(QUALCOMM) – Qualcomm Continues its Commitment to the Emerging Technologies Ecosystem in Africa through Mentoring and Training Initiatives
Qualcomm Incorporated today announced the start-ups shortlisted for Qualcomm Make in Africa 2024as well as the winner of the Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund 2023. The platform Qualcomm Africa Innovationin its second year, aims to collaborate with Africa’s emerging technology ecosystem and support its development by providing mentoring, education and training programs focused on 5G, Edge-AI/ML, Programming, and Internet of Things. This year, Qualcomm received an overwhelming response, with around 250 applications from 30 countries.
Important points :
- Announcement of the start-up group for the Qualcomm Make in Africa 2024 incubation program highlighting technologies
- Announcing the winner of the Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund 2023, which helps start-ups increase their impact on society and the market
- Content development of the L2Pro Africa website is almost complete, offering free online training on Intellectual Property protection
As the first initiative of its kind in Africa, Qualcomm Make in Africa is a non-equity mentoring program that identifies promising start-ups interested in applying advanced connectivity and processing technologies such as 5G, Edge AI/ML, Programming and Internet of Things to innovative end-to-end system solutions, including at the hardware level. Having demonstrated exceptional potential on these topics, selected start-ups will benefit from no-cost mentoring, business coaching, access to engineering consultations for product development and advice on data protection. Intellectual property. The class of 2024 includes the following start-ups (listed in alphabetical order):
- Aurora Health (Kenya) provides AI-powered cardiovascular healthcare tools
- CropScan (Kenya) uses solar farms powered by the Internet of Things
- Cure Bionics (Tunisia) manufactures 3D printed smart prosthetic arms
- DevisionX (Egypt) provides AI-powered, low-code machine vision tools
- Kalio (Cameroon) builds AI-based tools for the Internet of Things applied to agriculture
- Kitovu (Nigeria) provides tools and software for intelligent management of agricultural warehouses
- NextAI Studios (Kenya) integrates AI-based emotion detection into children’s games for mental health monitoring
- RIM Nextgen (Kenya) uses smart tools to monitor propane consumption
- Sparcx (South Africa) uses AI to improve radar signal processing
- Vizmerald (Tunisia) works on AI-based inspection of the textile industry
Qualcomm is also proud to announce the winner of the Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund 2023. This fund, provided by Qualcomm as part of its Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™ initiative, aims to support start-ups in expanding their societal and commercial impact. EcoRich Solutions Limited, a women-founded organization based in Nairobi, Kenya, will receive funding to help scale the impact of its smart organic food composter. Funding Wireless Reach will help EcoRich address the dual challenges of organic waste management and the need for sustainable agricultural practices. This will reduce environmental pollution, improve crop yields for farmers and mitigate waste-related health risks for communities. The nine other start-ups in the class of 2023 will also receive valuable allocations to continue fueling their growth. These start-ups have demonstrated innovative use of wireless technology to meet the urgent needs of their communities.
Finally, Qualcomm is excited to highlight the advancements in the online learning platform L2Pro Africa IP, a free online training program designed to enable African start-ups, SMEs and researchers to protect, secure and optimize their innovations. This program was created in collaboration with Adams and Adams, the leading Intellectual Property (IP) law firm in Africa. The training content has been updated with individual filing procedures for patents, industrial designs and trademarks in the countries of Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Rwanda and within the two African patent organizations, ARIPO and OPADI. These step-by-step descriptions of country-specific filing requirements allow inventors to interact effectively with IP professionals, such as Intellectual Property attorneys, and their teams.
“I am delighted with the overwhelming response to theAfrica Innovation Platform This year “said Alex Rogers, president, QTL & Global Affairs, Qualcomm Incorporated. “The quality and diversity of the applications received reflect the immense talent and potential of the African technology ecosystem. We are excited to work with the shortlisted start-ups and provide them with the resources and support needed to drive innovation and create positive impact in their communities. »
“We congratulate Qualcomm on launching the second year of its platform Innovate in Africawhich not only provides the future generation of African entrepreneurs with expertise in essential areas such asAI/MLhealthcare, agri-technology, smart cities and communications, but also to give them the means to protect their intellectual property thanks to the complementary program L2Pro Africa “, said John Omo, Secretary General, African Telecommunications Union (ATU).
Mr. Omo also stressed that UAT remains steadfast in its commitment to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship across the continent. “Our Youth Innovation Program, among other initiatives, plays a crucial role in cultivating the talents and aspirations of young African visionaries”he said. “We are ready to collaborate with other partners to achieve this goal. »
For more information about Qualcomm Make in Africago to: https://www.qualcomm.com/company/locations/africa/qualcomm-make-in-africa.
