Young entrepreneurs pitch innovations in England

WINDHOEK, 10 Apr – Young Namibian electrical engineer, Pedro da Fonseca has made it to the final of the 2018 Pitch at Palace Commonwealth in London, England.
Da Fonseca pitched his light-emitting diode (LED) light which focuses on cost efficiency and electrical efficiency, and proceeded to the final round set for 25 April at St. James Palace.
He was one of 42 entrepreneurs who delivered presentations.
The judges will select 12 entrepreneurs to pitch for three minutes at the Pitch@Palace 9.0 final. The rest of the entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch for 30 seconds at the finale.
Da Fonseca, the founder and chief executive office of Black Gold Engineering, invented the LED light, which he named the NamLux LED light, after conducting a pilot test on the current street lights in Namibia.
He found that they cost N.dollars 17 917.50 each and only illuminate up to 19 square metres.
“A hundred NamLux LED lights use about N.dollars 3 583.50 and illuminate up to 40 square metres,” he told Nampa recently.
He said his design is slender and could take heat from harsh climates in Africa, and integrates well in streets and the environment.
De Fonseca added that by pitching at Pitch at Palace, he intends to show the world that Namibia and Africa are not only a place for mining, minerals and agriculture, but is also technically based.

“My idea is to motivate young people to come out and be entrepreneurs as well and not to be afraid to venture into things we are not known for,” he stated.
His main reason for seeking funding is to expand his business into a warehouse.
De Fonseca was accompanied to London by Founder of GreenEarth Creations, Liina Mutilifa, who pitched her waste transformation business.
Her focus is on the transformation of plastic bottles and plastic bags into multipurpose art and craft household or office products, like toothbrush holders woven baskets and vases.
According to Mutilifa, Africa alone contributes more than 70 per cent of waste in the world, while Windhoek alone generates over 3000 tonnes of waste.
“We want to bring a solution to waste by transforming it. About 250 000 plastic bottles are dumped everyday, but GreenEarth takes the plastic bottles you throw away and transforms them into products that can be used as toothbrush holders or decoration material,” she said.
Mutilifa sought entrepreneurial mentorship by investors who are also in the same field of recycling waste material.
NAMPA