7 startups unveiled for 2024 Irish Tech Challenge

Seven tech startups for the Irish Tech Challenge South Africa 2024 have been announced by the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa. Now, in its third successive year, the challenge aims to forge mutually beneficial partnerships between South African entrepreneurs and Irish technology experts, leveraging Ireland’s global tech hub status.

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This year’s challenge saw more than 350 entries from South African-owned, growth-stage tech startups focused on fulfilling the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The seven selected startups will undergo an intensive pre-acceleration programme with workshops, masterclasses, and mentorship sessions in South Africa.

These will conclude with a showcase at the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct at the end of August. Thereafter, they will head to Ireland in September 2024 for an acceleration programme with Dogpatch Labs, a 500-member strong start-up and innovation hub located in Dublin.

The selected innovators are:

Charnté Marthinus - Smartview Technology

SmartView Technology provides enterprise-grade utility management solutions.

Ahren Posthumus - Momint

Momint uses blockchain technology to ensure that capital is invested in renewable energy projects in a fast and safe way.

Priaash Ramadeen - The Awareness Company

The Awareness Company is a situational awareness company that uses data to help organisations achieve operational efficiency and sustainability through their software product called Hydra.

Jabulani Nyembe - Athena

Athena enables affordable access to healthcare services through a platform that allows patients to pay their medical treatment costs in monthly instalments.

Michelle Geere - AdBot

Adbot provides online advertising solutions for small business owners by handling all their digital marketing needs through its AdBot.

Prudence Simelane - Samanjalo

Samanjalo is a fly ash beneficiation business that uses geo-polymer technology to turn coal waste (fly ash) into green products used in construction and infrastructure environments such as green cement, bricks, pavers and barricades.

Kgololo Lekoma - Credipple

Credipple is a talent marketplace for trusted creative and digital professionals.

The Irish Tech Challenge will award the seven selected entrepreneurs:

Up to €10,000 (R202k) each in funding.
A funded trip to Ireland where they will be part of a curated business networking programme with access to the country’s top business leaders.
Access to the Irish tech ecosystem with potential opportunities for further funding.
Acceleration Support to position their global scaling strategy in collaboration with Dogpatch Labs.