Fundamo cleans up at First Tuesday Awards

Fundamo, an m-commerce pioneer, swept up First Tuesday awards in three categories last night. In true start-up fashion, Cape-based Fundamo representatives were unable to attend the function due to what their public relations agency attributed to tight work schedules.

The company scooped awards in the Bleeding Edge and Rookie of the Year categories, as well as the overall Grand Prix award.

[VIDEO]It`s been a wild ride, says First Tuesday president Mike Wright, and has been since the start of the idea to present awards in the South African Internet industry.

Held at the Wanderer`s Country Club in Illovo last night, the First Tuesday Awards, in conjunction with Cisco Systems, honoured 14 companies judged to embody excellence in business potential and execution.

[VIDEO]Jonas Bogoshi, small and medium enterprise (SME) area sales manager for Cisco Systems SA, said he was proud and honoured to be associated with the event, especially because of the way in which the Internet is fundamentally changing the way in which people live, work, play and learn.

``We had a feeling that the Internet business in SA is more advanced than people believed. I must say that we were pleasantly surprised to find that even our wildest dreams and estimations were far behind what is happening today in SA.``

[VIDEO]Bogoshi quipped that industry involvement in voting was amazing. "Some people voted more than once, some voted for themselves, some voted more than once for themselves... but at the end of the day, it was an excellent process."

The Cisco SME e-commerce awards went to Digital Planet (www.digitalplanet.co.za) in the E-tailer category, while the ever-controversial student Web site Get A Life (www.gal.co.za) won in the Innovation category. Netflorist (www.netflorist.co.za), a virtual grandfather of South African e-commerce, walked away with the Ecosystem award.

In the Yellow awards section, the Underwire award for the company that has made the most significant difference in overcoming infrastructural and other obstacles to ensure the successful growth of Internet-related businesses, went to commerce service provider ECnet (www.ecnet.co.za).

[VIDEO]The Soapbox award, for the individual or organisation that has contributed to supporting and promoting the fledgling South African Internet industry, went to online IT news provider, ITWeb.

[VIDEO]The awards in the Red First Tuesday sections went to venture capital and incubator companies.

The Gold Card award to the angel investor or venture capital company that has most successfully identified and funded Internet and e-commerce related initiatives, either at seed capital or second round financing stage, went to Archway Venture Partners (www.archway.co.za).

[VIDEO]The Big Brother award, to the incubator which has most successfully incubated and launched a new Internet or e-business related company in the past year, went to CITI, the Cape IT Initiative (www.citi.co.za).

[VIDEO]The Eureka award, given to a fledgling initiative still at seed capital stage, went to the African Art Gallery (theafricanartgallery.com), while the Right Stuff award to an entrepreneur (or an entrepreneurial founding team) that has successfully developed and launched either a new Internet-related business, or an Internet channel initiative from within an existing company, was presented to Streetcar.com.

The award presented to the old economy company that has successfully launched an Internet initiative aimed at either taking advantage of the Internet as a channel or leveraging Internet technology in a unique or innovative way - the Bricks and Clicks award - went to InTheBag (www.inthebag.co.za).

The Out of Africa award to the company which has used the Internet either to successfully expand its products and/or services beyond South African geographical boundaries, or which has successfully launched and sold its Internet products and services internationally, went to Aqua Online (www.aquaonline.co.za).

Fundamo will be entered into the international First Tuesday Internet Excellence awards to compete against Grand Prix winners from the rest of the world.