In a display of entrepreneurship, innovation and community impact, the North-West University (NWU) Business School magnificently hosted the final pitching event for its InnovateHER community project on Saturday, 9 November in a quest to empower young women.
Five sets of finalists took centre stage at SuperSport Park in Centurion to battle it out to be announced winner of this year’s pitching competition. InnovateHER is an online programme that trains young women between the ages of 15 and 25 to identify and solve problems.
The young finalists took on a stressful challenge to develop a mobile application that can address the problems they had identified in their communities.
For eight weeks, the finalists went through a process of design thinking, assessing whether the identified problem was an actual problem, and understanding the problem accurately. Prior to the final pitching event, the finalists focused on learning how to develop their ideas into profitable ventures.
Gaoretelelwe Motukisi and her team presented Mr.Hub, an application that provides a safe space for mental wellness and offers real-time support, guided exercises and resources to help young people manage health challenges effectively.
Sisters Mieke and Lua Schutte presented UniBooks, an innovative marketplace for university students to buy, sell or swap textbooks – promoting affordability and sustainability.
Neo Mahlasela’s EduVenture is a mobile application that provides affordable, easy-to-access educational resources tailored to South African students. It features organised content, a search tool for international standard book numbers (ISBNs) and intuitive navigation.
Kiya Singh and Wardah Khan developed a learning platform called Study-buddy, which aims to bridge the educational gaps in under-resourced areas. The application contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal Number 4: Quality Education, and it connects learners for tutoring, resource sharing and collaborative study sessions.
Elif Bahar Karatas presented her Hunger-Elimination Software (HES). This is a user-friendly platform designed to redistribute surplus food from restaurants to communities in need, aiming to reduce food waste and fight hunger effectively.
The victor
The judges of the competition, Bianca Joseph, Quinton Williams and Isabel Strauss, selected the winner based on their market potential, impact and feasibility.
Kiya and Wardah emerged triumphant with their novel Study-buddy concept, which the judges dubbed “the LinkedIn for high schools.”
Quinton Williams commented on the challenge of selecting the winner, stating that the presentations addressed a wide range of issues.
“From hunger to education to many other things from the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. That made it difficult, because how do you judge between the different aspects of market products and customers. All the teams did a great job presenting their ideas and clearly articulating their identified problems, the design thinking and understanding their audience.”
Hannes Malan, commercialisation manager at the NWU, offered the closing remarks and emphasised the importance of young women being given opportunities. He concluded by thanking everyone who had helped make the occasion a success.
The Winners, Kiya Singh and Wardah Khan together with Prof Leenta Grobler, associate professor at the NWU Business School.
