USD 1 million (Ksh 75 million) is up for grabs in a new competition announced by the world’s leading maker of mobile phones, Nokia.

Targeting local innovators and developers, The Growth Economy Venture Challenge is part of Nokia’s global Calling All Innovators 2010 competition, with participants expected to create a mobile phone solutions that raise living standards of the local people. The contest which officially kicked off this week is not limited to software or hardware that uses Nokia device or software platforms, and will consider any submission that enhances the target growth economy and also provides a potential return on the investment. The prize money will go to a single winning organization with the best idea as decided by a combination of judges from Nokia Growth Partners, Nokia’s venture arm, and Forum Nokia- Nokia’s organization dedicated to third party developers and other innovators

Targeting local innovators and developers, The Growth Economy Venture Challenge is part of Nokia’s global Calling All Innovators 2010 competition, with participants expected to create a mobile phone solutions that raise living standards of the local people. The contest which officially kicked off this week is not limited to software or hardware that uses Nokia device or software platforms, and will consider any submission that enhances the target growth economy and also provides a potential return on the investment. The prize money will go to a single winning organization with the best idea as decided by a combination of judges from Nokia Growth Partners, Nokia’s venture arm, and Forum Nokia- Nokia’s organization dedicated to third party developers and other innovators.

Ten finalists from the contest will be invited to present their ideas and business models to a panel of Nokia business people and private venture capitalists. This will provide an opportunity for the innovators to receive business guidance and possibly other funding from participating venture capitalists. Finalists will be announced by mid May 2010 while the final winner will be announced in June, 2010. The deadline for submissions is April 18, 2010.

Nokia will welcome any local mobile solution that can be applied to boost the local economy and ultimately uplift their living standards of the people. And the good news is that the contest is not limited to solutions that use a Nokia device or software, said Ms Agatha Gikunda, Nokia Head of Solutions, East and Southern Africa. Ms Gikunda said Nokia would offer developers and innovators technical support and marketing opportunities designed to promote their mobile phone solutions.

Addressing local developers at a Nairobi Hotel, Ms Gikunda said Nokia would accept innovative ideas in four main categories in the competition namely; Eco/Being Green applications that help to save the planet with innovative, eco-friendly uses, and Productivity applications that make life easier, and helps someone to be more efficient in utilities, business, or personal finance applications.

The other category is Life Improvement applications that positively affect the daily lives of people living in developing countries by using the prevalence of mobile devices to teach children and illiterate adults critical skills, and agriculture health.The final category falls under Entertainment applications that bring out musical talent and show off the coolest multimedia features, including music, multimedia and games to bring an element of having fun.

Mr Bitange Ndemo, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication challenged local developers to come up with mobile solutions that can compete with the best in the world. Mr Ndemo said the competition was designed to inspire innovators to create a mobile phone product or solution that will enhance the lives of the local people. Interested innovators can learn more and enter their submissions at www.callingallinnovators.com

About Nokia Growth Partners

Nokia Growth Partners is a leading global growth stage venture firm focused on mobile technology, services and media. Nokia Growth Partners is funded by Nokia to provide superior returns and investments into companies, firms, and people that are changing the face of mobility, communications, and the internet. Nokia Growth Partners works closely with
the promising companies adding value through deep domain expertise and network in the mobility market combined with many years of venture investment experience. Nokia Growth Partners offers companies in which it invests a global engagement model through its presence in the U.S., Europe and Asia. For more information visit: www.nokiagrowthpartners.com

About Forum Nokia

Nokia’s global developer program, Forum Nokia connects developers to
tools, technical information, support, and distribution channels they can
use to build and market applications around the globe. From offices in the
U.S., Europe, India, Japan, China, and Singapore, Forum Nokia provides
technical and business development support to developers and operators to
assist them in achieving their goal of successfully launching applications
and services to consumers and enterprises. More information is available
at www.forum.nokia.com

About Nokia

Nokia is a pioneer in mobile telecommunications and the world’s leading
maker of mobile devices. Today, we are connecting people in new and
different ways – fusing advanced mobile technology with personalized
services to enable people to stay close to what matters to them. We also
provide comprehensive digital map information through NAVTEQ; and
equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through
Nokia Siemens Networks. More information at www.nokia.com