Innovex Uganda Limited, a company that develops a number of problem-solving technologies has scooped US dollars 10,000 (about Shs37.3 million) in the 2018 Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge, a competition that attracted 300 competitors.
In the competition, Innovex pitched Remot, a technology which makes energy accessible to low-income earners and rural communities by providing Pay-As-You-Go options and remote monitoring services to solar contractors.
Remot is a smart off-grid information system that aims at monitoring and controlling solar panels.
Running for the second year, through the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge, Cisco is recognizing young entrepreneurs who are developing innovative technologies that “have the ability to change the world.”
The overall winner scores a total of US$300K (more than Shs1 billion) in prizes.
The participating teams developed solutions to challenges across education, healthcare, energy, the environment and more.
Reports indicate that over 70 percent of Ugandans having no access to hydro power, and off-grid solar electricity has been an alternative but it’s growth has been hindered the high initial cost and the poor aftersales support.
Through their project Innovex Uganda Limited hopes to make energy accessible to low-income earners and rural communities by providing Pay-As-You-Go options and remote monitoring services to solar contractors.
The innovation eliminates the high costs of extending solar services by companies needing to set up branches and offer services to customers.
The company has so far realized a total of 20 solar contractors who are hiring its services.
Run by Douglas Baguma, David Tusubira and Alvin Kabwama, all alumni of Makerere University, Innovex also offers short courses related to robotics and embedded programming, drones services and a store of hardware such as andruino kits, communication and input devices, development boards among others that are used in building embedded systems.
Awards
The overall winners of Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge 2018 walked away with US$100,000.
CareNX developed Feton, a portable, IoT-based fetal heart monitoring solution to enable fetal heart assessment anytime and anywhere that won the grand Prize.
These were followed by JaraUnit, a low-cost, personal crank and solar powered tablet that teaches geographically custom education to refugees, without requiring access to a classroom. These walked away with US$75,000.
Second Runners included Up Flux, an easy-to-install smart water meter from Kenya; M-Shule, a system that provides SMS-based, educational support to help students in Sub-Saharan Africa; and Team PowerStove‘s smokeless uses 70% less biomass fuel.
Each bagged US$25,000.
Other Third Runners Up were, Flux Marine, who presented zero-emissions electric boat motors and Strados Labs, who are developing a wearable smart sensor and connected application to help the 500 million people living with respiratory conditions easily and automatically monitor lung health.
Taking the People’s choice award was UjuziKilimo Solutions that collects and analyzes farm data using sensors, GPS satellites and mini weather stations to influence decisions taken by farmers and agricultural stakeholders.
Through this challenge, Cisco hopes to positively impacting 1 billion people by 2025.
