Youth Buzz Award: |30 December 2019
All the winners in a souvenir photograph with guests (Photo: Joena Meme)
Tech innovators clinch top prizes
Now in its 5th year, the 2019 Youth Buzz Award saw the first prizes for both the start-up category and for the existing business category go to young tech entrepreneurs, Wolfgang Germain and Aisha De Comarmond.
The awards ceremony was held on Saturday at Hilton Labriz Lounge in the presence of Designated Minister Macsuzy Mondon, principal secretary for youth and sports Fabien Palmyre, chief executive of the Seychelles National Youth Council (SNYC) Penny Belmont and board members of the SNYC, among other guests.
The Youth Buzz competition, organised by the SNYC through the Youth Entrepreneurship Board, offers young entrepreneurs the opportunity to put forward their business ideas or projects with the chance of winning cash prizes, mentorship opportunities and exposure.
The competition is broken down into two categories – one for prospective start-ups for youths with feasible business plans that is close to maturity and the other for existing businesses for youths who have been trading for not more than two years.
Twenty-six year old Wolfgang Germain, and business partner Joel Edmond, came out first in the start-ups category with their commission-based online start-up, ‘seamaster.sc’ and took home the sum of R50,000.
Mr Germain explained that the website aims to market and bring exposure to any marine related activities in the Seychelles such as boat charters, glass bottom boats, and big game fishing.
The website, which promises ‘all the adventures the Seychelles sea offers at the best discount rates’, allows users to locate and book marine activities of their choice.
“Around 80% of boat charters do not have a web presence and we wanted to cater to this need. Our website is already up and now we are entering the marketing phase; we were just waiting for some form of financing which we have now received through this,” Mr Germain noted.
“We were confident that our project would be something innovative that would help bring a difference,” Mr Edmond added.
The second prize in the start-up category went to Mariette Dine and third place to Steven Roseline, who won the sums of R25,000 and R15,000 respectively.
Meanwhile the first prize for existing businesses went to app developer Aisha De Comarmond with her app which hopes to revolutionise the way businesses operate and how consumers avail of their services.
“It is an app that connects vendors and users for services, so basically you will be able to book for appointments online or request for these services to come to your home,” she explained.
Ms De Comarmond came up with the idea when she realised that the cost of rent in Seychelles is too expensive for some business and hence why mobile businesses have been booming over the last few years such as mobile makeup artists or hairdressers.
“My proposal was also strongly inspired by my experience when I moved back from studying in the UK; I missed the conveniency of things. As a young professional you don’t have time to call to places to get an appointment but now you will have the conveniency of a 24/7 online option.”
“If you go on the app, you will be able to search for the services you are looking for – whether a barber, a spa or whichever – and you will be able to book your date, time and the team member who you want to get your services from. People can also receive reminders and pay for the services online,” Ms De Comarmond detailed.
She further expressed her hopes that the app would foster a more tech-savvy and cashless society.
Although she has already registered her business venture, Ms De Comarmond noted that the app expects to be officially launched early next year.
In the same category, the second prize of R25,000 was won by Noris Isaac and third prize of R15,000 by Yannick Savy, known as Damasy in the entertainment industry.
Since the Youth Buzz competition started over 115 young entrepreneurs have benefitted from it in one form or another.
Elsie Pointe
