Startupbootcamp Cape Town (SBC) is issuing a final call to startups in Africa to apply to participate in the first ever Africa-based programme. 

Internationally renowned accelerator, Startupbootcamp launched their first Africa-based programme in May 2017. Now, after conducting over 12 successful FastTrack events across the globe in search of startup talent, Startupbootcamp Cape Town is issuing a final call for applications. The deadline for online applications is 9 July 2017.

From a pool of hundreds of applicants, the 10 most promising teams will be selected and provided with EUR 15,000, 100+ highly engaged industry mentors, free office space, access to funding and a network of industry partners, investors and venture capital firms. The 3-month bootcamp kicks off in September 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa, and will be led by seasoned innovation experts, Zachariah George, Philip Kiracofe, and Paul Nel.

Core sponsors for this first SBC Africa-based programme include big backers BNP Paribas Personal Finance, RCS, and PwC. Support is also given by global sponsors Google cloud, Amazon web services, Intel, and Cisco.

“As a leader in innovation itself, RCS is committed not only to the continuous search for new ideas and solutions that will define the future of financial services institutions, but also to collaborating and building partnerships with fledgling entrepreneurs to develop untapped talent. RCS believes in the potential of the African continent as the source of a new wave of technological innovation,” believes Regan Adams, CEO of RCS.  

Startupbootcamp CapeTown was initiated after a trend analysis found more than 160 applications to the global programme originated from African teams in 2016 alone.   

Ahead of final applications – attend a local FastTrack event

With only 4 African FastTrack events left to go, startups can apply to attend a local FastTrack ahead of the final application deadline to present their ideas to mentors and sponsors for pre-application advice and feedback.The last leg of FastTracks will be taking place in Dubai (2 July), Durban and Cairo (4 July), Cape Town (7 July) as part of their global tour to find the next big startup phenomenon. 

“The aim is to find and grow disruptive startups and connect them with dynamic corporates.  We are fundamentally changing the ecosystem and seeing tangible results that validate our methodology. The more we engage the more excited we get at how much talent we unearth at these FastTracks,” shares Philip Kiracofe, co-MD of SBC CapeTown.

Zachariah George, co-MD of SBC CapeTown, share, “It’s been an exhilarating, moving tour around the world engaging with startups. Their insight, dedication, and energy is inspiring! Africa is home to some of the best talent – and startups need to flex themselves and enrol programmes like SBC to realise true scale and success.” 

Applications are open to a broad array of disruptive startups in blockchain, connected devices, payment solutions, capital markets and asset management, integrated supply chain, e-commerce, alternative financing, identity management, digital connectivity, data and behavioral analytics and enabling technologies and beyond. 

NOTE: FastTrack engagements are not a requirement to apply for the Startupbootcamp Accelerator, and we encourage ALL startups to apply.  

How to apply?

Interested teams can apply to attend a FastTrack here: http://bit.ly/capetownft

Any mentors that would like to help with the FastTrack can apply here: http://bit.ly/capetownmentor

Startups interested in applying to the 3-month Cape Town program can apply here: https://www.startupbootcamp.org/accelerator/cape-town  

Notes For Editors
For more information about this press release, contact: Mika StanvlietThe Loudhailer: PR for Startupbootcamp Cape Town, South This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. +27 81 534 6237www.startupbootcamp.org 

About Startupbootcamp
Founded in 2010, Startupbootcamp is a global startup accelerator with 18 programs in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Chengdu, Istanbul, London, Mexico City, Miami, Mumbai, New York, Rome, Singapore. They take startups global by giving them direct access to the international network of the most relevant partners, investors and mentors in their sector in more than 30 countries. 79% of the Startupbootcamp alumni teams are still active and 71% have gone on to raise additional funding from many of the world's leading VCs and angels.For more information visit: www.startupbootcamp.org 

About RCS
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, as well as 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. RCS not only finances, operates, manages and promotes successful credit programmes, but also offers state of the art IT, call centre, risk management as well as financial marketing and brand building solutions.RCS continues to demonstrate growth and innovation in the credit market, offering ground breaking and accessible credit solutions to customers. The company provides more than just a technical solution and product for its partners, it also customises products that integrate people, processes and technology, creating value for their partners and customers. 

About BNP Paribas Personal Finance
BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the leader in France and in Europe for personal loans via its activities in consumer credit and mortgage lending. A 100% subsidiary of the BNP Paribas Group, BNP Paribas Personal Finance has nearly 20,000 employees and operates in about 30 countries. Under brands including Cetelem, Findomestic in Italy, AlphaCredit in Belgium, the company offers a full range of personal credit products at points of sale and car dealerships and directly to consumers through its customer relations centres and Internet. BNP Paribas Personal Finance has added an insurance and savings offer for its clients in Bulgaria, France, Germany, and Italy.BNP Paribas Personal Finance has developed an active partnership strategy with retailers, manufacturers and automotive retailers, web merchants and financial institutions (banks and insurance companies), based on its experience with marketing credit offers and integrated services tailored to partners’ business and commercial objectives. It is also a leading player in the field of responsible lending and financial education.www.bnpparibas-pf.com 

About PwC
At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We’re a network of firms in 157 countries with more than 223,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com.PwC has a presence in 34 Africa countries with an office footprint covering 66 offices. With a single Africa leadership team and more than 400 partners and 9000 professionals across Africa, we serve some of the continent’s largest businesses across all industries.PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.   

Event organiser Kinetic has confirmed that industry-giant Performanta has signed on as platinum sponsors for this year’s anticipated 6th edition of their successful flagship event; the IT Leaders Africa Summit.

The event, taking place from 18 - 19 March 2015 at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg, is set to go beyond your usual routine business conference, evolving to deliver on a more exciting, topical, trendy and current platform, utilising both the latest technologies coupled with the latest in conference trends internationally.

Together with Performanta, the event aims to deliver an expert-lead agenda that features an educational conference program backed by the latest in technology workshops and demonstrations. 

Performanta’s workshop; Safeguard your organisation now, your wallet will thank you later; focuses on measuring your organisation against the industry on 10 information security and privacy measures, derived from real-world assessments.

Performanta Consulting was established by Anthony Olivier 4 years ago, aligning information security consulting services to the Performanta Technology & Services stable. Performanta Consulting has provided services to primary South African banks, insurance companies, brokers, mining companies, service and retail organisations. Their key differentiator: senior, qualified, experienced consultants, integrated frameworks and fair pricing. Furthermore, the team has assisted in addressing security problems in seventeen African countries and has a thorough understanding of the continental landscape.

As thought-leaders in the industry, they are amongst the most active South African participants in industry conferences, blogs and podcasts.An expert-led advisory panel will lead the summit with industry giants Robert Sussman, co-founder and joint-CEO of Integr8; Hugo Timmerman, Head of IT Southern Africa at British American Tobacco; and Tunde Coker, MD of Rack Centre (A Jagal Group Company).

The event also features over 35 speakers, keynotes, panel discussions and numerous educational workshop sessions hosted by key industry providers, all sessions led by some of today’s most notable individuals who are shaping the IT landscape in South Africa and beyond.

Speakers, just to name a few, include; David Visser, CIO of Coca-Cola Southern Africa; Anthony Hlungwane, Group IT Director of Mr Price Group; Sal Laher, CIO Eskom; Rocky Gwewera, Global Head of Infrastructure Architecture at Sasol; Stephan Ekbergh, CEO and founder of Travelstart; and Sunil Joshi, MD and CEO of Neotel.

Some sponsors and partners include; Telkom Business, HP, Performanta and Blue Coat Systems, SITA, Airwatch, Kofax, Dimension Data, Neotel, Meso Systems, Sage Pastel Accounting and ERP Africa, and Blackberry.

For more information on the event to register to attend or to sponsor, visit www.itleaders.co.za or contact the event organisers Kinetic on +27 21 180 4700.Follow the event and stay up to date on Twitter. @ITLeadersAfrica and join in on the conversation using #ITLAfrica.

Global leader and innovator in mobile device security and Enterprise Mobile Management (EMM) technology, AirWatch® by VMware is returning to the 6th IT Leaders Africa Summit as a Silver Sponsor.  

A diversified senior executive with global CRM technology applications and services experience, MD Ian Evans, has been successful in helping companies achieve their forecast goals by structuring sales and operation processes. 

  “Enterprises including Merck KGaA, a leading pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company, have launched private app stores for two reasons, to maintain control of compliance and security risks by providing only corporate sanctioned apps for employee use and to increase productivity by allowing employees to choose the apps they need, thereby reducing IT costs.”  

Ian will explore Merck’s mobility story during their workshop at the IT Leaders Africa Summit and share best practices on implementing an engaging internal enterprise app program, which will soon be a necessity to enabling a productive mobile workforce.  

AirWatch® executives, including Ian, will be available throughout the two day summit to interact with, and offer help to attending CIOs.   Q&A sessions during this workshop will give attendees the opportunity to discuss their challenges and opportunities in the workplace.

Airwatch will also showcase their solutions at the innovation display area with experts on hand to discuss and exchange ideas with attendees.  

Join us to hear the experts at the 6th edition of IT Leaders Africa Summit on the 18-19 March 2015 at the Maslow hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.  

Contact Marcia van Jaarsveld on 021 180 4700 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.  

A new innovative technology company has been born in South Africa, from the capital city or let me say the silicon city Pretoria. Pretoria is one of the first cities to provide free internet access through wifi to its residents and it is no surprise that one of the world's social networks has been created there.

A South African internet start-up, Red Diamond World has partnered with other companies in the launch of Cybatar, a new social network available to everyone with internet access on mobile or computer. The website launches on 07 October 2014 at midnight and they invite everyone to sign up for accounts. This social network will run from trusted servers and and the company assures users of security as they use the site. A unique feature that the social network comes with is the ability to also share .PDF and .doc documents which Facebook, Twitter and other social networks do not do. This means that users will not have to use email to leave the social network to email websites and other file-sharing sites to share files making life easier.

The social network also brings solutions for companies and professionals to increase their online presence. Social and online marketing experts advise companies to utilize website and social platforms to reach more people and Cybatar comes as another website that will have a great impact on you online presence.

Be part of the first group to register for accounts. Visit www.cybatar.com and register today.

“It is so worthwhile to come and see what is available in e-learning and classroom technology, it is the only way to move forward,” said Kennia Plaskitt, principal of the Willowmoore High School in Benoni during the SABC Education African EduWeek that took place in Johannesburg last week. She added: “one never has time during term and having the event at the start of the holiday enabled us to send 14 teachers from our school. We are excited about what we saw.”  

At an event that can only be described as lively, interactive and inspiring, more than 2436 teachers and education experts, including the Deputy Minister of Basic Education Enver Surty, attended the eighth conference and exhibition at the Sandton Convention Centre from 10-11 July. This is a 165% increase in visitors compared to last year. Some 93 leading suppliers of technology, stationery and content to the education sector created an exciting and colourful expo where visitors were encouraged to touch and try the latest classroom gadgets.  

International education platform
Says African EduWeek event director Tanya Jackman: “this event is all about the teachers and how we can empower them to go back to their classrooms with new ideas, insight and confidence to face the daily challenges at school, whether it is about teaching skills or using e-learning tools and educational technology. As an event, African EduWeek has truly come of age - our partnership with SABC Education has taken us to the next level, reaching our target audience in the farthest corners of the country, through its radio, TV and online outreach. We are also becoming an international education platform, where various stakeholders in the industry get together to brainstorm and network.” 

Platinum sponsor Pearson Education’s CEO Riaan Jonck said in a radio interview that African EduWeek was:  “a wonderful event attended by an enormous amount of people – it’s quite exciting to see how people are looking at education today versus the way that we used to in the past.” 

Teachers learning about neuroscience
During a very interactive keynote address, Dr Judy Willis, the American neurologist turned classroom teacher, explained how best to stimulate young people’s brains to process information into knowledge and wisdom. Dr Willis loves sharing her knowledge with fellow teachers: “it’s a joy teaching other educators. It’s seeing the ‘aha moment’ when they realize that their best strategies, things that have been most successful, are indeed highly supported by the neuroscience research.”  

The next keynote speaker received a standing ovation: 32-year-old Sheri Brynard of Bloemfontein who is the first person with Downs syndrome to qualify as a teacher. Says Sheri: “my dream is for South Africa to become a country where the general population respects, encourages and enables its disabled citizens to make a contribution in life, develop to their full potential, and feel that they have a purpose in life.”

Technology for special needs
Inclusivity was an important theme at African EduWeek this year with exciting technology on display for learners with disabilities and learning challenges, including a braille computer that enables  a visually impaired or blind person to go on the internet, receive and send emails, print to braille,connect to their smart phones and much more. “If I had had this technology when I was still in school, I would probably have become a heart surgeon,” says 22-year-old Kyle Williams, a visually impaired IT specialist at Edit Microsystems who demonstrated the device at the exhibition.

Doris Mokhaghane is a teacher from the Makwane School in the Free State that has many learners with special needs: “we definitely need special technology and teaching skills to deal with our learners, many of whom are already in their 20s and cannot read or write. I found this event very interesting and helpful. I will definitely be back next year and bring my principal as well.”

Literacy – two working languages for learning
The conference also focused on literacy, including a presentation by Maggie Owen Smith of the Home Language Project who notes that “every learner in a multilingual society needs two working languages for learning: a common classroom language and an own home language. As we don’t have a common language, English is the most common language for the classroom.”

WISE round-table discussion
The high-level, round-table discussion on "Creative Ways of Building Africa's Youth Skills”, presented by WISE (the World Innovation Summit for Education) included Deputy Basic Education Minister Surty and Sarietjie Musgrave, head of ICT at the Free State University, who believes that teacher training is the key to success. “Bringing technology into our classrooms,” Musgrave says, “there are so many good things already happening. But if you introduce any form of tech in class, it raises fears for the teacher about whether they know how to use it… it’s almost like we give the learner or the teacher a Ferrari but we forget to tar the road.”  

China Day
African EduWeek also celebrated Chinese-South African educational and trade exchange with a special China Day event at the international pavilion of the CEIEC or the China Educational Instrument & Equipment Corporation, a major supplier of educational and scientific equipment. The festivities were attended by the Deputy Minister, the Department’s Deputy Director General: Curriculum Policy, Support & Monitoring, Hubert Matanzima Mweli as well as the Gauteng MEC for Education, Panyaza Lesufi. Rebecca Tang, Deputy General Manager of CEIEC, was thrilled with the response: “it is the first time that we are in South Africa and we see great potential, also from other African countries. We will be back next year.”  

Website:  www.educationweek.co.za
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/African_EduWeek 

Contact:
Communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone :  +27 21 700 3558
Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Indie games are fast becoming a trend in South Africa, catching on from the overseas markets. These days, children and adults alike are playing mobile games as never before. People are always hungry for something different, which is where indie games – or ‘independent’ games – come in, providing players with something other than the mass-produced mainstream products.

Now, Somerset West can boast with its very own game studio that started turning its cogs in February this year. For its first month of existence, the studio was run out of the founder’s mother’s basement – typical indie game studio protocol, if history is anything to go by. Now, running from a house close to De Hoop Primary School, the studio focuses on creating mobile games (such as their recently released Afrikaans game, Fanie de Beer) and has oodles of style, creativity, skill and initiative.

While the Apmil Game Studio has only been up and running for a few months, the people who daily put their shoulders to its wheels have been building up relationships for the last three-and-a-half years. Even though the studio officially started up in February, the idea of an indie game studio had been brewing in the mind of Studio Head, Pierre Bezuidenhout, since 2011. Pierre started lecturing in the Animation Department of Cape Town’s City Varsity in 2011 – and this is where he met the three students who would later join him in this grand venture.

Pierre, as leader of the team, is Apmil’s Programmer and Technical Director. He has previously worked in advertising and animation for Wicked Pixels in Woodstock and held the position of lecturer at Concept Interactive as well as at City Varsity. His impressive skill set includes a sharp eye for detail as well as design flair and programming aptitude in different digital languages and platforms – he is also quite the people-person. Altus Barry is the Technical Lead, taking charge of rigs, renders and other related tasks. Mabet van Zijl did her major in 3D Narrative and, as Generalist, leads Apmil’s marketing and writing in between her usual workload. Louren Hattingh takes the roles of Lead Animator and Concept Artist. While each person has their area to lead, the workflow runs with a ‘rock-paper-scissors’-style in which one falls under the delegation of another while dealing with respective area-specific tasks. Sitting around a whiteboard, each armed with a marker, they discuss character design, story line, player motivation, level arrangement, time constraints and load division before jumping in with the actual development.

The first released game, Fanie de Beer, is a 100% physics-driven, full 3D, indie puzzle game with a distinct South African flavour. Playing as Fanie de Beer, a 12-year-old farm-boy, the player utilizes simple little rocks by tapping once on the screen to clear best friend Jaco Kriel’s fields of strategically placed, ancient landmines. Built in Unity, the game takes place in a single day – with the story starting early in the morning and ending in the evening – transporting the player through a dynamic day/night cycle and colourful, saturated farm fields as they progress through the 84 levels, meeting new mine types and increasingly difficult challenges as they go along. Written and designed in Afrikaans, then carefully translated into true farm-style English, this game is unique, fun and proudly South African. The demo is available for download from the Google Play Store, while the full game can be purchased on Samsung Apps and Amazon.

The next game in the pipeline is different from Fanie de Beer in virtually every way. Where Fanie is a very colourful 3D puzzle game with just enough back-story to set the player up for the context and flavour of the game, the current project is a heavily story-driven platform-game that takes place in a fictional world made up of parallaxing silhouettes and strange characters.

Apmil Game Studio has not only been created as a platform to build games, but also as a springboard for fellow animators, developers, designers and illustrators. It’s a breeding ground for collaboration, ideas, innovation and learning. Each person hones their skills while doing fun and challenging work through creating games and stories as well as fulfilling the creative needs of small to medium-sized businesses in the Western Cape and Gauteng.

Apmil Game Studio services include animation, app creation, game creation, rendering/stills, asset creation, video editing and UX. The creative division of Apmil, led by artist Janet Botes and writer Michelle Albinson, offers logo design, graphic design, online/web design, interactive design, writing, editing, proofreading and illustration.

Apmil prides itself on being different: Fresh ideas, innovative applications, strange and wonderful games – they are all things that receive the studio’s love and attention to detail. To find out more or to get involved, contact Pierre Bezuidenhout at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him on 082 499 3133

Studio ingredients:[A]ltus makes the bus and [P]ierre drives the bus; [M]abet takes the bus t[i]ckets and [L]ouren makes the bus move. Thus, [apmil].

Free demo: Google Play – bit.ly/fanie_demo 
Full version: Samsung Apps – bit.ly/fanie
Official Trailer: Youtube – bit.ly/fanie_trailer 
Apmil page: Apmil/Fanie – apmil.co.za/fanie-de-beer 

{pp}The Innovation Fund is inviting investment proposals from all South Africans with novel and inventive technological ideas that are commercially viable.