Taxi Counter - a win for Moroccan app developer

BeMyapp is a mobile app development competition aiming to build successful startups by fostering the encounter of various people and profiles among them idea holders (called “idea generators”), developers, designers, and people with specific abilities (called “super powers”). This year the winner was from Morocco.

On July 29th, 400 creatives, doers and makers got together in 4 different countries to build mobile applications as part of the BeMyApp World Cup. Sao Paulo, Brussels, Casablanca and Sousse held a BeMyApp WeekEnd all at the same time and competed for the Global Winner title. More than 20 projects were built throughout the course of the weekend and long-lasting collaborations were sparked. The event brought together people with diverse expertise and skills, and the variety of apps developed is remarkable!

The winner, announced on July 5th, was mobile app “Taxi Counter,” from Morocco which won this year's BeMyApp World Cup.

Taxi Counter is a mobile app that meets the needs of hundred thousands of people not only in Morocco but also worldwide. Thanks to Taxi Counter, people that own a smartphone and take a taxi will be able to estimate the fare of each of their route. The application also contains a route map from Google maps using its API and the user’s route will be drawn on the map in real time so they can record the trip on their Smartphone and come back anytime. The beauty of this function is that you can record it even without an internet connection to networks and back the way after the login.

The concept of the BeMyApp weekend is similar to Startup Weekend, with a global competition twist. Every registered idea generator has 1 minute to pitch a mobile application concept to a specialised jury on the first day (Friday, June 29th this time). The jury is composed of people with mobile/tech/digital and entrepreneurship backgrounds who select the best mobile application concepts, around which teams are formed. The best ideas are developed during a full 48 hour marathon weekend of designing, business modelling and coding. On Sunday in every country, each team presents its mobile application to its jury, which nominates the best local mobile app. Then the four finalists from Brazil, Belgium, Morocco and Tunisia enter 48 hours of online public voting.

The Moroccan's were well organised, having set up the first co-working space in Morocco called iNSANE! (إنسان) by evento, a young startup specialised in the organisation of events around the web. It paid off , and when the votes were counted, Morocco was a clear winner.

As a boost to the winner and finalists, it has been announced that one of the most renowned accelerators in Europe, Springboard, is giving to all 4 BeMyApp World Cup finalists the unique opportunity to directly pitch to the Investors Board and join the Springboard Mobile Program in London in late 2012.

The finalists will be able to skip the application process and will be given a fast-track application access to the program. In addition to 15,000 pounds seed funding, office space and mentorship, Springboard will assist with the visa application and second round of funding if the team is accepted in the program after the interviews with the investors. We wish the Moroccans good luck.

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