KIGALI, Rwanda, 25 February 2020 – Today, the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) announces the 25 finalists for its Challenge of Invention to Innovation (Ci2i) competition in five categories to be held on 10-11 March 2020 in the NEF Innovation Salon.
“The third cohort of Ci2i finalists, selected from 260 applications, are ambitious African innovators developing scalable solutions to local challenges in agriculture, integration and logistics, personalized and precision health, power, and energy. They will pitch for a $25,000 prize in each category but also be connected to investors in a one-of-a-kind ‘Sciencepreneur Investor Meetup’, said Nathalie Munyampenda, Managing Director of the Next Einstein Forum.
The 25 finalists selected, with the support of Co-creation Hub, include the creators of an overweight and obesity tracking database, portable solar-powered solution against post-harvest milk losses, ophthalmic devices emerging as the world’s first definitive treatment of glaucoma, an online blood bank connecting hospitals, and two innovations aiming to ease the burden of doing business in Africa: a cryptocurrency and industrial IoT solution.
The finalists will be treated to a lab-style boot camp, held before the NEF Global Gathering 2020 in Nairobi starting on 10th March. The boot camp will involve pitch preparation and investment readiness sessions. At the end of the boot camp, the young Sciencepreneurs will gain knowledge of how to create and deliver value through their solutions as well as understanding funding options & valuations.
“For the last six years, we have been working with young African innovators whose disruptive and transformative innovations in health, agriculture, and fintech are having a wider impact for African citizens. We are once again honored to give these 25 brilliant Sciencepreneurs the NEF platform to catapult from and to connect them with the investors they need, to scale impact,” said Ms. Munyampenda.
Finalists were selected by reviewing the potential for impact, technological readiness and the potential for commercialization. Winners will be announced on 13th March 2020.
Further information can be found here: https://gg2020.nef.org/event-program/
Meet the 25 Ci2i Finalists:
Sadique Temitayo from Nigeria for Ifymoto Processing Industries: An automated aerial surveillance system powered by balloon satellites, for monitoring oil and gas pipeline assets in a bid to curb oil theft and vandalism
Addae Obeng Benjamin from Ghana for Aleph Engineering: Hardware and software solutions for enhancing physiotherapy in children with cerebral palsy
Moussa Thiam from Mali for CABA: A real-time hydroclimatic risk monitoring system used to track and provide flood risk information to low-income communities
Philippa Ngaju Makobore from Uganda for ECGF: An affordable Electronically Controlled Gravity Feed Infusion Set (ECGF) that regulates and delivers intravenous fluids or medication to patients
Abraham Natukunda from Rwanda for eNose: An analytics platform that increases tea processing procedures using low power sensor devices and a data analytics engine
Albert Kure from Nigeria for FrontierSS: Coating+ made from extracts of shrimp waste preserve fresh food and tackles wastage, improving access to nutritious, adequate and safe food.
Nzambi Matee from Kenya for Gjenge: An alternative building manufacturing company that recycles plastic waste
Salma Bouggarani from Morocco Green WATECH: A patented, eco-innovative and efficient Multi-Soil Layering (MSL) system for municipal wastewater treatment
Oghenetega Iortim from Nigeria for GRICD: Rechargeable, trackable, mobile cold boxes that enable businesses to store and transport temperature-sensitive commodities
Chijo Bare from Nigeria for Hydrotriciton: A water-powered, emission-free, generating set that utilizes water as an input fuel and through cost-effective hydrogen gas production
Ifeanyi Christopher Chukwurah from Nigeria for Ifymoto: An insect farming enterprise creating a protein-packed, cheap and high-quality alternative to the unsustainable livestock feed
Melissa Bime from Cameroon for INFIUSS: An online blood bank that connects hospitals with blood banks especially those that lack them
Joshua Fisher from South Africa for LIQID Medical: Innovative and high impact ophthalmic devices that fight global blindness
Percy Lemtukei from Kenya for MaziwaPlus Prechiller: A non-refrigerant mobile solar-powered milk chiller with farmer management and milk collection platform
Nsereko Mike from Uganda for MiMi Money: A peer to peer mobile/blockchain technology that reduces Africa’s high cost of remittances from 14% to 7%, and even further to 2%
Menyo Innocent from Uganda for M-SCAN: A portable affordable power-efficient ultrasound devices that are compatible with laptops, tablets and mobile phones
Yankho Kaimila from Malawi for Nutrition Wellness Center: A center for the prevention and management of overweight and obesity and dietary-related diseases
Abasifreke James from Nigeria for POKET: A startup focused on bringing hundreds of millions of offline merchants/businesses in Africa and other emerging markets online and creating real-time retail data analytics around them through the power of crowd-sourcing.
Okey Esse from Nigeria for Powerstove Offgrid: Affordable smokeless clean cookstove that uses 70% less of biomass and cooks food 5 times quicker, saving households $300 annually
Olubanjo Olugbenga from Nigeria for Reeddi: Sustainably provides clean, reliable and affordable electricity to individuals, households, and businesses operating in energy-poor regions
Fela Akinse from Nigeria for Salubata: Modular and customizable shoes made from recycled plastic
Abdou Maman from Niger for Tele Irrigation: Long-distance mobile, solar and IOT captor water distribution, real-time farm monitoring, and data collection
Achiri Arnold from Cameroon for Traveler Inc: An information system app that detects accidents in real-time and sends a distress signal to ambulances and authorities
Adulai Bary from Guinea Bissau for Ubuntu2S: Intelligent solar home system (SHS) kits and solar kiosks, developed with open solutions and mobile money payments
Kolawole Oluwatomisin from Nigeria for Vinsighte: A digital health venture that aids the visually impaired to live more comfortably and achieve their full potentials
About the Next Einstein Forum
Launched in 2013 by the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), the Next Einstein Forum’s (NEF) work is shaped by our belief that the next Einstein will be African.
The NEF is working to make NEF a global hub for science implementing programs that connect science, society, and policy in Africa and the rest of the world – with the goal to leverage science for human development globally. The NEF believes that Africa’s contributions to the global scientific community are critical for global progress. At the centre of our efforts at NEF is Africa’s young people, the driving force for Africa’s scientific renaissance.
The NEF organizes biennial Global Gatherings, Africa’s largest science and innovation conference. Far from an ordinary science forum, the NEF Global Gatherings position science at the center of global development efforts. In the presence of political and industry leaders, and with a strong focus on youth and women, the voices of global science leaders’ have the opportunity to be heard and to have a major impact on Africa’s scientific future. The 3rd NEF Global Gathering will be held on 10-13 March 2020 in Nairobi, Kenya.
In addition, the NEF organizes an Africa Science Week in over 30 countries each year. The last edition was held in 35 countries from September to December 2019. To make science relevant for everyone, the NEF publishes a public magazine Scientific African Magazine.
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