Following a two-week-long online registration process and continuous evaluation of all entries, HiPipo has unveiled the 17 teams that will participate in this year’s Women in FinTech Hackathon and Summit. Altogether, over 40 applications majorly from Uganda but also from Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana came in.
The Women in FinTech Hackathon will convene developers – 75 percent of them being women – between 8th and 14th October to come up with financial inclusion solutions that address their community needs, aided by Level One Project principles and latest technologies like Mojaloop Open Source Software (OSS).
The shortlisted teams are women-led, with 2 to 4 members, and each team having at least 75 percent female composition.
The Hackathon, organized by HiPipo in partnership with Crosslake Technologies, Modusbox, Mojaloop, and Level One Project, will culminate in the Women in FinTech summit on Friday, October 15th, 2021 where the three top teams will be announced and share USD5,000 in prizes.
“I am happy to note that the registration process went on smoothly with over 40 teams applying. We went through all entries and thereafter shortlisted the best 17 teams. Even though we would wish to have all the 40 teams participating because they deserve it, we are constrained by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, financial, and space restrictions. We encourage those that didn’t make the final list to continue pursuing their products as every effort counts in this financial inclusion journey,” Innocent Kawooya, the HiPipo CEO noted while unveiling the Women in FinTech initiative.
He added: “As we noted recently, the top three teams in the Hackathon will be shortlisted to be a part of the inaugural 90-days Women-in-FinTech Incubator. The Incubator is a program designed to further concretize their product development and business acumen, and improve their readiness for the fintech industry.”
“Most of all, as we continue to profess, the initiative continues to serve the truth that 100% financial inclusion will only occur if the effort is directed to bringing more women into the digital innovation and business space. HiPipo, with its Include Everyone program, and in concert with the Gates Foundation and other stakeholders, is proud to continue serving this purpose. We promise a fantastic arena to acquire and share the digital skills towards that end.”
Empowering Innovators and Women in FinTech
HiPipo is proud to remain one of the continent’s premier advocates for the creation, dissemination, and adoption of digital financial services, and we remain highly enthusiastic to provide the ways and means for our innovators to fully develop solutions that will collectively lead millions of our people to better lives and improved livelihoods.
The inaugural Women in FinTech initiative in 2020 exceeded expectations and left no doubt that women are ready to play a starring role in the digital financial services space and can fill the product gap the sector currently contends with.
All the 15 participating teams in 2020 presented excellent ideas, and HiPipo is more than pleased to reveal that it supported three (3) of them to grow into startups, each with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that’s ready for the market, which was a success to an extent that they went on to take part in the recently-concluded 40 Days 40 FinTechs initiative.
Shortlisted Teams for the Women in FinTech Hackathon 2021
1. Kuzimba -Ephrance Eunice Namugenyi
2. Hack Girls – Halimah Bukirwa
3. TotoSave – Patricia Rhoda Nekesa
4. PesaJet – Emily Sonia Nakabuye
5. Tegeka Investment Club – Shamim Nakayiza
6. Farmers Financial Development Avenues(FFDA) – Awori Vivian Maria
7. KaCyber Technologies – Nakacwa Fauzia
8. Izere EduBank – Shamim Nirere
9. GroBiz – Diana Najjuma
10. Team MUBS – Namwone Brenda Tabitha
11. SchoolPesa – Mercy Chelimo Yesho
12. Anzisha Africa – Pauline Nalunga
13. Team Affinity – Marieh Musimenta
14. MpaMpe – Emily Immaculate Namuganga
15. Green Shares Ltd – Annet Nanyanzi
16. Belle Beauty Uganda – Sharon Alice Namugerwa
17. Care For Her – Tusiime Emily Queen
Important Dates:
- 8th to 14th October: Women in FinTech hackathon underway.
- 15th October: Women in Fintech Summit.
Benefits:
- Networking with fellow Developers and Facilitators from across the World.
- Mentorship from Industry Players and Business Leaders.
- Access to the latest infrastructure and technology.
- USD 5000 Prize Money to be shared by the winning teams.
- Fully paid 90 days Incubator Program for three top teams.
Prize Money Breakdown:
- Winning Team: USD2000 and participation in 90 Days Incubator Program
- First Runner Up: USD1000 and participation in 90 Days Incubator Program
- Second Runner Up: participation in 90 Days Incubator Program.
