South African start-up Over, named ‘World’s Best Start-Up’

Over – a South African iOS app that allows users to add artistic text and artwork to user-generated photos, has won the World’s Best Start-up at the U-Start conference in Milan. This comes after the title was secured in a live pitch against 19 global competitors including South America, Russia, Africa and Europe.

The prize consists of final stage funding and a coveted place at the U-Start’s International Investor Road Show.

Says Aaron Marshall, CEO of Over, “It was an incredible experience. It felt a little surreal to be sharing our story with a group of influencers from all over the planet in a sophisticated , beautiful city. The people behind U-Start put on a great event. We made some connections that could be hugely beneficial to our mission.

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Marshall, who founded Over while he was still under 30, has capitalised the on the mobile app revolution. With iPhoneography steadily developing across the last 10 years as one of the most in-demand forms of social interaction – the ability to independently create, design and share digital photography has revolutionized the media landscape.

Said Stefano Guidotti, CEO of U-Start, “We are delighted to award Over with the title of Best Start-Up Of the World. The decision was not, however, an easy one. Over’s resounding success is representative of the outstanding tech prowess that propels our offer, in addition to Africa’s world-class status as a championing nation for tech innovation.”

Alongside Over’s resounding title, four regional winners from Europe, Russia and South America were announced with a second finalist from Africa called wiGroup.

The accolade marks a transitional point for tech’s innovation born from within Africa, propelling its global credibility to rival that of the developed markets – as evident in the inter-continental win secured at the conference.

 source: finweek.com