Three African entrepreneurs have emerged as winners in the GIST Tech-I Pitch Competition. The companies are Strauss Energy (Kenya), ResSpot (Nigeria), and Koshk Comics (Egypt).
The GIST Tech-I Pitch Competition Finals took place on Thursday, June 23, and Friday, June 24, 2016, during the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) held at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Twenty-nine science and technology entrepreneurs representing 23 countries and territories competed for a chance to win US$ 70,000 in cash and additional prizes.
Here are the winning companies and the entrepreneurs.
Winner of $2,000 USD: Charity Wanjiku, Strauss Energy, Kenya
Strauss Energy produces a two-in-one solar cell roofing tile that reduces installation costs and allows owners to earn passive income by selling excess energy to the grid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inTwda0pHN4
Honorable Mention
Winning $2,000 USD: Nnenna Okoye, ResSpot, Nigeria
ResSpot is a mobile app and wearable device that employs GPS, private security partners, and crowdsourcing to send immediate emergency assistance and alerts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=528xVSZd8gM
Spirit of GIST Tech-I
Winning $1,500 USD: Amr Hussein, Koshk Comics, Egypt
Koshk Comics offers a website for comic artists to collaborate and self-publish, and an app for consumers to find and enjoy visual stories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVXNO62cV_s
The GIST Tech-I Pitch Competition seeks to empower young innovators through networking, skills building, mentoring, and access to financing to develop startup solutions that address their economic and development challenges. Tech-I Pitch Competition finalists are divided into two groups: those with ventures in the idea stage and those in the startup stage. Finalists attended two days of intensive preparation in advance of the GES on how to grow their business and perfect their pitch, led by the U.S. Department of State’s implementing partner, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, with training provided by DoubleNova.
Participants in the Tech-I Pitch Competition Finals were chosen from over 1,000 applications submitted by science and technology entrepreneurs in 135 emerging economies. This is the sixth Tech-I Pitch Competition that has been hosted at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit and this year’s award ceremony was hosted by Dan Price, CEO of Gravity Payments.
