Rural communities, disabled people and the environment were among the priorities of a group of future entrepreneurs, who on Wednesday stepped forward to sell their ideas and vie for a chance at business support and funding.
The series of presentations by 19 people at the Propella business incubator formed part of the BCX national innovation programme, aimed at developing viable ideas into fullyfledged products and services.
From this stage, the group will be reduced, with some entrepreneurs progressing to the second stage of the programme and developing a prototype of their product.
Among the ideas shared was a smartphone application designed to translate sign language into voice clips or text, and vice versa.
iTalk software developer Ayabonga Maqashu said this technology could potentially bridge the communication gap for people who are hard of hearing and bring them closer to accessing job opportunities.
Maqashu, who created the platform along with Khayalethu Zengetwa, said: “More than 500,000 people in South Africa are deaf, and 70% of them are unemployed.“Our solution is a mobile app, which will work with the camera of a mobile device to recognise the hand [movements], and use voice recognition and [translate it to] visuals.
“Our research shows that 80% of deaf people in South Africa struggle to read or write in our languages.
“With this app, people who are deaf will find themselves with a voice.” Meanwhile, Kieron Paoli, of The Ubuntu Net, had his sights set on reducing unemployment through his app, which offers shortterm job opportunities to job seekers.
“It can be basic things like painting a room or doing groceries,” Paoli said, referring to the model of the American service Thumbtack.
“We wanted to create a digital bridge to the labour market – particularly for unskilled and semi-skilled jobs.”
The app would focus primarily on jobs in eight sectors – including agriculture, manufacturing, construction and hospitality.
Siphosethu Halana, of Twinstars Techno Solutions, also aimed to bring opportunities – through setting up subsidised internet cafes in rural communities.
Halana, who grew up in Peddie, said the centres would ideally offer internet access and training in computer skills.
“In rural areas, the lack of resources restricts residents.
“When I finished my diploma, I had to apply for an internship – but I was at home and had to travel [far] to upload a document and send an e-mail,” she said.
Marcel de Klerk, of Savvy Shopper, said his business idea – a paperless receipt system for retailers – was aimed at protecting the environment.
Through the system he proposes, receipts from purchases could be uploaded to a digital database rather than printed and given to consumers.
The information would also be accessible to consumers through a card, which could in turn be used to access various retailers’ rewards programmes from one card, he said.
Mmathebe Zvobwo, BCX executive for enterprise and supplier development, who was on the judging panel, said she was excited by the quality of the ideas presented.
“People say we should be afraid of Industry 4.0, but the more I do this, the more I realise we are ready for it.
“Some of the ideas we’ve heard are quick wins, and others [have the potential to be] life-changing solutions.
“We are allowing entrepreneurs to flourish.”