Red Bull is trying to position itself in the tech space in South Africa by launching Red Bull Basement - a new social tech basement programme - in South Africa.
According to the company, at the heart of the Basement programme is social innovation. The company believes that by combining social and technology ideas, collective and environmental problems can be solved. This will reportedly result in the development of not only the urban areas but also surrounding communities.
The Basement programme aims to expand and grow the tech community while establishing a brand that people can align themselves with. This includes supporting the maker, hacker, and tech ecosystems while guiding innovative and social growth.
The setup
To facilitate a social focus, the Red Bull Basement is built around hacker residency, a makerspace with free workshops, and monthly lectures. This setup will help guide and grow core innovative ideas from a prototype stage.
A core part of the programme is the Hatch events, which will take place in Johannesburg and Cape Town. These are a pipeline to expose the public to the programme and application process.
The residency will operate over two months, from 1 September to 31 October 2018 in Johannesburg. Those selected for the residency will have access to a state-of-the-art makerspace, which will include classes and mentorship sessions over the two-month period.
Mentorship and guidance
A range of technology innovators and thinkers will mentor and give guidance to each project. These experts range from a wide array of fields, such as entrepreneurship, software development, design, and hardware.
In order to participate, applicants will need a project that is already in the early production stage. This can consist of a blueprint draft, pictures, 3D models, pieces of code and even a working prototype.
For more, go to the Red Bull Basement website.
