Nairobi Garage is calling on Kenyan startups to apply for the for this years DataHack4FI competition with the winning team taking home US$5,000 and six months’ co-working facilities at Nairobi Garage.
A prize of $2,500 will also be awarded to the team that produces the best women and/or youth-centric solution. The second and third placed teams will each receive three months’ membership to the newly opened Nairobi Garage Club space.
The startups have up to February 21 to apply for the competition that will bring together finance, data and technology enthusiasts to develop data-driven solutions for delivering financial services to underserved communities in Africa.
The DataHack4FI competition, now in its second year is part of the insight2impact (i2i) initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in partnership with The MasterCard Foundation. It will feature regional competitions held in six African countries. The winning team from each country will progress to the grand finale in Kigali, Rwanda, in May 2018 – standing the chance to win US$25,000 and opportunities for investment.
“We are very proud that Nairobi Garage has been selected to facilitate the DataHack4FI Data Science Innovation Competition in Kenya in collaboration with the insight2impact, Liquid Telecom and FSD Kenya (FSDK). It is an exciting initiative, which highlights the important role of innovation in achieving financial inclusion for all. Not only does DataHack4FI focus on supporting local communities through inclusive financial services, it also presents the potential to develop solutions contributing to the economic empowerment of women and youth in Sub-Saharan Africa,” says Hannah Clifford, Director of Nairobi Garage.
During the competition, participants will have access to a series of webinars, and will come together for two meet-ups on February 22 and March 16 to work on their ideas with the help of expert mentors.
“Nairobi Garage, Liquid Telecom and FSDK have worked relentlessly to incorporate involvement with local experts, data scientists and regulators to ensure that we are able to engage and challenge fintechs and data fellows to develop, advocate, and collaborate to achieve a comprehensive vision for financial inclusion” said Dumisani Dube, from insight2impact (i2i).
