MoDe wins Africa leg of IBM competition

2012-11-05 10:25

(Stan Honda, AFP)

Chantelle Nicholas

Cape Town – The Kenyan mobile nano credit company Mobile Decisioning was announced as the winner of the first IBM SmartCamp that was held in South Africa.

Mobile Decisioning is a company that focuses on delivering micro and nano credit products to consumers across the globe.

MoDe will now compete in the regional finals of IBM’s Global Entrepreneur of the Year Competition in Sao Paulo in December.

They will also gain support and mentorship from an IBM team of experts to prepare for the competition as well as benefit from exposure to the IBM venture capital and partner ecosystem.

The IBM SmartCamp is staged in 20 different at locations around the world and brings together entrepreneurs, investors and experienced mentors who want to build a Smarter Planet.

Four tech start-up companies from across the country presented their business ideas to a panel of judges during an event that was held in Cape Town.  

The requirements for entrepreneurs to participate in the programme was that their companies must be privately owned, they must have been in the business for five years or less, and they must be actively engaged in developing a software based product or service.

MoDe is a two year-old company with over 50 employees and a presence in five countries. Its product has already been used by millions across the continent.

“MoDe and all the finalists of Smart Camp demonstrated great tech innovation for South Africa and the African continent.  What’s more exciting is their supporting teams, business model and future plans are solid and will definitely attract positive attention of the investment community to help accelerate their commercial aspirations," said Clayton Booysen, ISV and Developer Relations Lead for IBM South Africa.


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