Global energy drink company Red Bull has launched its Red Bull Basement programme in South Africa in a bid to encourage social innovation.
The company has already held the first of its Red Bull Basement Hatch events in Johannesburg as it looks to build a pipeline for the programme, which has social innovation at its heart.
Red Bull said that by combining social and technological ideas, collective and environmental problems can be solved. The Red Bull Basement is built around hacker residency, a makerspace with free workshops, monthly lectures, and an annual festival at the end of a two-month residency programme, a setup it believes will help guide and grow core innovative ideas from a prototype stage.
The residency will operate over two months, from September 1 to October 31, in Johannesburg. Those selected for the residency will have access to a state-of-the-art makerspace, which will include classes and mentorship sessions over the two-month period.
A range of technology innovators and thinkers will mentor and give guidance to each project. These experts range from a wide array of fields, such as entrepreneurship, design, and hardware.
In order to participate, applicants will need a project that is already in the early production stage. This can consist of a blueprint draft, pictures, 3D models, pieces of code, or even a working prototype.
