SA Innovation Summit gears up for start-up action | ITWeb
The legal aspect of the metaverse, non-fungible token (NFT) auctions and the latest on the Start-up Act are among the topics that will take centre stage at the 15th annual SA Innovation Summit.
The event, which runs from 27 to 29 September in Cape Town, brings together entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, policy-makers and thought leaders to support start-ups and inspire sustained economic growth.
With the theme: ”Innovation goes viral”, the event is sponsored by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), alongside the host, the City of Cape Town.
TIA is an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation, mandated to promote the development and exploitation of discoveries, inventions, innovations and improvements in the public interest.
The programme includes a deep dive into blockchain and corporate venture capital, and will bring modern toolkits to founders through masterclasses. It tackles how ecosystems can support the impact of great new ideas and will share the secrets behind making unicorns in Africa.
Speakers from intellectual property (IP) law firm Von Seidels will take attendees through the world of IP law in the metaverse, while venture capital firm Newtown Partners will host an NFT auction, where top local art will be showcased and sold.
A representative from the City of Cape Town will talk about how the Mother City became “Silicon Cape”, attracting tech talent and funds to the city.
“Among our goals for this year is to increase the quality pipeline of female, grassroots and youth early-stage innovation-driven founders,” says Buntu Majaja, CEO of SA Innovation Summit.
“Also, our new foodtech programme will see selected start-ups share their solutions for improving food security, which again highlights the high quality of entrepreneurs we have on our own shores who are solving today and tomorrow’s crisis.”
Since its launch in 2007, the summit, billed as the largest start-up event in Africa, has been instrumental in showcasing local innovations and positioning SA as a key enabler on the African continent, it says. It raised $22 million worth of investments at last year’s summit, according to the organisers.
Speakers include Kagiso Khaole, GM for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa; Lungisa Matshoba, co-founder and CTO of fintech firm YOCO; Elmen Lamprecht, COO of gamified experiences firm 3-Degrees Tech; and Sacheen Kala, head of the Founders Factory Africa partnership at Standard Bank Group.
To find out more about this year’s summit, visit the website. To book, go to the tickets portal.