China-based female-focused accelerator, She Loves Tech is partnering with coding school WeThinkCode_and female entrepreneur network OYA Venture to host one of the world’s largest startup competition, focusing on women and technology, in South Africa.
She Loves Tech, was first hosted in China in 2013 and over the years, regional sessions have been hosted in over 14 cities across the world.
Interestingly, this year She Loves Tech will be holding its first African sessions, with the East African Regional held in Nairobi on July 14th and the South African Regional held in Cape Town on 3 – 4 August 2018.
The two-day event will feature workshops focused on how to pitch a business idea, panels of thought leaders, as well as other mentoring sessions. During the actual women-themed hackathon, teams will be asked to focus on solutions that fight youth unemployment, healthcare, or education.
The winning team will win a trip to China for a week-long boot camp with visits to leading Chinese tech companies and incubators, networking with investors, and cultural visits before the global finals and international conference.
Arlene Mulder of WeThinkCode_ said: “South African women are strong, resilient and creative. We have the power to design solutions to create a world of possibility.”
As for Charlotte Luzuka of OYA Venture, she said: “In our initial work as OYA Venture, we have met so many amazing female founders doing some phenomenal things with limited resources, and really that is what spurs innovation; and a hackathon creates the right environment for such innovation to flourish.”
Virginia Tan, Founder of She Loves Tech, believes, “A hackathon is a great format for encouraging teams that normally may not have had the courage to pursue their impactful ideas. We Think Code, not only is run by a powerful woman but is also one of the foremost institutions in encouraging women in STEM, so we knew they were the perfect partner to bring this very important mission to South Africa.”
