AIT-SASBI Spring Conference 2023

AIT-SASBI Conference

Social and Tech-Driven Innovation for Impact

Date: 2023, February, 22nd – 23rd
Host: EDHE – Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education
Venue: Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

---

 

The Winning Startups Qualified for a Residency Stay in Switzerland

---

Aftermovie

Outcome

Download the Speakers Presentations as PDFs

 

---

Start Up Competition

Our event showcased ten students from Rwanda, Nigeria, and South Africa who pitched their business ideas. The objective was to choose successful prototypes to present at the Swiss and African Science and Business Innovators Programme (SASBI) 10-day residency program at the University of Basel in June.

Ms Nanci Govinder moderated the business pitching session and highlighted that Switzerland, being one of the most innovative countries in the world, is constantly seeking new ideas for products and services. The SASBI program aims to collaborate with innovators to find new opportunities for their manufacturers and suppliers. The startups selected will have a chance to showcase their ideas and find investment opportunities.

Winning Start Ups

The four successful startups were Igugu Clean Tech, Lola Green, One Trail, and Rwanda Green Lighting.

Igugu Clean Tech (South Africa) aims to produce biodiesel from nicotine-free tobacco plants for a cleaner, more environmentally friendly option than traditional diesel.
The founder is Ms Zinhle Ngidi.

Cape Town based Lola Green converts waste products into sustainable construction materials.
The founder is Mr Matimba Mabonda.

Rwanda Green Lighting harnesses airborne electrical energy to power street lights and areas still off the grid in Rwanda.
The Chief Executive Officer is Ms Diane Mumararungu.

One Trail is a Nigeria-based ed-tech company that has created a platform enabling companies to identify skills gaps in their employees.
The owner is Mr Mubarak Lawal of the University of Ibadan.

We are congratulating the Start Ups to winning their spot at the Swiss residency program!

---

Invitation

At the occasion of the 2nd Annual Swiss – African Academia Industry Training (AIT SASBI) Conference taking place in Johannesburg (South Africa) from 22nd – 23rd February 2023 and held in cooperation with EDHE, Universities’ South Africa Entrepreneurship Development for Higher Education unit we cordially invite interested participants. The theme of this conference is “Social and Tech Driven Innovation for Impact”.

Supported by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation and implemented by the University of Basel and its Department for National and International Cooperation (NIC) and EDHE these two conference days will serve to strengthen links among stakeholders from academia and innovation and help dive into business cultures of each other’s countries. A market place on the afternoon of the first conference day will invite startup companies that have successfully come out from national and/or regional competition schemes in South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya and Nigeria to present prototypes of their business ideas. A jury panel with experts for the Swiss market fit will have the final say on those companies that will be invited for a 10 days residency stay in Switzerland in June 2023.

Traveling might not be possible for all of you. Therefore, we are glad to also include hybrid joining options via videoconferencing. The conference platform will allow you to start networking already two days before the event start and keep in contact with conference participants one week after the event ends.

The ultimate goal of this get-together in Johannesburg is to increase business network opportunities for academia related start-up companies and to enlarge our understanding of how to do business in different corners of Africa and Switzerland.

We very much look forward to welcoming you in person or online at the AIT SASBI Conference 2023.

Download the Official Invitation Letter as a PDF

---

Speakers and Panel

Keynote Speakers

Edwin Constable Professor at University of Basel

Victoria Galán-Muros Chief of Research and Analysis at UNESCO

Welcome Address

Jacquelene Friedenthal Counsellor at Swiss Embassy

Erik Stam Professor at Utrecht University

Panelists

Nanci Govinder Senior Executive at nancigovinder.com

Simone Stuerwald Professor at OST

Stephan Armin Hofer Corporate Law Attorney at GHR

Jury Judges

Pauline Koelbl Founder & CEO of Afriprospect

Nanci Govinder Senior Executive at nancigovinder.com

Colin Pillai Founder of CP+ Associates

Binod Koirala Cluster Leader at EMPA

Simone Stuerwald Professor at OST

Moderation

Erich Thaler International Stakeholder at Universitat Basel

Dorina Kühner Programme Manager at University of Basel

Dr Norah Clarke Director: Entrepreneurship of Universities South Africa (USAf)

 

---

Program

You can download the program also as a PDF here.

All indicated times are shown in South African time zone. Swiss time zone -1H. For example 14:00 in Johannesburg is 13:00 in Basel.

Day 1 Wednesday 22 February 2023
Time	Session / Speaker(s)
8:00 – 9:00	Breakfast and registration
9:00 – 11:55	Opening Session
	9:00 – 9:10	Welcome Remarks Speaker: Mr Erich Thaler, Senior Manager Global Partnerships, University of Basel
	9:10 – 9:20	Welcome Address on behalf of the Hosting Country Speaker: Dr. Phethiwe Matutu, CEO, Universities South Africa (USAf)
	9:20 – 9:30	Address on behalf of the Swiss Embassy Speaker: Ms Jacquelene Friedenthal, Science and Technology Counsellor, Swiss Embassy in SA
	9:30 – 9:45	Opening Address What does it take to establish an entrepreneurial innovation-for impact ecosystem?Speaker: Prof. Dr. Erik Stam, Faculty Director: Center for Entrepreneurship, Utrecht University School of Economics
	Keynotes Day 1
	9:45 – 10:30	Keynote 1: Switzerland and Africa – A study in synergy and symbiosis Speaker: Prof. em. Dr. Edwin Constable, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Basel
	10:30 -10:45	Coffee / Tea break
	10:45 – 11:15	Keynote Panel Approaching innovation for impact from within an African university Speakers: Prof. P. Ndirangu Kioni, Vice Chancellor, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, Kioni (Kenya) Ms. Phatsimo Mosimanegape, Senior Team Leader- Employability & Entrepreneurship Development, Botho University (Botswana), Dr. Stephen Oluwatobi, Group CEO, Pertinence Group and Co-Founder, Quanta Africa, (Nigeria)
	11:15 – 11:30	Tech-driven Innovation. Results from the UNECA Technology Transfer Study Speaker: Dr. Victor Konde: Scientific Affairs Officer, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Ethiopia
	11:30 – 11:55	Audience discussion What is the relationship between innovation and technology transfer in your country? Moderator: TBC
11:55 – 13:00	Networking @ Lunch Social exchange and continuation of the audience discussion
12:00 – 12:30	Briefing of start-up presenters
13:00 – 13:10	MC: Introduction and Overview of the afternoon Introduction of the audience to the public voting Introduction of Ms Nanci Govinder as Moderator of the start-up pitching session
13:00 – 17:00	Pitching contest of African startups from South Africa, Rwanda, and Nigeria Moderator: Ms Nanci Govinder
	13:10 – 13:15	Introduction by Moderator
	Start-ups from South Africa
	13:15 – 13:25	#1 LolaGreen Plastic and industrial waste for synthesizing construction products
	13:25 – 13:35	#2 eRank play Online learning platform (maths)
	13:35 – 13:45	#3 Not presenting
	13:45 – 13:55	#4 Snake Nation Blockchain solution for the creative economy
	13:55 – 14:05	#5 Igugu Clean Tech Tobacco plants for biodiesel production
14:05 – 14:20	Coffee / Tea break
	Start-ups from Rwanda
	14:20 – 14:30	#6 Renerubuzima Digital Health Platform
	14:30 – 14:40	#7 E-somero Online e-books library
	14:40 – 14:50	#8 Rwanda Green Light Co2 for creating street light energy
	Start-ups from Nigeria
	14:50 – 15:00	#9 NG Trail Enterprise staff learning online tool
	15:00 – 15:10	#10 VAAV’s Innovative Solution Power cube with clean electricity for the use of all
	15:10 – 15:20	#11 IoTeam Smart irrigation system
15:20 – 15:45	Coffee / Tea break
	15:45 – 16:00	Jury panel members and startup companies departing into their respective reflection groups
	16:00 – 17:00	Start-up reflection group Moderator: Ms Dorina Kühner Start-up Founders and Speakers: Ms Chido Dzinotyiwei; Ms Zuzana Sediva; Mr Manuel Seiffe. Venue: Score Board	Jury panel convenes for the selection of the winners (Swiss Residency Stay)/ decides on jury panel speaker Facilitator: Mr Erich Thaler. Venue: Khanya
	15:45 – 16:00 16:00 -17:00	Public voting on the start-up favorite Animation MC
17:00 – 17:20	Announcement of the winners – Jury panel speaker: Announcement of the winning start-ups – MC: Announcement of the public vote Closing remarks for Day 1 Speakers: MC / Mr Erich Thaler / Dr Norah Clarke
18:00 – 19:00	Dinner
Day 2 Thursday 23 February 2023
Time	Session / Speaker(s)
8:00 – 9:00	Breakfast and registration
	Opening Session
9:00 – 12:15	9:00 – 9:10	Welcome and setting the stage for Day 2 Mr Erich Thaler
		World Café and ZOOM breakaway sessions
		World Café Format: Tables with 1 speaker/ 1 rapporteur per country topic will be set up. There, participants will engage in questions and discussions with country experts at the individual tables for 45 min., then move to the next table. At the end of the World Café sessions, the designated rapporteur will highlight the discussion outcomes. Online: A hybrid Swiss – South African breakaway session will be moderated for both, the on-site and the online public.
	Keynotes Day 2
	9:10 – 9:55	Keynote 1: Sciencepreneurs and their (inter-) cultural challenges when expanding their businesses abroad Speaker: Dr Victoria Galán-Muros, Chief of Research and Analysis, UNESCO
	9:55 – 10:15	Discussion with panel members
	10.15 – 10.25	Coffee / Tea break
	World Café: How to do business in SASBI partnering countries
	10:25 – 11:25	Input Panel: Introductory remarks for each country Speakers: Switzerland: Ms Stephanie Labité, Head, Swiss Business Hub in Southern Africa Prof. Dr. Simone Stürwald, Professor for Sustainable Concrete and Structures Mr Stephan Hofer, Attorney at Law Ms Nanci Govinder, Start-up Trainer, Investor, Board Member Ms Zuzana Sediva, Groam (Start-up) Mr Manuel Seiffe, Mpower (Start-up) South Africa: Ms Senisha Moonsamy, Head of Innovation Skills Development and Enterprise, Development & Support (ISD), Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) Ms Ntsiki Mkhize, founder of MentHer Nigeria: Prof. Dr. Oyedunni Arulogun, Professor of Health Promotion and Education, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
	11:25 – 11:30	Break
	11:30 – 12:15	First round of world café sessions
12:15 – 13:15	Lunch Break
13:15 – 16:15	13:15 – 14:00	Second round of world café sessions
	14:05 – 14:50	Third round of world café sessions
	14:50 – 15:00	Break
	15:00 – 15:30	Group discussion summary by group rapporteurs
	15:30 – 16:00	Reactions, discussions and Q&A in the plenary
16:00 – 16:30	Break
	16:30 – 16:50	Closing Keynote What we can learn from the Swiss Entrepreneurship Ecosystem for Africa: 3 insights from someone who has straddled both worlds. Speaker: Mr. York Zucchi, Founder of The StartUp Tribe
16:50 – 17:00	Summing up & Closing Ceremony Speakers: MC / Mr Erich Thaler / Dr Norah Clarke

---