Wesgro and the dti support Tech Startups at French Tech Conference VivaTech

Updated on 30 May 2018

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Jango founders,Ntando Shezi and Ntsako Mgiba.

Wesgro, together with the Department of Trade and Industry (dti), supported 14 South African companies to showcase their ICT/tech innovations at Viva Technology in France.

Taking place from 24 to 26 May, the mission forms part of Wesgro’s efforts to develop a Trade-In-Services strategy. Out of the 14 companies five are from the Western Cape including: Alvarita, Karisani Pty Ltd, Domestly, Jonga and the Ispani Group.

The three-day event is aimed at fast-tracking the growth of digital industries. The conference and exhibition connects startups with global investors, companies and tech leaders. Last year’s event attracted over 6,000 startups, 1,400 investors and 68,000 visitors from 103 countries.

Acknowledging the important efforts to grow Western Cape Trade-In-Services, Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, said: “The Western Cape has a wide range of value adding manufacturing and service-oriented industries which account for 75 percent of the Province’s economic activity. Exports of such services to the rest of the world represents important growth prospects for the Cape economy.”

“Services represent an important and growing segment in international trade. Job creation efforts in the Province and South Africa as a whole will be positively impacted,” stated the Chief Business Officer at Wesgro, Yaw Peprah.

Denan Kuni, Head of Wesgro International Trade, added: “the Trade Promotion Unit at Wesgro is committed to working with relevant key players to build a trade in services strategy targeting markets in the rest of Africa, Europe, Asia, America’s and the Middle East.”

Johannesburg-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup Vizibiliti Insight and blockchain startup The Sun Exchange both won pitching challenges at the French tech summit, Ventureburn reports.

Vizibiliti Insight won first place in the Verizon challenge for pitching an alternative credit scoring solution, they won €5000. The Sun Exchange won the French development agency’s (AFD) Energy Blockchain challenge.

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