PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has announced its list of the top 10 companies that stand in line to win its 'Vision to Reality' award for innovative technology-driven business solutions.
According to PWC, eligible private or public companies must either be controlled or headquartered in SA, and their management team must also be based in the country. The award recognises companies that, in the view of a panel of judges, have "best demonstrated the commercialisation of an innovative technology solution".
The companies should also provide solutions in any sub-sector from clean technology, digital media, emerging technologies, gaming, hardware or semi-conductors, mobile, social media, software, technology-enabled platforms, and telecommunications or wireless technologies.
The top 10 finalists are:
ArcAqua
The company designs sanitising solutions that harness the oxidising properties of ozone (O3) and uses what it notes is a patented method for cleaning. Its system converts cold water from an ordinary tap into a sanitising agent that kills 99.9% of all known bacteria, according to the company. "We intend to meet the growing global demand for green tech solutions by delivering an effective, affordable and chemical-free sanitisation alternative," says ArcAqua.
Energy Partners
By providing energy optimisation solutions, Energy Partners aims to position itself as a leader in bringing companies more efficient means of using power more efficiently. The company notes its end-to-end solutions integrate different elements of energy management, including maintenance, strategy, intelligence, projects that include photovoltaic technology use, funding and implementation.
Entersekt
According to Entersekt, the company provides consumer authentication systems for online banking, mobile banking and "card-not-present authentication" to counter credit and debit card fraud. It aims to "restore the bond of trust banks and other enterprises share with their customers" and its patented technology picks up "where password-based approaches have failed".
Euphoria Telecom
Euphoria positions itself as a proprietary voice over IP, cloud-based telephone and private branch exchange service provider. The company says its solution is a "comprehensive, customer-centric" business telephone service that taps into cloud infrastructure to drive its offering.
GoMetro
GoMetro uses its Web site and mobile applications to provide commuters with information about Metrorail train times. Users in Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal can access information that the company sources from Metrorail's control centre to plan their trips and get notified of any delays.
IT Schools Innovation
This company focuses on driving increased integration of e-learning into South African schools by providing ICT training and support to private and public schools across the country, with solutions including mobile applications and supporting WiFi infrastructure to manage content pushed from teachers to learners. Its current reach impacts 14 000 learners across the country and the company recently told ITWeb this figure could grow to 100 000 next year as it negotiates with more schools.
Mellowcabs
Mellowcabs aims to counter traffic congestion, poor public transport integration, and carbon emission challenges by offering commuters its electric micro-cabs to provide first and last mile, public transport in urban areas. According to the company, it relies on technologies such as regenerative braking, hydrogen fuel cells, illuminated body panels and human-powered charging.
RedButton Mobile
RedButton is a wireless Internet service provider, consisting of free and prepaid network services. Among its solutions are voucher options offered to clients, while it looks to add resellers to promote its vouchers in its prepaid hotspots. The company can set up hotspots for various clients across a range of different venues and has support solutions for the maintenance of the networks.
Triggerfish Animation Studios
The Cape Town based media and entertainment company was founded in 1996 as a stop-frame animation studio and has since grown from producing South African commercials to working on local and international television series. "Triggerfish was commissioned to produce animation for the US Sesame Street and over the next six years we completed animation for three seasons of the local show, and four seasons of the US show," the company says.
wiGroup
Tapping into the growing mobile payment space, wiGroup enables transactions between consumers and businesses using cellphones. The company enables point-of-sale transactions through either mobile banking or its wallet app, while some of its solutions include mobile rewards, money transfers and coupons or vouchers.
Share