A total of 525 nominations were received, of which 46 were eligible to compete in 11 categories. The categories are Start-up of the Year, Best Newcomer, Founder of the Year, Best Student Start-up, Best Accelerator/Incubator Programme, Female Role Model in Tech, Best EduTech Start-up, Best Social Impact Start-up, People’s Choice, Best Start-up Ecosystem Initiative, and Best Water Crisis Management Solution.

FROM LEFT: Mckevin Ayaba Dormithienne, CEO and Founder: SASA; Vincent Nowaseb, General Manager, Innovation and Technology Development: NCRST; Enid Keramen, Acting CEO: NCRST; Pedrito Agostinho Da Fonseca, Winner of two categories, namely Start-up of the Year and Best Ecosystem Initiative; and Morné du Toit, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration and Finance: NUST.SASA places the spotlight on model entrepreneurship and aims to inspire a dynamic community of start-up enthusiasts; encourage serial entrepreneurship and involve policy makers as well as diverse mentors and promoters of tech-innovation. The NBII Manager of Innovation marketplace, Silas Newaka, said: “The event was hosted not only to recognise talent and give awards, but also to build an ecosystem of start-ups in Namibia. NBII recognises the need to prepare Namibia’s start-ups to compete with industrialised countries in the region and globally. A successful SASA programme requires partnerships, collaborations and sponsorships from all sectors of Namibian society.” The Start-up of the Year Award was won by Black Gold Engineering for being a tech start-up that has shown the greatest development over the last year based on growth, innovation and impact with its services. The Best Water Crisis Management Solution went to Solve Namibia, a venture that has shown the greatest development over the last year based on growth, innovation and impact with a product/service that uses technology to contribute to the sustainable improvement of the environment.

The awards are divided into three stages: National, Regional and Global Awards. The regional awards are slated for 21-22 November 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa, where all the Namibian award winners will represent the country.