Global Forum on Innovation: Top 30 Digital Startups from around the World

The Global Forum on Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship held this week in South Africa featured a range of workshops, panels and keynotes on startups – and the highlight was the nomination of the Top 50 SMEs and startups from around the world (mostly from emerging economies in Africa).

From this group, 20 finalists were shortlisted, then narrowed down to the Top 5 winners through an intense and engaging “Dragon’s Den” process with five jurors on stage grilling the startups one by one! Here’s a profile of the digital startups (mobile, Internet, social media) which I have extracted from the Top 50 list; profiles of the others will be shared in the next column, in categories such as cleantech, agribusiness and education.

Afroes www.afroes.com (South Africa)

Mobile apps, tools and contents for social change

Amant Antennas www.amantantennas.com (Egypt)

Antenna technology for 3G transmission

Asly www.asly.co (Egypt)

Mobile service with SMS authentication, to detect counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs

Centsless www.GoCentsLess.com (Malaysia)

Cloud-based rewards system for learning activities in schools

EezyDeel www.eezydeel.ci (Cote d’Ivoire)

SMS-based mobile commerce platform

Eskimi www.eskimi.com (Nigeria)

Mobile social network for meeting new people

Eneza Education www.mPrep.it (Kenya)

Mobile collaborative tool for schools and students

Farmer Line www.farmerline.org (Ghana)

Mobile tool for sharing information between farmers

Firestring www.firestring.com (South Africa)

Social architecture for knowledge management in workspaces

Fomobi mTracker www.fomobi.com (Kenya)

Mobile-based car tracking solution to reduce car thefts, monitor fleets

Going Tosphere www.goingtosphere.com (Turkey)

Social calendar for iPhone users, organised around personal interests

Greengar www.greengar.com (Vietnam)

Mobile ‘smartboard’ platform to connect learners in classrooms

Innokiq Mpawa www.mpawa.com (Ghana)

Mobile recruitment platform for blue collar workers in Africa

Interact XL www.interactxl.com (Trinidad and Tobago)

Interactive online math application for students

Kuza Mobile www.kuza.com (South Africa)

Mobile LBS platform for tradesmen, craftsmen, fishermen

Maliyo Games www.maliyo.com (Nigeria)

Mobile games with localised narratives

Mobiflock www.mobiflock.com (South Africa)

Parental tools to make mobiles safe for children to use

MobiLab mVerified www.mobilab.co.ke (Kenya)

Mobile verification tool for documents, certificates, title deeds

Mobile Payment Solutions www.mpszambia.com (Zambia)

Mobile payment solutions for utilities, banking

MobiTrader www.mobitrader.biz (Nigeria)

Mobile services for blue collar job seekers

mPayer www.mPayer.co.ke (Kenya)

Mobile payment solutions and reporting services for businesses

People Input www.peopleinput.com (Senegal)

Mobile-enabling services and consulting for businesses

ProWork www.prowork.me (Nigeria)

Mobile solution for enterprise project management

Qabila www.qabila.tv (Egypt)

Crowdsourced platform for Arabic content generation

Skillpod Media www.skillpodmedia.com (South Africa)

Mobile gaming company with micro-payment services

Slicebiz www.slicebiz.co (Ghana)

Online crowdsourcing platform for African startups

Tiket.com www.tiket.com (Indonesia)

Online ticket booking for travel and entertainment

Transcel www.transcel.com (Jamaica)

Mobile payment platform in the Caribbean

Virtual Bank www.virtualbank.co.zw (Zimbabwe)

Mobile payment, banking and wire transfer platform

[Follow YourStory's research director Madanmohan Rao on Twitter http://twitter.com/MadanRao]