The way the event is structured is all about entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity. The 40 start-ups underwent intensive and high-skilled training and mentor-ship for two days before finally pitching to large and powerful investors from all over the world. Luis Amat COO of Venture Hive and one of the key trainers stressed the need for the start-ups not to neglect networking; he said “the most important part in all this is the networking because you never know who’s going to introduce you to the right partners.” He also admitted that the start-ups are human and were facing challenges including not vocalizing properly, lacking crowd engagement, and lack of clarity when making their presentations. The fact that he acknowledges these challenges to the public observably means that he did during training sessions, which probably made the entrepreneurs that much better during the final pitch.
The final pitch was packed with nothing but excitement and excellence.Saisai from Zimbabwe grabbed the top honors a SWELL Innovation award while Irofit and VOTO took the first and second runners up positions. Saisai is a wireless mesh network distributing free access to wireless hotspots in public areas and public transportation while, Irofit is the only mobile card payment system that allows merchants to accept card payments without an internet connection. VOTO is a mobile phone notification and survey platform. The winner walks away with an all-expenses paid trip to Silicon Valley which will certainly help flame the innovation that is already burning within them.
