To further strengthen our positioning as ‘Africa’s Tech Capital’, the Digital Economy unit in the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) have launched the first Dash-Tech programme to build on the local start-up culture to support the tech ecosystem and create an enabling environment for future growth and job creation in the digital economy in the Western Cape.
Coinciding with ‘tech month’, the DashTech programme is a series of events held in November, targets five specialised sub-sectors within the tech ecosystem to create a platform for diverse stakeholders to meet, strengthen partnerships, foster collaboration and nurture innovation, improve local product development and open new markets and supply-chains for local tech businesses. This approach also aims to fill structural gaps in the ecosystem, from sources of funding to the quality and quantity of start-ups and the efficacy of incubators and accelerators.
The five ecosystems featured in this year’s edition of the DashTech programme include:
- ScreenTech: technologies that utilise any form of a digital screen to interface with people including film, multimedia, gaming, animation, mobile, etc.
- SafetyTech: Safety and security related technologies towards safe and cohesive communities
- Fintech: Financial technology including mobile payments, e-wallets, that improve and automate the delivery and use of financial services
- TownshipTech: A variant of the general ‘Smart Cities’ concept attuned to local township conditions and geared toward technology solutions for township communities
- 4IRTech: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, additive manufacturing, Internet of Things and other emerging technologies
The launch of the DashTech programme follows on the launch of the new brand positioning Cape Town and the Western Cape as “Africa’s Tech Capital”, which affirms the Western Cape’s status as leader of the African tech ecosystem thanks to the many tech and digital businesses based primarily in Cape Town and the Stellenbosch region.
The tech sector has shown great resilience through the Covid-19 pandemic and programmes like DashTech, which have been initiated by our Digital Economy unit at DEDAT, will bring more companies together and foster the right environment for them to the sector to grow, creating jobs and contributing to the economy in the Western Cape.
DEDAT together with their partners, Silicon Cape Initiative & Loudhailer and IESA (Interactive Entertainment South Africa), CiTi (Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative) and KPMG will be hosting the DashTech events in formats tailored to the needs of the sector.
Launching today, 2 December 2020, is the Fintech and 4IR Tech Challenge being run by KPMG. This initiative gives Western Cape based Fintech and 4IR-Tech firms the opportunity to showcase their solution to investors, potential corporate clients and other ecosystem stakeholders to interact in a constructive manner and enhancing business value.
Entries for the Digital Innovation Matchmaking Challenge open on 30 November 2020 with the finalists showcases in late February 2021.
For more information of the ecosystems initiatives, please email Dedat.Broadband@westerncape.gov.za or visit https://www.westerncape.gov.za/site-page/dash-tech-x-tech. For a listing of the events, workshops and conferences taking place, please refer to the ‘Events & Notices’ section on the website.
