Innovation awards spark creative solutions
FROM a water-monitoring device to an inspirational calendar and an app to schedule doctor appointments, readers have come up with creative solutions for the Cape Times Innovation Awards.
The award is presented in partnership with Grant Thornton, Standard Bank’s Incubator programme and Charles Maisel from Be!Bold.
The grand prize is a business plan from Grant Thornton valued at R75 000, R10 000 cash and a two-hour mentoring session with award-winning entrepreneur Maisel.
Finalists Patricia Demas, Crystal van Der Pohll, Derrik Levy, Makabongwe Metuso, Saneeya Adams, Patrick Rukondo, Amina Loonat, Dilshaad Dalvie, Micheal Schuchardt and Linda Landry presented their ideas yesterday.
The judges are Cape Times Live editor Liesl van Der Schyff, Independent Media Marketing and Communication group executive and competition judge Lutfia Vayej, Be!Bold founder Maisel and Head of Finance at Grant Thornton Chris Staines.
Vayej said: “The quality of the entries has been absolutely phenomenal. I think it is fantastic because it is also a reflection of the diverse readership of the Cape Times.”
Nine-year-old Amina Loonat came up with an idea to make playgrounds safer through the use of grips, gloves and soft materials to minimise the chance of a child getting injured. Should Amina win, she would help her school Sunlands Primary build a resource centre.
Van Der Pohll pitched her idea of a 360 degree wallpaper of Cape Town landscapes, which could be put up in hotels, guest houses and homes and businesses.
“It will create awareness of the natural beauty we are surrounded with. If these wallpaper artworks are displayed in tourist accommodations, it will trigger a domino effect of the person wanting to visit the place. It creates an awarenes.”
Schuchardt developed a website, gmeld.com, to translate employee contracts into any given language.
“Gmeld is an automated contract system, which can translate a contract into any South African language.
“It caps the bridge between employer and employee.”
The winner will be announced next week.