These are Grindstone's 13 tech startups for 2015
Summary
From popular names such as online payment service PayFast and ecommerce builder ShopStar to new and interesting ones such as CognaDev which assesses individuals for matching work environments and Mobinomics a company that develops operating systems for telcos, organisations and cities.Interestingly, this year the accelerator is upping its game even more after its decided to expand its programme to include an additional three companies. There are a lot of innovative companies with proven traction in South Africa.Andrea Bhmert, Director at Grindstone reiterates: We set out to find ten innovation-driven SMEs to partner with, but the nature of the opportunities presented combined with corporate partnerships reached, enabled us to open the program up a bit wider.All 13 of the participating startups will be linked with relevant networks as well as undergo gap analysis, business support, coaching, possible funding, and so forth.PayFast Founded by Jonathan Smit and Andy Higgins in 2007, the online service, PayFast, has grown to become one of the most widely used payment gateways in South Africa, most notably having integrated with South Africas largest ecommerce store Takealot. Another Cape Town cohort, some of its products include the Spur Tribe Birthday Jam which is an interactive e-card for kids and Activate A an AR product that showcases a Mercedez Benz in virtual reality.Sensi Cardiac The startup, which hails from Stellenbosch, is said to have developed an accurate cardiac murmur assessment solution which will enable practitioners to assess the condition of patients hearts more effectively. Launched in 2011 by Evan Robinson and Marc Sevitz, Tax Tim recently partnered with the South Africa Revenue Service which enabled it to be plugged into the startups offering. Apart from helping brands connect through mobile channels, an example include its mobile retail services ecosystem which enables stores to market and sell their products through a mobile channel.Electrum Payments Founded in 2012 by Dave Glass, Eon Joubert and Dirk Potgieter, the company provides consulting services and deliver customised banking and payments software to banks, payment processors, retailers, card schemes and payment system vendors.Last year the accelerators found that all ten of its participants experienced an average of 61% increase in revenue an impressive figure which was topped-off with the acquisition of Stellenboschs radar startup iKubu by Garmin earlier this month.Read more: Grindstone reports 61% increase in revenue for all its companiesSome notable alumni from the previous programme include iono.fm, OfficeBox, Apurimac Media and Okuhle Media.