Meat Naturally and Agricool Finance were awarded joint first place in the 10th Annual Social Innovation Awards, while Leafline Washable Sanitary Wear scooped first place in the Disability Empowerment Awards.
All three winners were awarded R1.3 million in grant funding. A total amount of R12.6 million in grant funding and business development support was given away to all 17 finalists.
The Social Innovation Awards are aimed at innovators, entrepreneurs and institutions with prototypes or early-stage businesses that solve a social problem through a sustainable business model.
Joint first place Social Innovation winners were:
• Agricool Finance, based in KwaZulu-Natal, is a digital crowdfunding platform developed by Zamokuhle Thwala, that creates financial inclusion by providing small holder farmers with finance and market opportunities through its digital platform;
• Meat Naturally, social enterprise based in Mpumalanga, founded by Sarah Frazee, that supports communal farmers in building a sustainable farming model and provides market access for red meat producers.
Third place and R850 000 in funding was awarded to Invisio Al, founded by Kathryn Malherbe. Invisio AI uses machine learning to identify, segment and predict breast cancer type by means of ultrasound images and algorithms.
Disability Empowerment Award Winners
The Disability Empowerment Awards are aimed at promoting social innovations that improve the quality of life for people with disabilities through assistive devices, training or employment.
Leafline Washable Sanitary Wear, founded by Candy Androliakos and based in Port Alfred, was awarded R1.3million. Leafline employs people living with disabilities to manufacture affordable and biodegradable sanitary products, nappies, chair and bed protectors made from natural fibre.
Three other businesses were each awarded R500 000 in development funding. These businesses were:
• Sipokuhle Community Development founded by Sithembele Dlutu is a sustainable agricultural project based in East London that aims to empower young and vulnerable people with intellectual disabilities through skills development and job creation.
• Digital Interactive Educational Books, launched by the National Institute for the Deaf aims to promote language acquisitions through play.
• Virecom founded by Jabu Blose is a video remote communications company that provides high-definition video remote interpreting, on-site interpreting, written-text-to-sign language translation and training.
“Over the past nine years, we have invested R80 million in supporting 170 talented South African innovators,” says Bridgit Evans, SAB Foundation director. “After all of these years of being involved with social innovation at the SAB Foundation, I am still amazed and humbled by what each new round of our annual awards presents to us, and the levels of commitment and sacrifice that these unique entrepreneurs are prepared to make.
“This year in particular we were so inspired by the entrepreneurs that we have met – despite a challenging year due to the ongoing pandemic, we have seen these incredible people not just surviving, but in some cases, thriving”
All other finalists were awarded development and seed funding.