At least nine African tech startups are among the 33 tech entrepreneurs selected to join the 2018 MIT Solver class from a pool of 1,150 applicants from 110 countries.
The 33 Solver teams were announced at the September 23 Solve Challenge Finals; the live pitch event to kick off the UN General Assembly week in New York city.
Solve is an initiative by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that advances lasting solutions from tech entrepreneurs, to address the world’s most pressing problems.
The new class comes from 15 countries and over the next year will work with MIT’s Solve initiative on their solutions.
The new Solver class will also receive $1 million in prize funding, with a total of over $3.5 million in funding available for current and new Solver teams.
Below are the 33 new Solver teams across the 4 global challenges.
1. Work for the Future
• Kenyan social enterprise startup Lynk
• AI-enabled jobs marketplace Apli
• Ethical sourcing platform Plastics For Change
• AI-powered platform Refactored.ai
• VR training application VirtualGrasp
• Onshore software and data quality assurance startup ULTRA
• Gamified training platform Shimmy Upskill
• Contratados.org
2. Frontlines of Health
• Nigerian healthtech LifeBank
• Kenyan mobile platform for chronic disease management Akiba ya Roho
• Rwandan low-cost, quality-driven digital health record E-Heza Digital Health Record
• Ugandan wearable, body monitoring device Neopenda
• AI-powered medical reasoning engine Ada4CHW
• Sexual violence forensic evidence capture platform MediCapt
• Blockchain-powered platform Refugee Health Workforce Answer To Global Skill Shortage
• Sexual health digital resource Sexperto.co
3. Coastal Communities
• Nigerian 24/7, solar powered refrigeration ColdHubs
• Benin’s Green Keeper Africa which harvests an invasive weed and turns it into an oil spill absorbing fiber.
• Monitoring systems Green Stream Technologies
• GROW Oyster Reefs! which provides a healthy habitat for oysters to grow using concrete structures
• Highland Rice Farming which attaches rice seeds to a biodegradable film that allows rice to be grown without flooding fields
• Local climate change documenters ISeeChange
• Autonomous underwater drones that monitor and maintain sea urchin balance in kelp forest ecosystems Marauder Robotics
• Maritime Blockchain Labs provides traceable information on fuel sources and additives
• Desalination system Wave2O
4. Teachers and Educators
• Kenyan ed-tech platform Eneza
• Kenya-based learning accelerator Moringa School
• Ghanaian Practical Education Network
• CENTURY Tech, the first educational platform to combine artificial intelligence, pedagogical insights, and cognitive neuroscience research
• Research-based instructional tool Education Modified
• Livox, a software for Android tablets that helps people with disabilities to communicate and learn
• StoryWeaver which provides access to multilingual books and digital tools
• Multilingual family engagement and communication platform TalkingPoints
By: ClaraDoku/techvoiceafrica.com
