Kenyan entrepreneur William Wanyama is headed to the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, to pitch his startup for the chance to win EUR100,000 (US$114,000).
The opportunity came about after Wanyama was named winner of the African leg of the Global Innovation for Sports Competition organised by Hype Foundation.
He will now pitch against other regional winners, from the Middle East, Europe, United States, Balkans, United Kingdom and Latin America, for the chance to take home the EUR100,000 first prize.
The competition was open to startups with solutions for sports, be they wearables or apps. Wanyama’s mobile and web based solution UmpireRef assists referees by capturing live data to log ongoing match events, providing an easily accessible match management system.
Officials are able to log incidents – such as goals scored or fouls committed – in real-time through a quick and intuitive application interface, with the information then able to be broadcasted to other users of the application, such as spectators.
Meanwhile, spectators can use the app to discover games based on location, or to follow events remotely. UmpireRef is targeted at sports management institutions such as universities and sports clubs, or individuals looking to set up an event.
