LATEST TECH NEWS: Anzisha Prize shortlists 20 finalists for grant. 2 other things and a trivia you need to know today, September 23, 2020

These latest stories from the tech space will keep you updated with trends today.

1. Anzisha Prize shortlists 20 finalists for grants

For the 10th edition of the Anzisha Prize, twenty finalists have been shortlisted for onward judging, a time-consuming process involving vetting some of the most outstanding entries from a large pool of entrants who had submitted applications for consideration. Anzisha Prize, which rewards young African entrepreneurs, will share, amongst its eventual winners, a US$100,000 in grant funding. The prize is a partnership between African Leadership Academy and Mastercard Foundation, seeking to celebrate African entrepreneurs aged 22 years and younger, and has so far supported 122 entrepreneurs.

According to reports, the 2020 edition saw a record of 1,200 applications. Speaking on the categories entered, the board noted that forty-five per cent of these businesses are female-owned, representing sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and education. The board looks to announce winners at this year’s Anzisha Prize Conference on October 27, with the grand prize winner receiving US$25,000, the first runner-up US$15,000, and the second runner-up US$12,500. However, each of the 20 finalists will receive US$2,500 to serve as consolation.

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Tech Trivia:

What does Microsoft’s logo symbolise?

A. A page
B. A door
C. A gate
D. A window

Answer: See end of post.

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2. African students design app to help donate breastmilk

Through a partnership deal, students from the University of Cape Town have designed an app that helps mothers donate their excess breastmilk to babies in need. The product from the partnership, which saw a Cape Town-based non-profit, Milk Matters, joining forces with some University of Cape Town (UCT) students, according to press, was inspired by Dr. Melissa Densmore, a senior lecturer in the UCT Centre in Information and Communications Technologies for Development (ICT4D).

Read also: LATEST TECH NEWS: Nigeria’s Ene-Obong joins Endeavor Entrepreneur. 3 other things and a trivia you need to know today, September 22, 2020

Speaking on the benefits of the product, reviewers noted that donor mothers will be able to use a tool provided by the app to self-assess their ability to meet certain essential requirements of donating breast milk. The partnering NGO, Milk Matters, was founded in 2003 and has helped more than 2500 mothers donate their excess milk reaching thousands of babies in 28 different hospitals across the Western Cape. In a bid to enhance the process, the underlying aim of the app is that it will be able to help donor mothers track their donations and provide an estimate of how many babies will benefit from their donations.

3. New e-Commerce platform, ShopESpot, launches to support SMEs

With the increasing need to access more customers following the impact of the pandemic, a new e-Commerce platform, ShopESpot, has launched. Reoorts noted however, that the aim of the new platform was to provide SMEs, business owners, and entrepreneurs an opportunity to use the platform move their business into the online market. Commenting on the development, analysts stated that since the impact of Covid-19 had caused many small businesses to reinvent themselves, many are becoming to shift towards creating an online presence to manage sales and increase their customer reach.

Lisa Sukdev, Chief Sales and Marketing Director of ShopESpot while explaining the importance of businesses creating an online presence to bolster their business revenue; acknowledged that COVID-19 had disrupted innovations. Lisa said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about disruptive innovation whereby trends, such as shifting business to an online platform, have been accelerated. So much has changed in such a short space of time, and it’s difficult for businesses to keep up at the required rate.” Hence, adding that ShopESpot was created to help facilitate a smooth transition for businesses wanting to create an online presence.

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Tech Trivia Answer: Window

The Microsoft logo symbolizes an actual window with 4 panes. Blue is a cool and slick colour, symbolising what Microsoft wants Windows to be, slick and quick, yet cool and easy on the eye and easy to use.

According to the company representative, the new design reflected Microsoft’s shift from more classic interface to the tile-centric modern one. The wordmark featuring a new font was accompanied by an emblem consisting of four squares. Each square was supposed to represent one of the company’s main products (Windows, Xbox, Bing, and Office).

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