In a collaborative effort, the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa , the Department of Science & Innovation (DSI), and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) joined forces to establish the Irish Tech Challenge South Africa. This initiative aims to foster mutually beneficial partnerships between Irish technology experts and South African entrepreneurs and businesses. Its overarching goal is to support innovation, technology development, and the deployment and commercialization of technology within South Africa
South African tech entrepreneurs have the potential to become pivotal drivers of Innovation around the world. However, those entrepreneurs with products or services ready to scale globally often encounter obstacles such as limited resources, high technology costs, and restricted access to networks.
The Irish Tech Challenge South Africa, high-growth tech entrepreneurs are provided with a unique opportunity to leverage the advantages of collaborating with relevant players in the Irish ecosystem. Ireland's increasing prominence as a global technological hub opens doors to the European and International markets, offering valuable access and exposure to these entrepreneurs. My role was analysing and selecting startups that had potential to scale, and having meeting/interviews to understand their business in detail.
Five promising startups received startup funding, and were a part of a curated programme with Irish ecosystem partners ShazaCin , Iraka Biotech , Memeza Shout, CreditAIs and Ambani Africa.