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Jun 23rd, 2010

Vodacom Challenge - OVERALL Winner is...

The overall winner was chosen from the winners of each Vodacom Challenge. After a closely contested final between three excellent candidates and long debate by the judges, the winner has been decided.

Congratulations to "remindMe" for winning the overall winner category and an additional R20 000.

The potential of this solution has a "great opportunity to meaningfully improve South Africans' lives, especially those who need to take live-saving medication daily."

Congratulations to both "GetSmart" & "Twizness" for great solutions. We wish them the best of luck when they make their pitches to Vodacom.

The Betavine Team.
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Jun 21st, 2010

Community Information Challenge - Winners announcement

The judges have completed their review of solutions submitted to the Community Information challenge sponsored by RLabs, which is the last of the Vodacom challenges.

Each challenge winner will scoop R20,000 in prize money and be entered into a grand final, where the overall winner will receive an additional R20 000. In addition to the prize money, they will each receive the opportunity to pitch their solution to Vodacom which could see their solutions commercialised and available to the largest network in South Africa.

The judges agreed that the winning entry in this challenge was "Twizness" which just edged out "TweSMS" and "Zaflow". The judges were impressed by the solutions in this challenge and TweSMS and ZAflow are receiving honorable mentions and the opportunity to pitch to Vodacom. Congratulations to all three entries.

If you have a social need or a great solution for a pressing social issue, have a look at the Betavine Social Exchange Challenges or Create a Solution today.
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posted by KevScarr  |  View comments (0)  |  Add comment
Jun 18th, 2010

Health Challenge - Winner announcement

The judges have completed their review of solutions submitted for the Health Challenge, endorsed by Cell-Life. This was the first of three Vodacom challenges that was hosted on the Betavine Social Exchange.

Each challenge winner will scoop R20,000 in prize money and be entered into a grand final, where the overall winner will receive an additional R20 000. In addition to the prize money, they will each receive the opportunity to pitch their solution to Vodacom. If successful, the winners could see their solutions commercialised with South Africa's biggest network.

The judges were once again in complete agreement on the winner of the challenge - 'remindMe'. The solution was well conceptualised and planned, relevant and appropriate to the target market. Generally, the solution displayed a great understanding of the mobile technologies available for solution deployment and balanced this with needs expressed in the challenge.

If you have a social need or a great solution for a pressing social issue, have a look at the Betavine Social Exchange Challenges or Create a Solution today.

The Betavine Team.
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Jun 16th, 2010

Education & Training Challenge - Winners announced

The judges have completed their review of solutions submitted for the Education & Training Challenge which was raised by Vodacom and endorsed by the Meraka Institute. This was the first of three Vodacom challenges that was hosted on the Betavine Social Exchange.

Each challenge winner will scoop R20,000 in prize money and be entered into a grand final, where the overall winner will receive an additional R20 000. In addition to the prize money, they will each receive the opportunity to pitch their solution to Vodacom. If successful, the winners could see their solutions commercialised with South Africa's biggest network.

The judges reached a unanimous decision on the best solution for the challenge. Brazilian based, "Get Smart" submitted a solution that will appeal to the youth with it's multi-player features using bluetooth connectivity. The judges were impressed by the professionalism of the proposal and the excellent grasp of what the challenge entailed. Congratulations to Get Smart for winning the Vodacom Education and Training Challenge.

Look out for the announcement of the other Vodacom Challenge Winners in the next few days.

The Betavine Team.
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Jun 16th, 2010

Chembe Challenge - Winners announcement

There were great entries for the Chembe Urban Security Challenge and it was a real positive start for the Betavine Social Exchange. The winning entry was submitted by a South African team, who found each other through the first Betavine Developer Day in Cape Town.

Their solution, called “A.ok”, provides a personal safety mechanism through the mobile phone, especially useful when entering a high risk area. The phone would be configured to alert friends/family or the authorities when a preset trigger is fired. The judges were very impressed with the quality of the submission which included a comprehensive presentation, business plans and the most scalable solution of all the entries. The winning team will collect $5,000 USD from Chembe Ventures plus the opportunity to discuss the possibility of a further investment of at least $5,000 USD.

The judging panel, made up of the Betavine Team (Vodafone Group R&D), Chembe Ventures and Vodacom, had to convene twice to reach consensus on the winner because of the quality of entries. The challenge was certainly competitive and the judges wanted to make special mention of two entries that impressed them- “Anonymous Crime Reporting and Communication Service” and “Commuter Connect”.

The judges from Vodacom have added an additional prize for both the winning entry and the two special mentions. These three teams will be given the chance to pitch their idea directly to Vodacom, and if successful, their solutions could be commercialised for the market. This is a really fantastic opportunity for the teams.

We would like to thank everyone who took part in this Challenge and we send our best wishes to our winners & runners-up for their upcoming pitch to Vodacom. Dont forget, the Vodacom challenges are still on.


The Betavine Team.
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Recent blog comments

Chembe Challenge - Winners annou...

KevScarr, May 17th, 2010


Hi Gregsmithsays, The winner was chosen on the strength of their solutions, business plan and commercialisation potential and the judges were in unanimous agreement. We realise that the decisions will not please everyone and we thank you for voicing your concerns. However, the spirit of Betavine Social Exchange to encourage a social dialogue between real life issues and developers or entrepreneurs to build a sustainable solution that can be deployed into market. We hope that you appreciate this spirit and will join us in our congratulations of your fellow entries. Although your entry did not win this challenge, we hope that you will continue being an engaged participant and you could also entering these challenges.

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Chembe Challenge - Winners annou...

gregsmithsays, May 14th, 2010


Unfortunate this... Seriously ? Not a bitter loser normally but hell ... I use twitter NOW for commuter connect in my city in South Africa free everyday and have for more than a year so why bother with an app when you can't beat twitter free and so easy..., plus anyone in South Africa could tell you a very high profile and popular anonymous tip off system already exists ... So there goes that with RICA, crime line and such and such... And I think a.OK competes with 10's of panic buttons on the one hand and on the other in this guise defies human nature ... A non-cancel trigger ? Tough sell that in reality and furthermore I don't know if I like the mindset it entails and promotes... Think about it ... false alarms will be a sure killer or the threat of tripping them at least would steer me clear of it... With or without the cancel reminder sms. Crying wolf and scaring the bejesus out of my kin ? Pandering to my fear ? I go out of my way daily to avoid that worry of others for me ... we all do, thus the local cultural aspect here doesn't correlate either. When other people worry - we easy their worries... Not create or fuel them even if you think you're in a tight spot ... The equation between buying yourself comfort vs spooking kin doesn't add up. Speaking from the real world ... but hey... I see you... Too bad ... some issues in this that don't appeal to me... So before my faith in humanity is totally destroyed ... Goodluck... Cheers ... I think you missed the mark ... The greater good unserved is the victim but you don't know what you're missing without that vision. On paper views... Oh dear ?

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Betavine Launches Pilot

Lorna SCF Tz, Mar 16th, 2010


This is a very exciting initiative. I work for a small NGO based in Tanzania called Sand County Foundation. Our mission is to provide networking services for coastal communities of fishers to address environmental, governance and sustainable livelihood issues. We are looking at how mobile phone technology and radio and drama can work together to provide such a service. You mention that your pilot is based in South Africa, how might we link in to your activities? We are currently planning a research study to look at current usage of the various technologies within the communities (including gender based issues)and investigate the scope for developing a service.

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