Bill Scanner, an app that simplifies the process of splitting a dinner bill between a large group, won the first ever Lean Startup Machine (LSM) competition in Johannesburg, South Africa, over the weekend.
More than 80 people attended the first Johannesburg edition of the global LSM, which has also previously taken place in Cape Town and Nairobi, with eight teams ending the three-day process by pitching to a panel of judges at the JoziHub.
Bill Scanner App came out on top after a process that saw the teams conceive, experiment with and build their products prior to pitching, beating off competition from Muti Hub, Book Party, Pay Walk, Bimble, Easy Mammas, Chapas Flip Flops and My Tiny Ed.
The winning team earned ZAR10,000 (US$900) startup capital and the same amount in book vouchers from sponsor Standard Bank, as well as ZAR20,000 (US$1,800) startup capital and six months incubation from co-sponsor Edge Growth.
Meanwhile, JoziHub is offering all teams that participated at the event 12 months free membership from November 1.
Lean Startup Machine workshops are inspired by Eric Ries’ book, The Lean Startup, and supported by him, aiming to teach attendees a process and methodology for discovering which products will succeed in the marketplace.