The Green Growth Hackathon focused on eco-friendly farming and enhancing food security—key areas critical to ensuring a sustainable future. Over the course of an intense 48 hours, participants were challenged to develop and present solutions that could transform industries, improve resource efficiency, and mitigate the effects of climate change.

At the heart of the hackathon was the competitive spirit that drove participants to push the boundaries of what’s possible. After rigorous rounds of brainstorming, coding, and collaboration, four innovations emerged as the winners;

• Grin Tech took home the top honors, emerging as the overall winner for its groundbreaking innovation. The judges were impressed with Grin Tech’s solution’s potential to revolutionize eco-friendly practices.
• MicroVest and Hi Monitor shared second place. Both teams earned a coveted opportunity to pitch their ideas at the prestigious Latitude 59 event in Nairobi, positioning them on a global stage where they can attract investment and scale their solutions.
• Harvest Link, won the People’s Choice Award, proving that public support can be a powerful force in driving sustainable change.

The hackathon didn’t end with the announcement of the winners. Four other promising innovations—Farm Quest, Eco Flash Dryer, Hydroponics, and Agri Link—secured spots in the Innovation Hub’s upcoming bootcamp. This subsequent section offers these teams a useful possibility to refine and in addition increase their answers with the guide of mentors and industry specialists. The bootcamp will assist these innovators beef up their standards, scale their ideas, and prepare them for actual-global software, in the long run amplifying their impact on inexperienced technology.

The Green Growth Hackathon is a testament to the power of collaboration to deliver meaningful change. Bringing together key partners from both the public and private sectors, the event brings innovation that goes beyond the hackathon. All partners play an important role in creating an environment in which sustainable innovation is possible.

The Green Growth Hackathon proved that digital innovation and environmental sustainability can continue. The event highlights the importance of equipping young inventors with tools and resources to empower them to create a greener future, creating a space where ideas can turn into actionable solutions.

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The Open Innovation Program (OIP) is an initiative commissioned by Make-IT in Africa, a project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Since its launch in Uganda in April 2023, the program has been a catalyst for 15 startups dedicated to creating tech-enabled solutions in the field of smart cities. These startups had the unique opportunity to collaborate and co-create with public and private organizations like Housing Finance Bank Uganda, NITA Uganda, Jumia Uganda, and KaCyber Technologies Uganda.

In the context of the Open Innovation Program, smart cities encompass a broad spectrum of technologies developed by startups. These technologies leverage data to enhance the daily lives of urban communities in Uganda by making them more efficient and effective. The program’s core areas of focus included:

1. Access to Affordable Housing.
2. Government Technology (Gov-Tech) Solutions: Streamlining digital access to government services for citizens.
3. Empowering Businesses: Demonstrating how digital tools and data can drive business growth.

The day commenced with a warm welcome from Laura Althaus Muggagga, co-founder of StartHub Africa, who shared valuable insights on open innovation. She described it as a business strategy that seeks to address relevant challenges through an innovative approach driven by collaboration with external partners, rather than relying solely on in-house innovation or research and development.

This was followed by a presentation by Habumugisha Olivier from Make-IT in Africa, who thanked all the partners for their commitment to the program and for joining hands with the startups to innovate together.

The spotlight then turned to the startup pitches, with nine founders taking the stage to present the innovative solutions they had cultivated in partnership with their project collaborators. The impressive line-up of startups included Wena Hardware, Yunga Technologies, Kawu, Ecoplastile, RentBeta, Easy Housing, ShareCard, Neexa, and SEMA.

Following the startup pitches, a panel discussion delved into the insights and lessons gleaned from the Open Innovation Program. Distinguished panelists, such as John Baptist Kaweesi, Head of Mortgage at Housing Finance Bank, Sandra Awili, Co-founder of ShareCard, and Franc Kamugishya, Founder of Ecoplastile, shared their invaluable perspectives.

Kaweesi highlighted the importance of continuity in innovation. “Some of the innovators come up with brilliant ideas on their own, but this carries the risk of discontinuity. When the key resource or innovator becomes unavailable, it often presents a challenge to the continuity of these ideas.

This, in turn, hinders the timely commercialization of these beautiful ideas. I firmly believe that as we continue working with StartHub and innovators, we can provide support in terms of capacity building, specifically in establishing governance structures right from day one. A good idea should never be hindered by such manageable challenges.”

The event turned out to be a day of inspiration, marked by accounts of progress, and evidence of tangible transformation in Uganda’s startup and innovation ecosystem.

The day was graced by esteemed guests from UNDP, Startup Uganda, URSB, KCCA, NSSF Hi Innovator, SafeBoda, UCC, CFAO, Enabel Uganda, Women In Technology Uganda, and many others.

This Open Innovation Program is the first of its kind to be implemented in Uganda. StartHub Africa will contribute to the wider innovation and entrepreneurial community by publishing and disseminating comprehensive learnings for other Entrepreneurship and Innovation Support Organizations interested in adopting the Open Innovation approach.

StartHub Africa’s Open Innovation Program Demo Day was more than a celebration of co-creation achievements; it showcased the power of collaboration, creativity, and shared goals, setting a promising trajectory for the future of entrepreneurship and innovation in the region.

ALSO READ: STARTHUB AFRICA HOLDS SHE TECHS THE FUTURE DEMO DAY

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She Techs The Future initiative aims to empower and support female-led digital ventures in East Africa, from idea generation to investment. Entrepreneurs, investors, and representatives from prominent development organizations came together to witness the remarkable achievements of women in the Ugandan tech industry.

In his welcome remarks, James Macbeth Forbes, country director of GIZ Uganda emphasized the organization’s dedication to empowering the youth of Uganda to lead improved lives through robust support for their digital innovations.

Tech founders who took the stage to pitch at the demo day included Pearl Gakazi representing Kolaborate, Patricia Giramia from Cyanase Investors, Shadia Nassanga leading Emun App, Nambogo Nurait representing MobiCare, Tugume Brenda of Esoptron Salon, and Doreen Ninsiima from Instant Biomed.

This gathering was proof of the growing potential of female entrepreneurs in East Africa’s tech landscape.

One of the highlights of the event was a panel discussion moderated by Cathy Luyiga Ssenkungu from Women In Technology Uganda ( WITU) featuring tech entrepreneurs who have made significant strides in their respective fields including Sandra Awili the founder of ShareCard, Pearl Gakazi the co-founder of Kolaborate, Patricia Giramia the CTO of Cyanase Investors, and Vaola Amumpaire the founder of Wena Hardware led an engaging discussion on the role of mentorship and strategic networking to benefit female entrepreneurs.

During the panel discussion, Vaola Amumpaire passionately articulated her perspective, “As women, we often find ourselves conditioned to suppress our voices due to the fear of being labeled.” “We need to let go of this fear and confidently express ourselves. We must communicate openly and directly, ensuring that our intentions are clear, as this is essential to fostering meaningful collaboration without the risk of misinterpretation by others, particularly men.”

The demo day was graced by esteemed guests, including the country director of the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), James Macbeth Forbes, Laura Kübke of Business Scouts for Development, Koichiro Yamamoto from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and many others.

The She Techs The Future project commenced in April 2023 with ideathons held at four universities in Uganda and Tanzania. These ideathons served as incubators for creative ideas and paved the way for female innovators to embark on their entrepreneurial journeys. Following the ideathons, a week-long boot camp brought together over 15 female innovators from across Uganda.

During this intensive program, participants benefited from comprehensive training, workshops, and mentorship, equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in the tech industry.

She techs the future is implemented by StartHub Africa in partnership with the Business Scouts for Development (BSfD) by the Gesellschaft for Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and Sequa on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

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The new hubs admitted include PAUWES Entrepreneurship Hub (Algeria), Mountain Hub (Cameroon), Team@solutions (Cameroon), KMindz (Cape Verde), Chad Innovation Hub (Chad), Sahel Green Hub (Chad), Impact Hub (Côte d’Ivoire), The Workshop (DRC), Kinshasa Digital (DRC), Kobo Hub (DRC), Silikin Village (DRC), InnoHub (Ghana), Société d’Incubation Numérique du Gabon (Gabon), Founder Square Ventures (Kenya), Hadina Rimtic (Mauritania), The Nest Innovation Technology Park Ltd (Nigeria), Iba Ajie (Nigeria), Renaissance Innovation Lab (Nigeria), Blue Sapphire Hub (Nigeria), FutureLabs (Nigeria), Eko Innovation Centre (Nigeria), Grid Innovation and Incubation Hub (Rwanda), Ifakara Innovation Hub (Tanzania), Afkar (Tunisia), Founders Factory Africa (South Africa), MCI Media Hub (Uganda), and StartHub Africa (Uganda).

In a press statement sent to PC Tech Magazine, Moetaz Helmy, AfriLabs Board Chair said, “Every innovation hub that has been admitted into the AfriLabs Pan-Afrikan Innovation Hub Network has shown that they are catalysts for innovation and entrepreneurship in their respective communities.”

PC Tech Magazine couldn’t reach MCI Media Hub (Uganda) or StartHub Africa (Uganda) for a comment.

The MCI Media Hub is a collaborative space that supports disruptive innovators with an enabling environment to accelerate ideas and solutions for journalism and media viability in Uganda and East Africa. They have created a home for innovators to address the viability of the journalism and media industry with a mission to nurture and incubate it.

On the other hand, StartHub Africa builds structures so African innovators can succeed. As a Social Enterprise, StartHub builds a university-based student movement, invests in and guides early-stage African startups, and runs high-quality innovation projects and consultancy all over East Africa.

Other Ugandan hubs in AfriLabs’ hub network include; Hive Colab, The Innovation Village Kampala, Design Hub Kampala, Outbox Hub, NFT Mawazo Innovation Hub, Rafiki Social Vision, Makerere Innovation and Incubation Centre, Women In Technology Uganda, Muni University Business Incubation Centre, and TechBuzz Hub.

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