The RE:SOLVE Challenge is a fast-paced four-month Design thinking challenge to unlock the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of South Africa to rebuild the country’s COVID-19 hit economy. It has provided local entrepreneurs with the necessary skills and tools to test their ideas in the market. Innovative solutions that were presented covered a number of critical sectors such as transport, hygiene, food security, education, medical care, retail, and micro-enterprises.
The project is funded by the City of Cape Town and run by the Craft and Design Institute (CDI), a non-profit company with 20 years of success in developing creative people and small businesses. Facilitated by digital transformation practice dY/dX, the Challenge’s sponsors also include Uber, Red & Yellow and Smollan, and the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship.
James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management at the City of Cape Town comments on the launch of the programme for its second year running.
“We are proud supporters of the RE:SOLVE initiative as these unprecedented times call for innovative thinking and product creation. As a City, our primary focus is on recovery through innovation and the support of fresh ideas from our ecosystems. These innovations will ultimately lead to the stabilisation of the economy and job creation. We call on individuals, teams and SMEs to participate in this challenge.”
The initiative aims to empower and encourage entrepreneurs and SMEs to create innovative solutions to economic opportunities, quality healthcare, food security, and water and sanitation.
The programme
Applications will undergo rigorous analyses and selected participants will be shortlisted to take part in the eight-month programme. Upon completion of the programme, the most viable business solutions will be given the opportunity to prototype their concept and win a share of R100 000 in grant funding.
Erica Elk, Group CEO of the CDI provides insight into what the challenge aims to do.
“We are looking particularly for solutions that can improve the lives of the most vulnerable in our society. It’s a Challenge not just for designers, but for anyone who is passionate about contributing to finding solutions to some of our biggest problems and has ideas for products or services – new or already tried and tested in some way – that they want to get traction with. The RE:SOLVE Challenge is also ideal for those small businesses in the country who have ideas for new products or services that improve equitable access in our society – the Challenge can assist these innovative existing entrepreneurs to shift their concepts to the next level.”
Applications must be completed online and are open from 20 September 2021 and close on 24 October this year.
The programme is funded by the City of Cape Town and managed by the CDI.
