JOHANNESBURG – IF you have an idea about how you can use technology to help your community and grow the economy, you might be that expert the City of Johannesburg is looking to unearth and fund through a R5 million injection to second Hack.Jozi Challenge.

This includes R1 million for the winner and R350 000 for two runners-up and a boot camp for the top 100 ideas.

The Hack.Jozi Challenge is partnership with Wits University through the Johannesburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE).

Applications are now open for digital entrepreneurs with great tech ideas for the City of Johannesburg.

“We aim to accelerate visionary entrepreneurs in the ICT sector. This is important because ICT is central to improved productivity, economic growth and job creation,” says Executive Director from the Department of Economic Development, Ravi Naidoo.

“We are a young city with a young population and we have excellent business and research capacity, which can create the perfect environment for us to develop advanced ICT products and services.”

Interested applicants can use the challenge to address issues ranging from access to healthcare to affordable education.

Applicants can be individuals or teams, one of whom must live in the Johannesburg area.

The top 100 contestants will be offered after-hours entrepreneurship and business training that will help them refine the ideas.

These contestants will be hosted and mentored in the Jozi Digital Innovation Hub in Braamfontein.

There, they will have access to various resources, mentors, advisors as well as partners to make their vision of helping their community a reality.

The top 20 finalists will receive additional business mentorship and all who make the top ten will win a one-year membership of the ICT Hub in Braamfontein.

The deadline for submissions is 25 March.

The #Hack.Jozi Challenge is a boot camp for start-up entrepreneurs. It aims to contribute towards fostering skills, innovation and entrepreneurship in the digital technology space.

Desmond Mongwe won last year’s edition for his MoWallet solution.

The invention enables brands to connect with customers and improve distribution of vouchers in a fast moving consumer goods environment.