Digital innovation start-ups win support packages worth € 15,000 from Innovation Factory

Twelve digital innovation start-ups from Indonesia, Mexico, Senegal, Ghana and Ethiopia are selected to win tailored support packages worth up to € 15,000 under the GIZ Innovation Factory’s Digital Innovation Accelerator Programme. 

From digital platforms that empower smallholder farmers with precision farming to ‘low-tech’ platforms providing access to education for marginalised students, the twelve winning teams are living examples of how digital technology is helping communities leapfrog to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They are:

Aglonera, Indonesia – a digital platform for small food vendors to buy groceries in bulk directly from local food producers;

AYURE, Mexico – a technological connection platform that helps recyclers coordinate with ecological collectors and recycling centres;

Bithio Learning, Ethiopia – a digital learning space for students and educational institutions that offers both online and offline materials accessible anytime and anywhere;

eCampus, Ghana – a web platform using artificial intelligence to support students, educators, and schools in coordinating, monitoring and managing students’ education needs;

Ecolana, Mexico – a digital platform that helps consumers with information about waste materials, how to recycle and where to take their recyclables;

E-repetiteur, Senegal – a web and mobile platform to support middle and high school students’ learning by providing them with interactive video lessons, exercises, test examples and more;

FarmWallet, Ghana – helping smallholder farmers across Africa and the Caribbean access financing by providing them with a means of identity through a scannable smart card;

Haleta Tutors, Ethiopia – connecting people looking for tutors with qualified and experienced tutors for academics or language proficiency courses;

MoreTrash, Indonesia – guiding users who want to sort and dispose of trash to the nearest trash collector through a mobile application;

Naa Sika, Ghana – a fintech solution for users from low-income households with an e-wallet and savings accounts;

Natoure, Mexico – a sustainable tourism app that connects travellers with local communities and managers from natural protected areas;

Sipindo, Indonesia – a geodata-based service providing reliable information about farms to farmers, guiding them to implement good and precise agricultural practices.

“We have identified the opportunities of digital innovation especially in the sectors of gender equality, education and climate action. These winning start-ups of the Digital Innovation Accelerator Programme are a vivid example of innovative approaches to some of the most pressing global issues,” says Clemens Kapler, BMZ Division for Digital Technologies in Development Cooperation.

The accelerator teams were evaluated by 17 international experts representing start-up investors and ecosystem supporters from the five target countries.

The Digital Innovation Accelerator

47 digital innovation start-up teams were selected to join the 6-month Digital Innovation Accelerator programme this year. The programme, designed by adelphi, supported them in capacity building; business models and pitch strategy refinement; sustainable development impact optimisation; and investment readiness. This year, the programme supported start-up teams that contribute to the areas of Gender Equality, Environmental Climate Action, and EduTech. 

The Digital Innovation Accelerator, initially an in-person workshop format, was converted and delivered virtually due to lockdowns, curfews, and strict social distancing measures preventing in-person workshops in many countries. For many of the teams, the accelerator was the first time they experienced a hands-on programme conducted virtually.

At the end of the acceleration phase, teams submitted their refined business plans, financial plans and pitch decks to compete for a final prize. Twelve winning teams were selected by the international jury to receive tailored support packages worth up to 15,000 euros each. Additionally, successful teams also profit from becoming part of the innovation factory and GIZ network.

Many of the graduated teams are now seeking investment, funding and targeted mentoring to further scale their ventures.

Visit the start-ups’ profiles on the Innovation Factory website

About Innovation Factory

The Innovation Factory programme is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supported by adelphi.

Contact

For questions about the programme please contact ongadelphi [dot] de (subject: Innovation%20Factory) (Sonya Ong).

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