Microsoft’s annual global student technology competition, Imagine Cup, has revealed the selected entries to compete at the World semi-finals taking place on 24 and 25 March 2021. The competition encourages students to build something that matters to them, make a difference in their communities and innovate for impact.
Three teams from Kenya have been selected to represent the country and advance in the competition. The teams impressed with their solutions for health, lifestyle, and educational issues.
The Kenyan teams are
1. Team Cafrilearn: This team created a project called Makini, consisting of a mobile app that supports devices and allows for the facilitation of digital learning at affordable costs.
2. Team Intellivolt: This innovation monitors over voltage, under voltage and power outages. Alerts from Azure applications in the form of SMS and emails are sent to relevant authorities in real time.
3. Team REWEBA (Remote Well Baby): Created a solution that serves as an early warning system. It digitally monitors growth parameters of babies and sends them to doctors remotely for timely intervention. It combines a variety of technologies to provide innovative functionalities for infant screening.
This year’s competition will bring together young minds from across the world, to collaborate virtually with the purpose of reimagining solutions. These solutions will address today’s global challenges in four categories; Lifestyle, Education, Earth, and Health.
The winning team will take home the Imagine Cup trophy along with Ksh. 8 million ($75,000) and a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella. This year, the competition also includes category prizes totalling to Ksh. 6.6 million ($60,000), plus Microsoft Learn Challenge monthly giveaways.
“In the current global climate, it’s become crucially importance to, through platforms such as Imagine Cup, create positive change using new tools and resources. The four categories for this year’s competition have been introduced to recognize and highlight more of the issues students are passionate about,” says Kendi Nderitu, Country Manager, Microsoft Kenya.
Another team representing Africa, Team Ubo from Tunisia, have come up with an intelligent game that offers educational activities to children with autism. The game, they hope, will help them maintain their treatment from home.
“We are absolutely thrilled that the Kenya teams have created solutions that are competing on a world scale. At Microsoft, providing platforms and creating environments that enable young innovators across that continent with a ‘breeding ground’ and resources from which to manifest and share their ideas has always been at the center of our purpose through digital transformation,” added Kendi.
Last year marked the 18th annual Imagine Cup. Six teams, including a team from Kenya, were selected to proceed to the World Championship.
The teams selected to advance to the World Finals, set to take place on 30 March, will be provided a Microsoft mentor. The mentor will help the teams refine their project, finesse their pitch, and provide technology and business plan guidance.