UCT’s E-Track Programme announces 10 startups selected to participate 

The UCT GSB Solution Space, in partnership with ayoba, has entered phase two of their annual E-Track Programme and has announced the 10 selected startups to participate in the programme.

The E-Track Programme is a three-part venture acceleration and capacity-building programme for high-impact ventures

Eero Tarjanne, Head of Business & Ecosystem Development, ayoba comments on the E-Track programme 

 “We are excited to be part of the E-Track programme and look forward to supporting the cohort in scaling their solutions as well as providing business and technical assistance. We feel the ayoba platform with its microapp capability is a great way for startups to get traction in the market and to connect to millions of ayoba users across the continent quickly and cost-effectively. We are continuously looking for promising ventures that would benefit from being part of the platform and could bring engaging content (video, music, games, infotainment) and business solutions to our user base.” 

The E-Track Programme

Following an intense academic foundational phase one, 10 ventures have been selected to join the 12-week Venture Exploitation process, led by ayoba and various corporate partners. 

The first phase of the programme is an online five-week Venture Launch course that aims to generate knowledge and capacity to build scalable businesses. This fully accredited short course at the University of Cape Town is used as a pre-selection process which includes the submission of pitches by shortlisted businesses, culminating in the second phase of the programme – the Venture Exploitation Programme. 

After completing the phase one course, the ventures went through a rigorous pitching and selection process in order to progress to the next stage. The top 10 ventures selected offer solutions in various sectors and industries, including AgriTech, SaaS, and HealthTech.

Selected startups

1. VeriDev – a platform making access to quality technical talent easy and affordable for non-technical founders.
2. SPEKBOOM – a venture setting out to redistribute global online travel booking commissions to local tourism providers and drive the long-term sustainability of African tourism. 
3. Fortis Biohacking – an interactive app that facilitates health and performance data management.
4. Desert Green Africa – a startup offering end-to-end optimisation of the informal agricultural value chain.
5. NOOSi – a startup making quality home-based health care more accessible.
6. Bility Solutions – a venture enabling reliable and safe management procedures for events and logistics.
7. MariHealth Solutions – a startup improving aquaculture productivity through marine health monitoring and management systems.
8. Smart Box™ By Line of Sight Technology – an app providing real-time, smart medicine and first-aid control
9. Wubuntu – a startup driving intercultural empowerment between African & Chinese youth through immersion tours & online learning
10. Radian Technologies – software enabling business transformation through IoT solutions

Shiela Yabo, Programme Manager, UCT GSB Solution Space recognises the efforts of the participants in stage one.

“We are encouraged by the resilience we have witnessed among entrepreneurs in phase one. We are looking forward to the journey with them as they prepare to launch and grow their ventures, in the next phase.” 

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Featured image: heylagostechie via Unsplash