Six young entrepreneurs have won R12 000 in a business game challenge.
They competed in the FLUX entrepreneurship game run by UCT Careers Service, which gives students real-world problems to solve.
About 120 students and 20 industry experts took part in the one-day challenge, which saw students dividing into groups of six to pitch business proposals that used technology to change the face of education in South Africa.
Team Flex – comprising Dominic Schorr, Ntsako Mgiba, Nikhil Mohanlal, Jasanth Moodley, Do Yeou Ku and Jaydon Farao – were crowned the 2017 champions and took home the prize money for their idea to create an app, StartSmart, to help students.
The app would offer academic resources as well as daily quizzes and educational games, along with career guidance and help with scholarship, job and university applications.
“We use the data gathered during students’ use of our platform to link them to bursars and employers that fit their skills and interests and ensure that the best students have access to opportunities that are right for them,” said Dominic, a fourth-year mechatronics engineering student. “Nothing I’ve done so far at UCT or in this area have prepared me the way FLUX has.”
UCT spokesman Elijah Maholola said entrepreneurial skills were vital for students, whether they wanted to run their own businesses or better understand the dynamics of the companies they would work for once they graduated.
