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Multifractal Semiconductors wins start-up challenge

Sibahle Malinga
By Sibahle Malinga, ITWeb senior news journalist.
Johannesburg, 19 Jul 2017
Multifractal Semiconductors develops complete transmission systems on a silicon chip.
Multifractal Semiconductors develops complete transmission systems on a silicon chip.

Silicon intellectual property start-up Multifractal Semiconductors has won the 2017 Start Up Tel Aviv SA challenge.

Now in its fourth year, the Start-up Tel Aviv SA innovation contest gives new South African start-ups the opportunity to visit Israel to help grow their idea. The competition is hosted by the Embassy of Israel in cooperation with Microsoft SA and EL AL Airlines, Israel's national airline.

As overall winners, the co-founders of Multifractal Semiconductors, Nishant Singh and Piotr Osuch, walked away with an all-expenses paid trip to Israel to participate in the Tel Aviv DLD festival, meet angel investors and learn from leaders in the start-up ecosystem in Israel.

Ambassador Arthur Lenk announced the winners at the event which took place at the Innovation Hub in Pretoria. "This is the fourth time we found SA's best start-up via our Start Up Tel Aviv SA contest. Israel is proud to add value to the local start-up ecosystem and share some of Israel's start-up nation culture."

Multifractal Semiconductors was created by the co-founders in a research group at the Carl and Emily Fuchs Institute of Microelectronics at the University of Pretoria. The start-up develops complete transmission systems on a silicon chip. These systems will increase efficiency and throughput and will be an enabler of the huge amounts of data that will be transmitted in the future.

"We are so excited to be announced winners, it's really unreal," says Singh.

"We have been working on this venture since 2014 and have only reached a stage early this year where our prototypes are working and we are ready for investment. Winning this prize has brought a renewed sense of confidence in the whole team. Recognition is definitely the positive feedback entrepreneurs need to keep on innovating," notes Singh.

In an Internet of things, smart world where everything is connected ? smart cities, smart buildings, smart cars ? the amounts of data transmitted will be huge, he explains.

Osuch points out: "We are in the process of forming global partnerships and sourcing investment. Local investors have already committed 50% of the investment we need and we are searching for the other half overseas such as Israel and US. In the short-term, we want our technology to enable future millimeter wave systems such as 5G telecommunications and automotive radar. In the long-term, we would like to establish ourselves as a research institute that develops future technologies and human capital."

The runner-up was drone intelligence and aerial imaging company Aerobotics and in third place was healthcare start-up Nibit.

Past winners of the challenge include WhereIsMyTransport, which has gone on to win two international awards and has opened a second office in London; Webfluential, which has expanded its footprint into the UK, Europe, Middle East and South America; and My30DayHealthCare, which merged in October 2016 and is now known as Health Cloud and has made significant progress in the South African market.

The competition received a record number of 170 candidates competing in this year's theme of "innovating to make the world a better place".

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