Local rideshare startup wins Harvard Innovation Challenge – Techzim

So if you have been around Techzim for some time you will be aware of the Bulawayo-based rideshare startup Tuverl. Back in 2019, the startup won the World Bank Youth Summit which had a particular focus on smart city solutions. To add to its successes the startup has now won US$25 000 from the Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge run by Harvard’s Innovation Labs.

The challenge is a competition that was designed to bring the Harvard community together to work on solutions to the world’s future pressing problems. The total pot (which was funded by the Bertarelli Foundation) was US$510 000.

25 start-ups founded by Harvard University students and alumni competed in the President’s Innovation Challenge finals. There were 5 tracks that included Social Impact, Health and Life Sciences, Open track for ideas that transcend categories, Launch Lab X GEO for eligible alumni-led ventures and the Life Lab track for high-potential biotech and life sciences ventures currently in residence at the Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab.

Each track had five teams, and two teams from each track won the 1st prize and the 2nd runner-up prize. A total of US$10 000 was part of the ingenuity awards. Three teams were awarded the ingenuity awards for early-stage ventures with the potential to be world-changing.

Tuverl was selected among the winners because the startup is looking for making transportation, cheaper, easier, more reliable and accessible to commuters across Africa. The Tuverl team aims to do this by helping operators reduce inefficiencies, for example, optimising routes that result in less which will in turn help with profits.

The rideshare startup incorporates cloud computing, data analytics, geolocation and fintech to improve and optimise public transport and payment options for African commuters.

A hearty congratulations to the Tuverl team and we wish them all the very best in their future endeavours. You can check out Tuverl’s app with the link here.