Number Boost has won the South African leg of the NTT Open Innovation Contest that recognises start-ups that work on solutions linked to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Number Boost is a start-up that builds custom artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions. The company applies cutting-edge deep learning to solve real-world problems with a focus on computer vision and real-time machine learning.
Alex Conway, founder of Number Boost, comments: “We are very proud to have won such a prestigious contest and look forward to the opportunity that this will present to develop the business further.”
The NTT Open Innovation contest is run across 20 cities, around the world through January and February 2019, with start-ups presenting pitches to challenges presented from the various regions. Number Boost was announced as the winner today who will join the other regional winners in Tokyo in March 2019 where they will compete in the grand finale for a three-month business mentorship from NTT.
In South Africa, seven finalists were chosen from the start-ups that sent through their applications in November last year. The finalists pitched their start-ups to a panel of judges that included the NTT Data head of open innovation and business incubation, the Britehouse chief operating officer and a Dimension Data Solutions executive.
Dimension Data’s CEO for Middle East and Africa, Grant Bodley, says: “As a responsible corporate citizen, we are very proud to be part of accelerating the ambitions of individuals and to be investing in South Africa’s economy through initiatives such as the NTT Open Innovation Contest.”
Currently in its ninth year, the NTT Open Innovation contest aims to identify mature start-ups that can work with NTT Data to create a new global platform to solve the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These goals are the blueprint for a more sustainable future and address global challenges such as poverty, food insecurity, gender inequality, and lack of access to healthcare, water and sanitation.
Bodley adds: “We wish Number Boost all the best in competing with the other regional winners in Tokyo.”