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City of Joburg seeks entrepreneurs

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 27 Jan 2015
R5 million is available to support successful start-ups that present the best ideas for #Hack.Jozi.
R5 million is available to support successful start-ups that present the best ideas for #Hack.Jozi.

The City of Joburg (COJ) is looking for innovative, entrepreneurial and tech-savvy businesspeople, with ideas for digital products that will help their communities, to join its #Hack.Jozi Challenge.

The COJ has made R5 million available for #Hack.Jozi and this will be used to support successful start-ups that present the best ideas. #Hack.Jozi is a boot camp for start-up entrepreneurs who have created a digital product or have an idea for a digital product, which will help solve common problems in their communities, says the city.

City of Joburg executive mayor Parks Tau today opened the #Hack.Jozi calls for proposals process. "#Hack.Jozi is for those people who want to make a difference in their respective communities by developing digital solutions to everyday problems," Tau explains.

"Those who are chosen by our panel of experts will have access to a portion of the R5 million, which has been set aside to support digital start-up enterprises in the city."

Applicants are required to create a video that explains their product and idea. This clip must then be loaded onto YouTube. An applicant must visit www.hackjozichallenge.co.za to upload their video details and fill-out an entry form on the Web site.

Interested entrepreneurs have until 15 February to enter.

The COJ says the call for proposals will be followed by a strict pre-screening by a technical team of experts. The final decision-making committee will, thereafter, select the awardees.

"The awardees will be brought to Jozi's digital hub in the heart of Braamfontein where they will have access to various resources, mentors, advisors, as well as Johannesburg partners to help make their vision of helping their respective communities a reality.

"This will be followed by a month-long process of intensive business training, technical hackathons and a demo day where the winners will be required to demonstrate their business value proposition.

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