The Future Cities Hackathon will be held in Cape Town from 1 to 2 March by co-hosts, Startupbootcamp AfriTech (SBC) and RCS. The event underlines the Sustainable Development Goals and challenges citizen innovators to showcase disruptive solutions for water and sanitation, sustainable cities and communities, and smart mobility.

SBC AfriTech is a prestigious programme for Africa-focused tech startups. The programme supports the world’s up-and-coming pioneers including African tech startups, linking them to the fastest-moving corporates on the continent.

It is the only multi-corporate backed accelerator of its kind, powered by Old Mutual, Nedbank, RCS, BNP Paribas Personal Finance and PwC.

Last year, SBC AfriTech was named the Top Accelerator on the African continent by the Global Startup Awards.The accelerator is sponsored by some of the most innovative corporate partners in Africa and has proven to be a successful channel to scout, skill, and scale disruptive startups.

Regan Adams, CEO of RCS explains, “This year we will broaden our focus on the water crisis to include water sanitation and marine pollution. In addition, our focus on South Africa’s growing marine pollution, caused by rapid population growth and increasing industrialisation, is also in line with the global corporate investment strategy of our holding company, BNP Paribas. The second focus will be on finding sustainable and affordable transport solutions which is becoming a major issue in our cities. RCS is excited to once again be part of the Hackathon initiative and we unequivocally support and believe in our local startups in finding the most sustainable solutions for these challenges.”

Now in their third consecutive year, SBC is applying this powerful Corporate Startup Collaboration to solve municipal challenges.

Using Cape Town as a lab, the impact-orientated Future Cities Hackathon will focus on the following three UN Sustainable Development Goals:

SDG 6: Clean Water & Sanitation

SDG 11: Life Below Water

SDG 14: Sustainable Cities & Communities

“Startupbootcamp AfriTech has committed to championing Global Goal 11 (Sustainable Goals and Cities) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by connecting solution-makers with corporates, innovation ecosystems, thought leaders, investors and mentors,” states Motlhabane Koloi, Legal and Scouting Manager and SDG Initiative Lead for SBC AfriTech.

This Hackathon will bring together innovators and corporates to materialise three of the sustainable development goals and we are excited to be setting the standard for sustainable innovation in corporates and the broader innovation ecosystem.

The hackathon will feature several top-level keynote speakers discussing the daunting challenges brought about by pollution, water access and urbanization.

The event is open to citizen innovators, startups and anyone with ideas to solving the most pressing sustainable development challenges facing our world today.

Over the course of two days, the goal is for attendees to form five to 10 teams tackling different challenges. These teams will focus on practical solutions that could be further developed and implemented with the support of the sponsors and their partners.

The aim of the hackathon is to crowdsource solutions, talent, and business models from the Cape Town innovation and resilience enablement ecosystem.

By holding events in more than 100 cities each year, SBC supports the world’s most talented founders with hands-on mentorship and access to key industry connections. SBC is known for growing and scaling innovative solutions to modern challenges within the African continent. This hackathon in particular strives to solve pertinent issues such as the water crisis by embracing new technology and ideas.

If you or anyone you know has a tech-based idea or solution to solve the challenges as stipulated by the Sustainable Development Goals, attend the hackathon and see your solution come to fruition.

Get your tickets here: http://qkt.io/futurecity 

Startupbootcamp (SBC) Cape Town and RCS Group have announced a water-saving hackathon to be held on 9 and 10 February to commission technology from the wider Cape community in a bid to push back Day Zero.

The H2O (Hack Two Day Zero) event will host executives from Old Mutual, Nedbank, RCS, Woolworths Financial Services and PwC to engage with entrepreneurs, students, concerned citizens and local government.

“We are in the midst of a water crisis in the Western Cape and with the implications of Day Zero fast approaching there will be wide-spread impacts. The onus is not only on the individual to conserve water, but as corporates we have a responsibility to collectively apply our minds to this challenge facing the society which we operate in. Hosting a Hackathon purely focusing on the water crisis was the perfect opportunity for RCS to show both support and desire to address this issue. At RCS we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovation and we believe in the agility of tech startups to make a difference. It is therefore our ambition that the event may lead to finding valuable and feasible solutions for both companies and individuals,” states Regan Adams, CEO of the RCS Group.

Hackathon participants will have two days to pitch their ideas, form teams and create prototypes under the guidance of corporate sponsors.By holding events in more than 100 cities each year, SBC supports the world’s most talented founders with hands-on mentorship and access to key industry connections. SBC is known for growing and scaling innovative solutions to modern challenges within the African continent. The cohort strives to solve pertinent issues such as the water crisis by embracing new technology and ideas.

“By creating an environment to collectively pool ideas together, we believe this hackathon can ensure that both short term and long-term solutions can be designed to deal with the crisis. We encourage everyone who has a desire to make an impact to join. By bringing ideas and skills together, we can make a difference,” said Paul Nel, Chief Partnership Officer and CFO of Startupbootcamp Cape Town.

The current dam levels for Cape Town are 26.5%. If dam levels continue to drop, day zero could be a reality by 12 April.When Cape Town dam levels drop to 13.5%, the city will begin to shut down its reticulation system in residential areas.If you or anyone you know has a tech-based idea or solution to solve the problems the water crisis is causing, this hackathon may help you get your prototype produced.

“For the winning team, there will be a cash prize, with an added incentive of building the solutions designed if they are believed they will make the impact we envision,” states Paul Nel.

If you are interested in participating in the event, please sign up here.

RCS will open their corporate offices in Golf Park to host the event which will be managed and coordinated by the SBC Cape Town team.

About Startupbootcamp

Startupbootcamp is a global network of industry focused startup accelerators currently running 21 programs in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Cape Town, Chengdu, Copenhagen, Dubai, Istanbul, London, Melbourne, Mexico City, Miami, Mumbai, New York, Rome, and Singapore. The cohort has a track record of generating innovative solutions for Smart Cities.

About RCS Group

The RCS Group (RCS) is a leading consumer finance business that offers its customers a range of financial service products under their own brand name, in association with a number of leading retailers in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. RCS collaborates with its retail partners as BNP Paribas Personal Finance South Africa. 

INFORMATION:

Dates and Times:

• 9 February          15:00 – 18:00
• 10 February        08:00 – 18:30

Venue: RCS Group Head Office opposite Mowbray Golf Club, 1 Raapenburg Road, Cape Town, 7700                        

For more information on the Hackathon, to sign up or if you have any additional queries, please contact:

Nsovo: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mo: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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For more information about this press release, please contact:

Mika Stanvliet | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | 081 534 6237