Lekwakwe won for his child safety app PasswordKid (PkidMyChild) - which he is co-founder of. He walked away with a 12-month programme provided by the Innovate Durban Start-Up Support Programme, which will help further develop his business case and prototype.
The winner developed the app with the aim to help early development centres and primary schools prevent unauthorised people from picking up children. He and two other finalists at the pitching den delivered their pitches to a group of experienced judges and potential investors.
The criteria set out for the startups was simple, they needed to effectively demonstrate how their app is innovative, profitable, user friendly and above all highlight how their technology solution will benefit the user. Lekwakwe’s app managed to highlight all of these, hence why he won.
PasswordKid also works for transport operators, who in many cases are the ones who drop and collect kids from school.
Lekwakwe says: “Preparing for the pitch was never an easy journey and giving up was never an option. We are confident that our win was not just a win but the start of child safety at people's fingerprints.”
The first runner up was the Sarteco app, which provides early detection of irregular verbal cues and vehicle dynamics. Using model technology, the app creates common patterns and deviations to identify any trip irregularities. Connecting you to the necessary support.
Following closely behind was the Shesha app, which helps people receive emergency services anytime and anywhere and provides exact details of their location. Both runner ups walked away with prizes to help grow their business.
This year's summit unpacked and discussed how technology may be leveraged to create innovative safety solutions.
