DEMO Africa has named the finalists for its 7th edition of the DEMO Africa fair. The platform, which serves as a cradle for innovative Africa-based technologies, picked 30 startups to feature in the 2018 edition of the yearly conference after a series of talent scouting and Africa-wide campaigns.
The finals will be held in Morocco’s Casablanca and will feature startups that have demonstrated key abilities in creating innovative solutions for African problems by taking advantage of technology gains for far-reaching social impacts.
Kenya will be represented by 3 startups:
Cloud9XP that offers a web-based and mobile platform where people can get deals for leisure experiences, among other exposure activities. The startup, which is available at Cloud9xp.com has options for users to manage bookings on travel categories (birthday celebration, camping, biking, horse riding and rock climbing, to mention a few) and styles.
Secondly is Sote, a software platform that aims to bring B2B transport sector into the modern era of information logistics by integrating seamless and instant coordination.
Thirdly and lastly is Zipora, ‘the world’s first smart zipper that is also breach-proof.’ In essence, the startup has created a system that enables luggage to communicate with the owner about how it is being handled or is being tampered with. According to Zipora, the implementation is in real-time.
The host nation will be represented by 4 startups, as well as a couple of groups from Tunisia and South Africa. Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Alegria and Botswana will also take part in the fair.
The finals will be a two-day affair (October 18 to 19). The groups will also participate in a 6-week venture creation Bootcamp before the main event. Five startups will also be selected from the pitches to take part in the 2019 instalment of Lions@frica Innovation Tour in U.S.’s Silicon Valley.