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ITU Telecom World 2013 selects 10 Young Innovators’ Competition winners
Young social entrepreneurs seek to change the world with technology
Geneva, 10 October 2013 – ITU Telecom has announced the
winners of its third annual Young Innovators’ Competition. Open to young social
entrepreneurs between ages 18 and 26 from around the world, the competition
seeks innovative digital solutions in the form of start-ups or initial concepts
meeting global developmental challenges. The winners will be heading to ITU
Telecom World 2013, the leading networking, solutions showcasing and
knowledge-sharing event for the global ICT community in Bangkok, Thailand, 19 -
22 November.
From over 600 entries from 88 countries worldwide, 10 submissions were
selected as having the greatest possible social impact and potential for
business success:
- Al Dalilah Advanced Operational GPS represented by Ahmed Fawzi from Egypt – an advanced tracking and first response
system using meteorological data
- Broad Street Maps represented by Hannah Judge from the USA
– producing individualized healthcare maps to support health
organizations
- KUMBA Connect represented by Keston Perry from Trinidad and
Tobago – an interface connecting unemployed Caribbean migrants
with technical skills based in the UK with Caribbean-based
companies
- Land-Sea Digital Bridge represented by Nguyen Tran Hoang
from Viet Nam – an HF digital radio communication system
connecting fishing boats and shore stations
- M-Tambula represented by Brenda Katwesigye from Uganda
– providing the elderly with easy access to public
services using Interactive Voice Response over mobile phones
- NduruApp represented by Thomas Kioko from Kenya – a one-stop
mobile app to manage all aspects of road safety
- Open Curriculum represented by Varun Arora from India – an
online platform for local K12 educational material for standard,
primary and secondary schooling
- SalvageHub represented by Oscar Ekponimo from Nigeria – a
web and mobile platform to reduce food wastage at individual and
retail levels
- SiSwApp represented by Timothy McDermott from Australia/
Swaziland – an English-SiSwati translation app aimed at
migrant workers
- Tudlo Disaster and Emergency App represented by Yvonne
Loremia from the Philippines – a multi-purpose information
platform for emergency and disaster situations
At ITU Telecom World 2013 in Bangkok, the Young Innovators’ Competition
winners will take part in an accelerator programme to take their projects to the
next level via one-on-one mentorship sessions with start-up mentors and business
experts, hands-on workshop training, peer mentoring from the winners of the 2012
competition, and the opportunity to showcase their projects to the event's
influential audience at the InnovationSpace on the showfloor. The winners will
also be competing for up to USD 5,000 prize money for great concepts, and up to
USD 10,000 for innovative start-ups.
“These are bright young minds with creative technological solutions to
developmental challenges both in their communities and in the wider world,” said
ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Toure. “Bringing the competition winners to
the forefront of the global ICT stage at ITU Telecom World connects them with
the event's influential audience, with the entrepreneurial experiences and with
the success stories of their expert mentors and their peers from 2012. These are
the connections and conversations that matter, with the power to make a real
difference in the world.”
For further information on the Young Innovators Programme and Competition,
please see
world2013.itu.int/event/young-innovators-competition-2013/
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For more information,
see
world2013.itu.int or contact: |
Media Accreditation enquiries: |
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
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Soraya Abino Quintana
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