![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.computerworld.in\/sites\/default\/files\/news\/2012\/07\/mobile-internet.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe African start-up industry is booming! In recent years this field has attracted record levels of funding and investor interest. Many exciting start-ups received capital from foreign backers last year, making up for the fact that financial ecosystems across the continent remain less than hospitable for small businesses.<\/p>\n
A significant proportion of technology start-ups are focusing on developing products and systems for mobile applications, especially in South Africa where 80% of internet users access the web via mobile only. Mobile broadband usage is also growing at an incredible rate here, seeing a 136% increase between August 2012 and August 2013.<\/p>\n
Here at Adzuna<\/a>, the subject of start-ups is naturally close to our hearts. We\u2019ve found three of the most innovate South African start-ups to inspire the entrepreneur in you. If starting your own business seems like a huge step, why not find work at an existing small business to gain experience in the industry? We currently have listings for over 400 vacancies in start-ups<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Start-ups<\/b> As well as being salaried employees, Mellowcab drivers have the opportunity to benefit from the company’s owner-operator scheme: after two years of successful cab operation, the driver becomes the owner of their own vehicle.<\/p>\n Obami<\/b><\/a> The move into e-learning presents vast opportunities for children, students and adults alike. Education is vital to addressing issues of poverty, health and gender inequality the world over; the internet provides an unrivalled means of acquiring and absorbing knowledge. As the Internet continues to become more accessible around the world, the ideal of open access to education for all is becoming a reality. The potential of e-learning networks like Obami is huge.<\/p>\n OurHood The OurHood network enables individuals to connect with others in their area via community noticeboards and private messaging, encouraging everything from lending ingredients to a neighbour in need, recommending local services, sharing lifts, organising events and reporting criminal activity.<\/p>\n Other cool homegrown start-ups to check out<\/b> Don\u2019t forget to follow Adzuna on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0for more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The African start-up industry is booming! In recent years this field has attracted record levels of funding and investor interest. Many exciting start-ups received capital from foreign backers last year, making up for the fact that financial ecosystems across the continent remain less than hospitable for small businesses. A significant proportion of technology start-ups are Continued \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":1303,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,61],"tags":[67,242,62,65,63,64,244,66],"class_list":["post-230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jobs","category-start-ups","tag-internet","tag-jobs","tag-mellowcabs","tag-mobile","tag-obami","tag-ourhood","tag-start-ups","tag-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.adzuna.co.za\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMellowcabs<\/b><\/a>
\nFounded in 2012, this Cape Town<\/a>-based company was created to tackle urban congestion and high carbon emissions, while also taking a slice of the multibillion rand taxi industry in South Africa. Statistics show that 80% of journeys within urban areas are under 3km but limited public transport infrastructure means that most of these journeys are undertaken by taxi. Mellowcabs offer an emission free alternative.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ventureburn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/mellowcabs.jpg\")
The tiny bike cabs are free to use and instead generate revenue from advertising on their exterior. This is not the only unusual feature of the cabs, however: using specialist technology, some energy from both pedaling and braking is harnessed and converted into electricity! The cabs also feature mobile phone charging stations as an incentive to travellers and illuminable panels to increase the visibility of advertising on the cabs.<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/en.starafrica.com\/entrepreneurship\/files\/2014\/02\/Obami_Orange.jpg\")
Founded by one of Africa\u2019s top female tech entrepreneurs, Obami is a social network for schools, which aims to facilitate e-learning and encourage equality in education. The site promotes increased interaction between pupils, parents and teachers within schools, and also fosters friendships between schools. Obami shares many features with Facebook, including status updates and instant messaging options, but additionally allows for easy sharing of everything from syllabus content and worksheets to online portfolios of work.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.ourhood.co.za\/signup_assets\/iphone.png\")
<\/a><\/strong>
\nOurHood is a brand new social network for neighbourhoods, which aims to bring communities together.\u00a0In many countries the rise of communication technology has actually led to isolation within communities as we forgot to connect with those closest to us geographically. By facilitating conversations between neighbours, the creators of the mobile and web tool hope to improve community living and increase the safety of residents.<\/p>\n
\nSkyrove<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0the biggest independent WiFi hotspot network in the country, with over 600 hotspots
\nPaperight<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0allows any establishment with a printer to become a print-on-demand bookshop, saving consumers money and making printed materials more accessible
\nSnapscan<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0Winner of App of the Year South Africa, Snapscan has cornered the mobile payments market in this country. The app allows you to pay for goods and services using only your phone, easily, quickly and securely. —\u00a0Interested in working here? There is currently one vacancy for a junior web developer<\/a>\u00a0at Snapscan!<\/p>\n