In July, Safaricom announced the 3rd edition of the Safaricom AppWiz Challenge. The AppWiz challenge is an innovation call to partner with developers come up with products that could plug in to Safaricom network and add value to consumers. For this years edition, Safaricom announced four categories which include Customer engagement solutions, Safaricom product excellence solutions, Mobile convenience and Out of the box solutions, where the top three innovative ideas will be selected.
Safaricoim announced the winners of this year’s edition with Lynk, a marketplace for blue-collar jobs winning the top prize. Lynk bridges the gap between informal sector workers and people in need of on demand services ranging from plumbing and electrical work to gardening, painting and car repair. Lynk took home the prize of Kshs. 1.5 Million.
The 1st runners-up position was taken by Hisa Play, a solution that simulates trading in the stock exchange and equips users with the skills to invest by using system-generated virtual currency to mimic the workings of the Nairobi Securities Exchange. Hisa Play bagged Kshs. 1 Million. Mkulima App took 3rd place bagging Kshs. 500,000. Mkulima App helps farmers reduce wastage of harvest and track their income.
This year’s edition of the Safaricom Appwiz Challenge attracted over 320 applications. 13 of these were chosen as finalists and were incubated at Strathmore University’s M-lab. At the incubation, they accessed resources such as mentorship, developer training and access to marketing tools. Winners of this year’s Safaricom Appwiz Challenge will have the funds disbursed upon milestone agreements with their mentors and coaches.
