Delta Scan, with its engineering drone-based inspection technology and digital analysis, has walked off with the African leg of the Start-Up World Cup Pitch Competition at Africa Tech Festival that played out in Cape Town last week.
“I appreciate the belief the judges have in me, it helps with motivation. We’re on a good trajectory and it helps fuel the fire. We’re looking forward to taking this to the global stage,” said MD Darryl Epstein.
Epstein was one of eight start-up owners vying for the top prize at Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town, which is globally sponsored by Pegasus Tech Ventures. At the end of November, Epstein will join 49 other entrepreneurs from around the world at the finale in San Francisco, USA. The grand prize winner at that event, will walk away with $1-million to plough back into their business.
Sawyer Tadano, Pegasus’s south-east regional manager, said: “This was a fantastic event. There was lots of energy and variety in the pitches seeking to solve different types of problems. It was very interesting to see how Africans are solving problems.”
Delta Scan uses drone technology to transform the time-consuming and costly task of gathering information to inspect infrastructure – think bridges, buildings etc – and performing a real-time health check on these assets. “In the engineering world inspections are flawed, and mostly it’s an art of guesswork,” Epstein said.
The drone captures data, which is then used to build a 3D model. “We can analyse a building in a matter of minutes – which would usually take weeks for an engineering company to complete. The 3D analytical model is so precise it can see an ant on a building,” Epstein said.
Other pitches at the competition included innovative education solutions, mobile money apps, job recruitment and a beauty app and solution from Kenya that connects Beauticians and clients together in a seamless environment that rewards loyalty from all stakeholders.
Judge Zachariah George, of Launch Africa Ventures, said: “It was a tough call but we had to make sure the winner could put their business on the global stage.”
Keshni Morar, founder and CEO of Investable, agreed: “It was no easy feat standing here in a room with a strange audience, so well done. We need to get you guys on a global stage for Africa.”