Zim innovators! POTRAZ has ZWL$175 mil up for grabs

Staff Writer

9 June 2022

The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) has announced that its annual hackathon has returned. POTRAZ is looking for local entrepreneurs and inventors who have solutions that can improve the social and economic standing of the country.

Who can apply?

The POTRAZ Hackathon is open to all Zimbabweans who are:

A resident in Zimbabwe;
Passionate about technology and innovation;
Have ideas or existing projects that make use of ICTs to proffer solutions that improve the country’s socio-economic status;
Individuals or a team of motivated people who would like to further develop their innovative idea or an existing project.

There are two ways to participate:

You can apply as an individual; or
As a team of up to 5 participants.

Those willing to participate in the Challenge must have completed their Application Forms (link here), no later than 19 June 2022. Access to the form after this date will not be possible.

A total of ZWL$175 million is available to implement the successful ideas with support from the Innovation Drive. Shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than 24 June 2022. You can email all enquires to innovationdrive@potraz.gov.zw.

POTRAZ reserves the right to change the above-stated dates or the format (virtual to physical). No transfer, grant or license of rights under any patent or copyright or to any intellectual property, proprietary information and/or trade secret is made or is to be implied by completing this application. Submit the completed application online at: https://bit.ly/drivezw1

Applications submitted via the Innovation Drive email will not be accepted.

Entrepreneurship, Opportunities, Startups

26 comments

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Kuz

9 June 2022 10:24

As usual, the finalists will overwhelmingly be from Harare and the winner will be a male developer from Harare, so what’s the point of other provinces/cities and genders applying.

Reply
1. Anonymous
  
  9 June 2022 11:25
  
  Une idea ipi? Don’t be the best at complaining. There are other competitions available world wide. If you’re good, you’re good and you’ll be picked up even if it’s not for this competition. Continue doing what you do best and leave the complaints for others. As it stands, you sound just like every other ordinary Zimbo without an idea that’s worth it’s salt.
  
  Reply
  1. George
    
    9 June 2022 15:15
    
    Well said
    
    Reply
  2. Russian with Attitude
    
    9 June 2022 18:47
    
    I feel like most Zimbos are just good at complaining nowadays
    
    Reply
    1. Kuz
      
      9 June 2022 20:56
      
      Well some things need to be said
      
      Reply
2. Moses
  
  9 June 2022 14:36
  
  Maybe Harare has the best to offer in this space. Have you thought about that
  
  Reply
3. Sibbs
  
  9 June 2022 14:56
  
  Just apply from wherever you are, do your best and let’s see if you they don’t pick you!
  
  Reply
4. Kuz
  
  9 June 2022 20:54
  
  I hear you but I’m just saying that it’s such a coincidence that the finalists are always majority male developers from Harare. You are probably saying that because you’re a male from Harare so you probably can’t relate.
  
  You will probably change your opinion the day you notice that people like you are constantly being left out and certain types of people are always winning or receiving opportunities. You can’t tell me that every year Harare male developers are the only people who have the best to offer in this space. And if it is really true (which I doubt) then that shows that there is a problem and more needs to be done to promote and incubate innovation in other cities/provinces.
  
  Reply
  1. chido
    
    10 June 2022 07:42
    
    Stop disappointing us women by being sexist. We women even have more chances of winning coz they will be promoting girl child. We are privileged. Sharpen your pitching skills and your business model YOU WILL MAKE IT AND MAKE US PROUD> please stop complaining. one love
    
    Reply
5. Tinashe Kanukai
  
  9 June 2022 21:15
  
  Kkkkk this gender will always complain what they want is to see the competition being open to girls only
  
  Reply
  1. Mabhena
    
    10 June 2022 10:41
    
    So one person whom you assumed was a woman complained and you immediately decided to complain about “this gender” in turn? No wonder she assumes that sexism is well and alive.
    
    Reply
6. Mabhena
  
  10 June 2022 10:36
  
  If you are specifically talking about these Potraz competitions, history would prove you incorrect. Of course men and Harare have numbers on their side, nothing more. There are simply more people in Harare and software developers tend to be predominantly male. I can also add that these competitions tend to be intentionally slightly biased in favour of women in order to offset their lower participation rates and encourage more to apply in the future. Potraz sometimes goes out of its way sometimes to take these events outside Harare (unfortunately the bar was already pretty low on that one). It’s okay to complain if you see what you think is bias but don’t let it become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
  
  Reply
7. George
  
  21 June 2022 18:39
  
  It’s not like that. For your own info, previous hackathon finalist was a female. Those who were there can testify. If you don’t have anything to offer, stay out of the way
  
  Reply
Kuz

9 June 2022 10:25

As usual, the finalists will overwhelmingly be from Harare and the winner will be a male developer from Harare, so what’s the point of other provinces/cities and genders applying?

Reply
kuz

9 June 2022 11:41

form download link is dead 🙁

Reply
Russian with Attitude

9 June 2022 18:41

Thank you POTRAZ we need more of these competitions in Zimbabwe coz without technology and idealist we are a dead nation

Reply
Zviriko

9 June 2022 20:19

Ndikudunga hangu kuhwina ndobva ndarova marata…bye zim 🤣 🤣

Reply
1. Isaac
  
  9 June 2022 22:13
  
  😂😂 une plan iwe
  
  Reply
Mabhena

10 June 2022 11:06

Yes, yes Potraz. Give young computer nerds with social anxiety and zero business experience bucketloads of money to start businesses. If it was up to me I would change this back to a pitch competition and instantly disqualify anyone who uses words like “disrupt” or “innovative” in their presentation.

They changed these competitions to hackathons instead of business plan competitions because most of the previously funded projects were fizzling out. Unfortunately hackathons are not how you discover tomorrow’s business leaders. The python skills of a 22 year old rarely translate to actual business acumen.

It’s funny because the so-called out-of-the-box ideas that typically win these competitions are the ones least likely to work or be actually useful in the real world. To come up with software that someone (or a company) would actually pay for requires the kind of domain knowledge that only people in the target industry have. Without knowledge or experience in any industry we get the Married Men’s Database.

Reply
Cyrx

11 June 2022 09:57

The innovation drive is of no use if we do not have the only requirement need. The link to the application forms is not working.

Reply
1. Maverick01
  
  12 June 2022 11:40
  
  Yeah seems the entire potraz website is down.
  
  Reply
Taurai Mirimi

13 June 2022 18:40

ICT is not confined to software as insinuated here, it also includes hardware and may not have software as key novelty area but other way round. It’s whole spectrum of information and communication technology, and one can actually split these 3 area of expertise and judge each seperately. IMHO

Reply
Taurai Mirimi

13 June 2022 19:06

ICT is not confined to software as insinuated here, it also includes hardware and may not have software as key novelty area but other way round. It’s a whole spectrum of information and communication technology, and one can actually split these 3 areas of expertise and judge each seperately. IMHO

Reply
Ashley Musihiwa

15 June 2022 17:22

Great initiative.
Needing funding a lot.
Hopefully we get selected. Funding in ZWL may not be necessarily effective for startups in the prevailing inflationary environment.

Reply
leeroy

22 June 2022 12:56

This is a good initiative by Potraz, I would say kudos and keep on empowering our early-stage entrepreneurs by giving them the financial muscle to roll out their businesses. This will greatly vamp our economy and create employment keep investing in initiatives such as these and certainly, we will get there as a country.

One thing I would also comment on innovation drive is the fairness and transparency they showcase throughout this competition.

Reply
Tinotenda Hamandishe

27 November 2022 10:40

i would liketo join the heckathon group am very passionate about technology in Zimbabwe

Reply