Tech4Democracy Venture Day Cape Town

On March 7, 2023 at 3:00 pm, IE University and the Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking Afrika at the University of Cape Town will host the fifth Tech4Democracy Venture Day at the Hasso Plattner School in the University’s Middle Campus in Cape Town.

Tech4Democracy is a global initiative by IE University, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and with the support of Microsoft. The Cape Town Venture Day will feature a competition of five African startups that are pioneering the development of usable democracy-affirming technologies.

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Agenda

3:00 – 3:15 pm Institutional Welcome

• Richard Perez, Founding Director, Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking Afrika, University of Cape Town
• Irene Blázquez, Director, Center for the Governance of Change, IE University
• Todd Haskell, Consul General of the United States in Cape Town
• Khaliq Dollie, Digital Advisor, Microsoft

3:15 – 3:30 pm Keynote Speech: Melvyn Lubega, technology entrepreneur

3:30 – 3:50 pm Opening Comments by the Competition Judges:

• Andrew Bailey, Senior Manager: Innovation, University of Cape Town
• Buntu Majaja, CEO, SA Innovation Summit
• Zanyiwe Nthatisi-Asare, CEO, Digitally Legal
• Richard Perez, Founding Director, Hasso Plattner School of Design Thinking Afrika, University of Cape Town
• Vanessa Ramanjam, Program Manager, Solutions Space, Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town
• Dikatso Sephoti, entrepreneurship consultant

3:50 – 4:50 pm Competition of democracy-affirming startups. Five companies will pitch their innovations and have a Q&A with the judge panel:

• Deaftouch (South Africa)
• Legal Standpoint (South Africa)
• Ongea na Demokrasia (Tanzania)
• Trustur / FloodGates Limited (Ghana)
• Uamuzi Foundation (Kenya)

4:50 – 5:00 pm Competition winner announcement and closing remarks: Carlos Luca de Tena, Executive Director, Center for the Governance of Change, IE University

5:00 – 7:30 pm Networking cocktail