Mauritius, Reunion Island and Madagascar form the top three in the Indian Ocean region for startups. Over the past few years, these three nations have proven to be particularly ambitious and dynamic in terms of entrepreneurship! Let’s discover together five startups that will undoubtedly make the news in the next 12 months.
Mauritius, the little dragon of the Indian Ocean
Mauritius is gradually becoming the focus of many foreign investors. Thus, the island has many startups that will not fail to amaze us during this freshly hatched new year.
IAME: the first Blockchain startup in Mauritius
Blockchain is a technology that still needs to be mastered, in order to strengthen the sense of trust that surrounds it. This is fitting, as Mauritius is home to the country’s first Blockchain startup. Called IAME Identification Network, the startup was born from the expertise of a trio who know their stuff: Nathaniel Tsang MangKin, Suryani Chang and Chiray Patel. These three entrepreneurs are working in regulatory, Blockchain/Back End and Front End respectively to grow the company.
The goal of this startup is to lift the mask of anonymity offered by Blockchain. To this end, IAME enables the verification of users’ identities during Blockchain transactions, without revealing sensitive and non-essential personal information to the parties involved.
On the way to Reunion Island, which has become an E-health island par excellence…
Reunion Island is a breeding ground for talent. This French department displays an uncommon dynamism, so much so that it’s hard not to make a longer list of startups that will deserve a lot of attention in 2018. However, here is a little taste with :
Torskal, the startup specializing in nanomedicine
Torskala was founded in 2015 by Anne-Laure Morel, who likes to describe herself as an entrepreneur-scientist. This young woman from Reunion Island has taken up the challenge of participating in the fight against cancer by combining nanoparticles and the extraordinary biodiversity of her island. Thus, Torskal’s mission is to design molecules from local bio-resources. The resulting molecules will complement existing cancer treatments, making chemotherapy less restrictive.
Oscadi and its connected ultrasound scanner for urgent consultations
Oscadi first introduced a revolutionary app in 2014. Named Oscult, it allows doctors to perform and transmit live emergency ultrasounds. Improved over the months by its designers, the application is the first of its kind, usable on iPad Air. Truly designed to move medicine forward in the right direction, the creation of Oscadi brings together all the qualities that were lacking in the field of ultrasound: lightness, transportability, autonomy, connectivity. With such a profile, we have no doubt that this startup will be in the news in the new year!
Madagascar is not left behind in terms of startups!
In recent years, Malagasy talent has come to the fore. Not a single month goes by without hearing about a startup that is born, showing an undeniable desire to grow and become a full-fledged economic player.
Solarland, the startup that will facilitate access to electricity in Madagascar
Providing electricity to rural areas of Madagascar: this is the challenge that Irfane Alimamod, creator of Solarland, has set himself. The young entrepreneur wants to take advantage of the under-exploited possibilities of solar energy, to bring light to the Malagasy people living in less urbanized areas. To date, 50,000 Malagasy homes have traded in the kerosene lamp for the sweet kiss of the electricity fairy, thanks to solar panels!
SolarGasy, the Malagasy solar lamp by Tsinjolalaina Fetranjara
The sun is an energy supplier that will probably never be in crisis, especially in Madagascar. Ingenious entrepreneurs such as Tsinjolalaina Fetranjara and his team understood that this was a manna waiting to be exploited to the full, and in an environmentally friendly manner. Thus, the young Malagasy created SolarGasy, which allows to use used batteries as a solar energy storage device. Having benefited from a year-long training course aimed at improving the original prototype, the SolarGasy team continues to seek the necessary funding through a crowdfunding campaign.
The year 2018 is just beginning, and we can already bet that all startups combined in this part of the Indian Ocean will evolve to scale.
