Three University of Cape Town students took second place in the British American Tobacco (BAT)'s Battle of the Minds competition with a role-playing game that helps you learn Python coding.
The Battle of Minds contest calls on students to create a business idea, research the market, develop a product and pitch how successful it would be. The prize is a paid internship at BAT in London.
UCT business science students Asante Nxumalo, Bulumko Napakade and Keeno Koopman presented the idea of an educational app called Disruption at the finals in London on 14 June.
The user plays the Disruption game as a first-year student in a world where artificial intelligence, fintech and crypto-currency are a part of everyday life, says BAT. The player must tackle the issues these technologies bring with nothing but a rooted smartphone, it says.
"Disruption is an innovative way to teach students Python-based coding, aiming to assist universities and other educational institutions in delivering what is fast becoming a critical skill in modern industries," says the company.
Says Leslie Rance, area head of human resources for BAT South Africa: "We are exceptionally proud of this team's phenomenal success. Their strong teamwork, compelling business plan and great attitude showed off their personal skills and what South African talent has to offer the world.
These are not only possible future leaders of our business, but of the country as well and we look forward to them being interns at our company."
The Battle of the Minds drew submissions from 3 500 students in over 40 countries.
"Students needed to form a cohesive team, leveraging their different strengths, to create an original business proposal focused on being competitive in saturated or emerging markets and revolutionising customers' experiences, which is synonymous with our company and transforming our industry," says Rance.
"The real test for the finalists was in convincing BAT's judging panel of the potential success of their idea. We were inundated with entries and what set the finalists apart was their ability to show their expertise in collaboration and their determination to win."
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