The applicants stand a chance to win their share of R100,000 for direct business needs or incubation support to the value of R150,000. The contest is open to all aspiring innovators, from student and non-student communities, and applications will close on 29 September 2017. To enter, applicants will need to develop their solution from concept stage and then prove its feasibility to become a viable business.
Whilst the 2016 challenge called for retail-focused innovations, Attacq, this year, is inviting applicants to design their technologies for its flagship development Waterfall City with solutions that focus on opportunities in:
Participants can submit their business ideas in the format of a three-minute video pitch with no digital presentations, recorded at participating university campuses across the country and entered through a bespoke pitching platform. The participating universities are Stellenbosch University (SU), the University of Western Cape (UWC), the University of Cape Town (UCT), the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), the University of Johannesburg (UJ), WITS University, Central University of Technology (CUT) and the University of Pretoria (UP).
Alternatively, applications can also be submitted online at www.launchlab.co.za/attacq. Entrants may pitch more than one idea, but only one idea can win.
Attacq representatives, experienced entrepreneurs, academics and representatives from the local investor community have been selected as judges and will determine the winning pitch. The final judging event will be hosted at the LaunchLab office, in Stellenbosch, on 16 October 2017.
For more information on the Attacq Smart Cities Innovation Challenge, go to www.launchlab.co.za/attacq or email az.oc.balhcnual@ofni.
