The Innovation Hub has announced the winners of the Gauteng Accelerator Programme Innovation Competitions for 2014.
These awards honour top innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs for exemplary work in the green and health technology sectors; the biosciences; and the information and communication technology (ICT) sectors.
This year’s GAP Awards introduced a new level of innovation into the competition. The prize, which includes cash prizes, seed funds, mentorship and commercialisation were made possible by Pfizer, MSD, Emory University and TIH.
The winners are chosen by an adjudication panel consisting of industry experts and specialists and were awarded as follows:
* Representing the highest level of work in ICT-based solutions, such as mobile applications, the GAP ICT award winners are: Irvan Damons – Carbon Track (first prize); William Mapham – Vula Eye Care; Klaas Dikobe – Smart Plug; and Desmond Mongwe – MoWallet.
* Addressing socio-economic challenges working on green technologies, the GAP Green award winners are: Mpho Mokoena – Ultrasonic biodiesel processing (first prize); Andre Nel – Green Tower; Sizwe Mnamatha – Zuka; and Ming Zhang – Heat Pump Dryer.
* In recognising entrepreneurs for their accomplishments and breakthroughs in the biosciences sector, winners of the GAP Bioscience awards are: Lesley Scot, Ela Romanowska and Wendy Stevens – Smartspot (first prize); Candice Van Wyk and Francien Botha – CandidaFree Natural; Amanda Skepu, Busisiwa Dyan, Phumulani Tetyana, Thabang Ntho –MinDiagnostics; and Rajesh Lalloo, Dusty Gardiner and Busi Mtsweni – OptimusBio.
* In identifying health technology innovations that contribute to the improvement of health care service delivery, the GAP Medical award winners are: Shannon Mcmurtrie – Nervitol (first prize); Sateesh Isseri – S-Tip; and Drew Van Der Riet – Advanced prosthetics engineering.
