5 Day Hackathon Bus ride coming to Africa (Indiegogo Review) #startupbus #startupbusafrica #indiegogo

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Funding Period: September 13th – October 13th

Goal: 10,000 EURO

Reason: 5 days Hackathon on a Mobile Bus through Africa.

Startup Bus is coming to Africa!  If you don’t know about Startup Bus, it is a unique hackathon where teams of designers,  developers and entrepreneurs compete on a bus as they travel together for a few days.  The passengers of the bus have one objective, and that is to conceive,  build and launch a new business before the trip is over.  Startup Bus started in 2010 and they have had multiple trips in the Americas and Europe.  Now they are looking to launch the inaugural African hackathon through Startup Bus Africa.

Startup Bus Africa will be a 2500km, 5 day trip through the southern part of Africa.  Along the way, the 40 (half from Africa and half from the rest of the world) assembled Entrepreneurs will make stops at various African Tech hubs, as they try to find solutions in the areas of healthcare, mobile technology and Energy.  Upon conclusion of the trip, they plan to present the solution to a group of investors.  Startup Bus Africa have taken to indiegogo to raise the funds required to  fund the travel expenses of entrepreneurs that will be competing in this competition.

I am a big fan of Hackathons, innfact Smile and Mobile just got back from covering a Hackathon at the Global youth summit in Costa Rica last month. Hackathons are a good way to spark creativity,  and it is important to for these type of grass root tech hubs to exist in Africa.  It is through these type of groups that the African version of Google or Facebook will emerge.  Innovation is contagious, and once a region gets a taste of it, it starts to spread!

So if you like the idea of a group of international and African entrepreneurs coming together to tackle tech issues in the world of healthcare, mobile and energy.  Then head on over to indiegogo and help bring Startup Bus to Africa.  If they they hit their goals, then a bus full of African innovators will take off from Zimbabwe and…………………………….…….Stay Mobile! (all the way to Johannesburg!)