
• i-Pay – this fintech company is a payment gateway platform for mobile and desktop devices. The company utilises SMS, email, and even QR codes and already has the likes of Takealot and Superbalist as clients.
• Mashesha Stove – targeting informal settlements, this startup creates outdoor wood-burning stoves which use half the amount of fuel as traditional ones.
• Thevia – roof tiles. Yes, this startup creates roofing files out of recycled waste, which are 1/3 lighter than their concrete counterparts.
• Together Community Support – easily one of the most surprising pitches, the startup creates bricks out of prickly pear leaves. According to the founder, Vusumzi Mahlatshana, three bricks can be manufactured per prickly pear leaf and the final products are stronger and more water resistant that standard bricks.
• Tuluntulu – This mobile content app has been created to work via EDGE networks and resembles a remote for ease of use.
• Zuka – is a two-in-one pesticide and fertiliser, which is apparently drinkable and perfectly fine for human consumption.