Varibox CVT Technologies Amongst Top 20 African Innovators at IPA 2016
Varibox CVT Technologies has earned itself the honour of being one of the top innovators in Africa for 2016 after being included as one of the 18 finalists at the 5th annual Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) competition held in Gaborone, Botswana. The company achieved this accolade through its flagship invention, the ROTORcvt which was entered alongside a pool of 900 other inventions from across 50 countries on the continent.
The ROTORcvt is a unique type of Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) gearbox that works on a mechanical ratcheting principle. The ROTORcvt is exceptional in the sense that it does not include a dynamic friction interface as employed by current commercial CVT’s. This gives the ROTORcvt greater mechanical efficiency resulting in superior fuel consumption and lower emissions.
“At Varibox our mission is to revolutionise the gearbox industry by inventing, patenting and licensing mechanically efficient, unique CVT technologies to 3rd parties. The fact that we are rated amongst top innovators in Africa is testimony to the reality that Varibox CVT Technologies is on track in achieving its corporate goals,” said Varibox MD, Dr Jan Naude.
Participating in the competition allowed Varibox to showcase their ground-breaking innovations and once again, be centre stage of the African and global innovation landscape.
The IPA competition was initiated in 2011 by the African Innovation Foundation (AIF). According to the AIF, the main objectives of the competition are to mobilise and support African innovators so as to stimulate the development of home-grown, scientific and technological solutions.
The IPA boasts a network of more than 6000 top African innovators and innovation enablers spanning 50 countries. The 2016 edition of the competition was held under the theme, ‘Made in Africa’.
