This is some of the email sent by Equitech Futures that would eventually lead to the creation of Huddle.

“Dear Alumni, 

We are thrilled to invite you to participate in the inaugural Kevin Xu Innovation Challenge, part of the annual Rhodes Forum on Technology and Society, taking place on November 2, 2024, in Oxford.

This exciting opportunity aims to foster solutions where AI empowers people to build more meaningful lives rather than posing a threat to livelihoods…”

We came up with ideas until we found the right one.

“Syllabus Visualization and Gamification”

“Privatised Public Libraries, Powered by AI”

“Advanced Language Learning (all you need is ALL)”

“The All-in-One Community Tool and Manager”

After workshops with the Equitech team, we progressed further into the competition.

We made it to the finals with the advice and experiences of figures from all over the Western Cape.

After a seven-minute pitch from each of the finalists, we were selected as one of the two winners.

And now we are making Huddle into a platform that can help people over South Africa and, with luck, the rest of the world.