Recently, the Ministry of ICT started the legwork for identifying local innovators and startups that will benefit from Zimbabwe’s National Innovation Fund.
This fund is an initiative spearheaded by the Ministry of ICT which, with the help of the telecoms regulator POTRAZ, is collecting up to $25 million from the country’s mobile network operators to use as a resource pool for young ICT innovators and entrepreneurs.
An ICT Innovation Showcase, hosted by the Minister of ICT, Supa Mandiwanzira, was held in the city of Bulawayo on the 14th of September 2016.
Targeting innovators from Bulawayo, Matabeleland (North and South), Midlands and Masvingo provinces it managed to attract a lot of tech talent that included some budding entrepreneurs from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST).
Plans are already in place for the next showcase which is set to be held on the 28th of September 2016 at Rainbow Towers in Harare.
Innovators and startups from Harare, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West and Manicaland keen on securing investment through the fund have been invited to showcase their work at the event which starts at 3pm.
Are you interested in showcasing your startup or innovation?You can get a hold of POTRAZ via phone call or WhatsApp on 0716 999 999 and 0773 789 595 or via email at innovation@potraz.gov.zw
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5 comments
This is good, hope techzim u will also submit a proposal, there is a lot of expansion of your services, it also seems like its all hush hush & too little time to prepare for startups
they should have at least set up a website which clearly outlines how to enter, selection criteria e.t.c the money at stake is a lot so one would think that they would be transparent about the whole process and give people time to develop their pitches or business plans or whatever one is supposed to present
You can only select and support what is good if you have the knowledge to get to that decision, otherwise nepotism and favour will take over.
Who is selecting what is good and what knowledge and/or experience do they have in that field? What criteria are they using to choose best candidates.
Techzim or Nigel you are just chunning out the obvious, it will would have been nice to probe more not-so-obvious infor from this.
Otherwise its another voting jimick by Potraz knowing who they want to make happy.
In short lm saying blind leading the blind is a recipe for disaster, nothing will come out this besides hotels getting paid handsomely
Yes the fund looks rigged, but i think its worth the try
you can now register online for the tech fund pitch http://www.potraz.gov.zw/index.php/component/eventbooking/potraz-workshops/8-zimbabwe-ict-innovators-showcase