Cyber Security Hackathon winners to benefit from incubation programme
Some of the winners of Blue Economy Cyber Security Hackathon with guests during the Blue Economy Innovation and Investments Summit in Mombasa.
What you need to know:
- The blue economy innovation and investment summit seeks to expand knowledge and opportunities that will foster growth of the blue economy.
- Growing the blue economy will open up opportunities for growth of new industries and open investment opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Ten Mombasa-based startups will benefit from an incubation programme, after winning the Cyber Security Hackathon at the Blue Economy Innovation and Investments Summit in Mombasa. The summit was sponsored by Slovak, GIZ and partners.
The startups, which include Bio Secure, Tide Safetynet and Seatrust Navigator, will receive six months technical and financial support to bring their ideas to life, said Sote Hub Founder David Ogiga.
“Our focus for this year’s hackathon at the conference was circular economy, cyber security, blue economy, climate change and digital economy. These ideas are refreshing and scalable and we will support them here at Sote Hub,” Mr Ogiga said.
Bio Secure, is creating a highly secure biometric system to replace traditional credit cards for ATM access.
The system uses iris scanners and also fingerprints to ensure that you are the authorized person to access the bank ATM. The solution is not only for banks but also for stores that uses ATM cards.
Growth of blue economy
Tide Safetynet ensures safety in the ocean by providing real-time ocean wave information, warning fishermen about high or low tides, and assisting swimmers in identifying safe days for swimming, effectively reducing the risk of accidents.
Seatrust Navigator is a web application platform that will facilitate cooperative registration, advertising, sales, and service access, fostering collaboration and business growth while mitigating pollution’s adverse effects on water bodies and marine life.
Some of the winners of Blue Economy Cyber Security Hackathon with guests during the Blue Economy Innovation and Investments Summit in Mombasa.
“We call upon young people to continue to innovate by coming up with more ideas that will help mitigate climate change and increase employment,” Mr Ogiga added.
The blue economy innovation and investment summit is a one-week series of events that seeks to expand knowledge and opportunities that will foster growth of the blue economy.
Growing the blue economy will open up opportunities for growth of new industries, innovation of new and improved technologies and open investment opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Transformative change
Youth Affairs and Sports Cabinet Secretary, Ababu Namwamba, underscored the role of young people in driving innovation and transformation, which he noted was key to growing the society to the next level.
“Young people in this community are now drivers of change. We have demonstrated time and again that our young people are innovators,” Namwamba said.
The Slovak Ambassador to Kenya, Katarina Leligdonova, also noted that the growth of the blue economy would allow for the growth of new industries and foster innovation in new and improved technologies.
The UN-Habitat Deputy Executive Director, Michal Mlynár, lauded the involvement of youth in innovation, which he noted was a driver for transformative change.
“Innovation when applied in the right context is indeed a catalyst for change. Through science and innovation, communities will be able to better harness the blue economy potential for sustainable development,” he said.
