NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 10 – Ten Kenyan startups have been selected for an incubation programme after winning the Cyber Security Hackathon at the just concluded Blue Economy Innovation and Investment Summit sponsored by Slovak Aid, GIZ, and partners.
The startups based in Mombasa include Bio Secure, Tide Safetynet, and Seatrust Navigator.
Sote Hub founder David Ogiga says the ten startups will receive six months of technical and financial support to bring their ideas to life.
“Our focus for this year’s hackathon at the conference was circular economy, cyber security, blue economy, climate change and digital economy. These ideas are refreshing and scalable and we will support them here at Sote Hub,” Ogiga explained.
Bio Secure, is creating a highly secure biometric system to replace traditional credit cards for ATM access.
The system uses iris scanners and also fingerprints to ensure that you are the authorized person to access the bank ATM.
The solution is not only for banks but also for stores that uses ATM cards.
Tide Safetynet is securing safety in the ocean by providing real-time ocean wave information, warning fishermen about high or low tides, and assisting swimmers in identifying safe days for swimming, effectively reducing the risk of accidents.
Seatrust Navigator is a web application platform that will facilitate cooperative registration, advertising, sales, and service access, fostering collaboration and business growth while mitigating pollution’s adverse effects on water bodies and marine life.
“We call upon young people to continue to innovate by coming up with more ideas that will help mitigate climate change and increase employment,” he added.
The Blue Economy Innovation and Investment Summit is a one-week series of events that seeks to expand knowledge and opportunities that will foster the growth of the blue economy.
Growing the blue economy will open up opportunities for the growth of new industries, the innovation of new and improved technologies, and investment opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Youth Affairs and Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu-Namwamba underscored the role of young people in driving innovation and transformation.
“Young people in this community are now drivers of change. We have demonstrated time and again that our young people are innovators,” he said.
He added, “I’m a firm believer in innovation. Innovation to push the community, country, and continent to the next level. Innovation around new frontiers of development such as the blue economy.”
The Slovak Ambassador to Kenya, Katarina Leligdonova, while addressing the summit noted that, the growth of the blue economy opens up a world of possibilities.
“It not only allows for the growth of new industries but also fosters innovation in new and improved technologies. I am delighted that Slovakia, for the second consecutive year, is one of proud supporters of this initiative.”
The UN-Habitat Deputy Executive Director, Michal Mlynár, lauded the power of innovation, coupled with citizen and youth involvement, as a driver for transformative change.
“Innovation when applied in the right context is indeed a catalyst for change. Through science and innovation, communities will be able to better harness the blue economy potential for sustainable development,” he noted.
While lauding the summit, GIZ Component Lead Henrik Schmidtke said that GIZ is happy to be a major player in the blue economy sector in Kenya, co-funding the Go Blue project together with the European Union.
Among our interventions is addressing bottlenecks in the aquaculture value chain, providing them with necessary skills, new opportunities, and a market.
Further is the MSME support and enterprise development, especially for young start-ups run by youth and women.
