Old Mutual-backed Innovation Hub upskills tech sta...

Old Mutual-backed Innovation Hub upskills tech start-ups

Old Mutual ventures into funeral services – Bulls n Bears

Bridget Mabanda

THE Eight2Five Innovation Hub, together with Old Mutual Zimbabwe (OMZ), has commenced its cloud computing upskilling programme for local technology and information communication technology (ICT) entrepreneurs and start-ups.

The programme seeks to upskill local entrepreneurs and start-ups in solving real-world problems through technology.

Kickstarting the programe, Eight2Five and Old Mutual recently hosted the first hybrid Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Computing onboarding in Harare.

Officiating at the event, Old Mutual Zimbabwe ICT Executive Takudzwa Muzvidzwa said the cloud computing session was a success, as it drew over 65 developers and tech enthusiasts that attended the event in person while others joined virtually.

AWS Senior Developer Advocate Veliswa Boya also attended the event.

"Ensuring that our entrepreneurs get a globally competitive advantage is of great importance to us, this is why we took the initiative to put this together to continue the journey of empowerment," Muzvidziwa said.

The AWS user group community seeks to offer technical resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities to entrepreneurs, AWS enthusiasts, and emerging thought leaders.

AWS experts connect and create communities in the regions they are in across the world, and the Eight2Five hub has been a great starting point for the Zimbabwean community.

The end goal is to increase the global footprint of AWS across the world and create support hubs in places where AWS doesn't have a strong presence yet.

AWS is the most agile cloud platform, which is what start-ups need given the prospect of scaling up fast and the demands of adding new features and applications quickly in a fast-paced digital world.

The aim of introducing AWS is to empower start-ups to take on massive challenges and build lasting companies with far-reaching impacts. AWS is not just a cloud computing service but it also offers special benefits to start-ups in terms of technical support and training.