Competing for EUR 10 000, HiiL Bootcamp delivers stellar finalists
In its mission, the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) aims to ensure that by 2030, 150 million people will be able to prevent or resolve their own justice problems. As global economic inequality rises in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, HiiL launched a search for technology-driven innovations, which can prevent or resolve a pressing justice need.
This week, HiiL’s top eight Southern Africa finalists will participate in a Justice Accelerator Kickoff event and Bootcamp. Led by guest speaker, the Honourable Dunstan Mlambo, Judge President of the Gauteng High Court and Chair of Community Advice Officers South Africa, the Bootcamp will help to identify the top five finalists, which will pitch for a place in the HiiL Justice Accelerator and a once off, non-equity grant of EUR 10 000 on the 30th September 2020.
The Kickoff event will be hosted online, and registrations are via the following link: https://bit.ly/SA-IJC2020
Themba Mahleka, co-head of the HiiL Justice Accelerator Southern Africa, says that the nominated finalists have all presented sustainable business models that show impressive growth potential and the ability to resolve justice issues that are relevant to a large number of people: “We are very excited about the calibre of our finalists this year. Our selection process is thorough and based specifically on the potential impact, scale, and sustainability for justice innovations.”
Mahleka says that this year’s Bootcamp will also focus on the impact of Covid-19 and access to justice for ordinary people across the region: “It is important to ensure that our sessions remain relevant to the everyday struggles of the country. Reviewing the finalists has been such a fulfilling experience as innovation for justice is alive and well, with many small businesses passionately supporting this vital need in society today.”
The eight finalists who participating are:
pop.law
A digital legal consultancy, which is democratizing the law for everyday South African people and business owners by offering affordable, accessible digital legal services, products, and content.
Green Governance Zimbabwe Trust
A community organization, which provides innovative methods of access to justice for artisanal and small-scale miners in Zimbabwe.
Luma Law
A chatbot providing practical information on the law and legal processes disseminated via Facebook Messenger, together with access to affordable on-demand legal assistance.
OwnedBy
A platform for the registration of appliances and devices, providing them an online identity to help with recovery if stolen.
Lenoma Legal
A specialist in the provision of virtual legal services and documents for small businesses in South Africa.
GetLaw
A virtual legal platform, which specializes in reducing the cost and accessibility of legal services for ordinary South Africans.
Kleva Contracts
Provides online contract creation, access to legal services, and educational material in multiple South African languages.
Legal Ascend
An online document creation tool, which focuses on saving time, money, and effort in the wind-up of deceased estates.
HiiL is supported in its work by the Dutch Postcode Lottery to run the Justice Innovation Programme in Southern Africa.
For more information, please contact JustInnovateSA@HiiL.org
