Student innovators: think out of the box with InCube

For the first time since its inception, InCube, a global innovation competition for students, is coming to the Mother City, with the University of Cape Town (UCT) as a South African partner.

During a five‑day sprint, InCube gathers great minds to tackle urgent and relevant challenges facing our economies and societies. Interdisciplinary teams of five students work day and night in large glass containers placed in high‑traffic locations to encourage exchange with the public that will show, first-hand, how start‑ups are created.

For the past four editions, InCube has had teams compete from the United States (US), Singapore, and Switzerland. This year, five brilliant students from South Africa will compete against students from the US and from top universities in Switzerland.

The glass cube will be located at V&A Waterfront, where the five local students will solve a challenge related to blockchain.

The expectations are high: in only five days, the students have to transform their ideas into a finished prototype and business plan, ready to pitch in front of a jury at the final event.

InCube is a common effort from the organiser, the ETH Entrepreneur Club, a student association at ETH Zürich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich), and its partners in South Africa, including the Science Office of the Swiss Embassy in South Africa, UCT and the V&A Waterfront.

The goal of the organisers and partners is to inspire, accelerate, and educate the next generation of changemakers. Students are encouraged to think beyond the boundaries of what they do today, to unlock powerful ideas for a better world tomorrow.

Drive innovation, create jobs

Support for start‑ups drives local innovation and ultimately creates jobs. The members of the ETH Entrepreneur Club are convinced that with the help of such an event, young people can be encouraged to take a risk and start their own business. InCube has already inspired several start‑ups, and participants are set to benefit from support for their entrepreneurial journeys from the numerous partners of the programme.

Further details

Glass cubes will be placed from 11 to 15 October 2021 in:

• Zürich, Switzerland
• Lugano, Switzerland
• Cambridge, US
• Cape Town, South Africa.

For more information, see the InCube challenge website.