Three South African startups have been included on leading social venture funder the Nominet Trust’s NT100, a list of the 100 most inspiring digital social innovations in the “tech for good” market.
The list was chosen by a steering committee which included angel investor Sherry Coutu, Tom Hulme of Google Ventures and Wayra Europe director Simon Devonshire, and is designed to showcase how technology’s transformative power is driving change around the world.
The innovative South African startups recognised on the list are MAMA, which provides antenatal and health information using mobile devices, TxtAlert, which provides appointment, medication and health information to patients by SMS, and Young Africa Live, which helps young Africans to combat HIV/AIDS with multi-format information.
Annika Small, chief executive officer (CEO) of Nominet Trust, said: “There is a striking progression in the quality and maturity of this year’s NT100, indicative of a wider evolution in the ‘tech for social good’ sector as a whole.”
The list also includes HarassMap, an anonymous crowd-mapping platform for sexual harassment in Egypt, as well as Ghana’s mPedigree.
Small said: “More people than ever before are using technology to solve problems that matter to them in bold new ways. This year’s NT100 list is populated by extraordinary people with inspirational stories to tell and it shows us that imagination, social conscience and technology make a potent mix to affect change.”
