Cape Town-based social impact incubator RLabs has showcased ten new startups that have graduated from its Innovation, Incubation and Accelerator (InnovIA) Programme, bringing the total number of innovations it has produced in four years to 47.
Founded by Marlon Parker in 2008, RLabs is a global movement and registered social enterprise that provides innovative solutions to address various complex problems.
Its core activities are skills and training, community development, social and disruptive innovation, mobile and internet solutions, social enterprise incubation, impact investing and social franchising.
The unveiling of the latest batch of innovations takes the number of startups birthed through RLabs to almost 50, with the organisation saying through the programme it has been able to nurture the development of social innovations, while helping them survive and grow during the startup period.
“Startups are most vulnerable during the initial period, and taking an idea to an actual product, takes commitment,” said Parker.
The projects showcased included design and creative startup Design Lunatics, audio streaming widget CatchUP, which this week began a pilot period with the BBC World Service, jobs platform Kaazi, educational service RLabs U, and web-based innovation hub management platform HubBox.
Also showcasing was the mToto initiative, a flagship early childhood development (ECD), and its mToto bitcoin crowdfunding platform. Rewards solutions Zlto, informal trader ordering solution Spazaa and RLabs Radio, an incubator for digital radio innovations, completed the list.
“Following the RLabs incubation and support programmes, we believe that these projects have the best possible chance of success,” said Parker, who added that applications for the 2016 programme will open later this month.
