Seedstars World has chosen seven additional startups for the South Africa final of the global seed-stage startup competition, with finalists from Johannesburg and Durban now set to go head to head with those chosen in Cape Town last week.
Disrupt Africa reported last week five winners were chosen from the Cape Town leg of the event – specialised music streaming service NicheStreem, bitcoin anti-piracy solution Custos Media Technologies, lifesaving tool mySOS, mining mapping startup Azimuth, and home improvement platform RedFish.
Those startups will now compete with seven additional seed-stage companies from Gauteng and Durban on July 17 for the national title, with the winning startup to represent South Africa at the Seedstars World final event in Geneva next year and compete for up to a US$500,000 equity investment.
The seven startups chosen from Gauteng and Durban include Causal Nexus, which simplifies data for employees, mobile recruitment tool Giraffe, Modular Innobox, which designs and pilots modular social businesses inside shipping containers, and Fitkey, which provides unlimited access to all types of gym and fitness classes with one unique key.
African travel app and content platform Tastemakers Africa, Dronescan, which provides time, energy and safety savings in large warehouses by using drones to do inventory, and Quainted Consulting, which measures and improves corporate employees’ performances complete the list.
“This is the first time South Africa is hosting two Seedstars World events. After identifying the best entrepreneurs from the Western Cape, we are very excited to see the finest startups from Gauteng and Durban, and we’re curious to find out who will walk away with the national title,” said Gregory Pepper, regional manager for Africa at Seedstars World. “We sincerely think the country has exceptional talent and we really look forward to presenting the national winner back in Switzerland, in March 2016.”
Jayshree Naidoo, head of the Standard Bank Incubator, congratulated the candidates that have made it this far.
“It is inspiring to see so many talented entrepreneurs from different industries and backgrounds competing for a chance to represent our country in Switzerland,” she said.
“The selected startups have proven that they are ready to take on the world of business. We need more platforms like the Seedstars competition that inspire entrepreneurs and motivate them to succeed. Good luck to everyone participating may the best company win.”
Naidoo will be one of the high profile judges on the panel, which will also include SiMODiSA managing director Matsi Modise, Pontsho Maruping, an executive at the Innovation Funding at Technology Innovation Agency, and Marcello Schermer, the other Seedstars Africa regional manager.
