• Last week the winners of the 13th Gauteng Accelerator Programme (GAP) Innovation Competition were announced.
• Winners were selected in categories such as Township Economy Revitalisation (TER), Green Economy, and Biosciences.
• This year’s winners walked away with prizes with a combined value of R2.3 million.

Last week Friday in Pretoria, the winners of the 13th annual Gauteng Accelerator Programme (GAP) Innovation Competition were announced. The GAP Innovation Competition was facilitated this year in partnership with Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and the Emory University Guizzeta Business School in Atlanta, Georgia.

The theme for this year’s Competition was Solving Societal Challenges Through Technology Innovation, which aimed to highlight innovative South African entrepreneurs who are working to address critical issues that face the nation.

“The GAP Innovation Competition aims to support and celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit and technological innovation in South Africa. Candidates from five sectors of the economy – Biosciences, Medical, Green Economy, ICT, and Township Economy Revitalisation (TER) showcased their remarkable innovations,” explained The Innovation Hub in a release shared with Hypertext.

“Our country is renowned for its strong economy, and our researchers and innovative entrepreneurs have consistently proven themselves as beacons of innovation,” added Mothibedi Matshele, interim CEO of The Innovation Hub Management Company.

This year’s winners walked away with prizes to the combined tune of R2.3 million.

The winners were selected for their contributions to their respective fields, with the awards ceremony at The Innovation Hub featuring a diverse range of innovators. Added to this was seed funding and access to The Innovation Hub’s incubation programmes to assist with further development and scaling of their innovations.

The winners for this year’s GAP Innovation Competition were:

Township Economy Revitalisation (TER) Category Winners:

• 1st Prize – Tlhologello Sesana – Nexus (pictured in header image),
• 2nd Prize – Isabella Twala – Elisheva Trading,
• 3rd Prize – Oratile Seabela – MALLI Fintech.

ICT Category Winners:

• 1st Place – Thokozani Zama Ngcamu – Mkazi Concepts (Pty) Ltd,
• 2nd Place – Thabo Moshoane – Korri Fintech PTY LTD,
• 3rd Place – Thokozani Kubheka – uLink26,
• Special Recognition – Tieho Tsiane – Oplene Group.

Green Economy Category Winners:

• 1st Place – Tshepo Atoh Mothibe – Green Movement Energy,
• 2nd Place: Mokete Ratlabala – Learn Base Pty Ltd,
• 3rd Place: Ismail Lavangee – Drobotics Systems,
• Special Recognition: Linah Maphanga – GrooveTech.

Medical Category Winners:

• 1st Prize – Prof Busisiwe Alant – BATM Tradmeds,
• 2nd Prize – Mr Lehlomela Motha & Mr Thabo Moshoane – Health Guider,
• 3rd Prize – Ms Mahlogonolo Mphahlele & Ms Masego Mphahlele – Twin X Innovation.

Biosciences Category Winners:

• 1st Prize: Prof Eduard Venter – University of Johannesburg,
• 2nd Prize: Mr Lesedi Moseki – iGrovest Group,
• 3rd Prize: Prof Francis Shode – Sholab Nutraceuticals.

[Image – Provided]