Publiseer Submits Entry for MIT’s $650,000 Solve Challenge

Nigerian digital distribution company, Publiseer, has made it into MIT Solve Global Challenges, a startup incubator program. Owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Solve Global Challenges targets solutions for prominent issues by supporting and funding concepts around the world.

Now, there are four major challenges for participants at the Solve Challenge. The first challenge is “Work of the Future”, which targets ways to support those affected by technology-driven transformations and provide new opportunities for them. The Second is the “Teachers and Educators” challenge, which focuses on startups supporting teachers to offer more accessible and personalized learning experiences.

More than 260 million children and youth do not have access to education. The demand for teachers is only going up. If you're working on a solution, apply to @SolveMIT’s Challenge on #EduLeaders https://t.co/yccMrGSGfN

— IPA Prize (@IPAprize) July 3, 2018

The third is the “Coastal Communities” challenge which tackles how coastal communities can mitigate and adapt to climate change whilst developing. And the fourth–the “Frontlines of Health” challenge targets how communities can invest in health workers and services to improve their access to effective and affordable care.

Put together, the Solve Challenge is offering $650,000 in potential funding for startups that address these categories and other issues.

Publiseer Enters for the “Work of the Future” Category

Publiseer entered this year’s Solve Challenge in the “Work of the Future” category. Now, this category is a very interesting choice.

“How can those most affected by the technology-driven transformations of work create productive and prosperous livelihoods for themselves?”

With its solution targeted at providing new opportunities to Nigerian creative workers, this category seems a perfect fit for the one-year-old startup. Publiseer provides a new stream of revenue for musicians and writers. These two categories of creatives have long suffered first from piracy and, in the digital, from free downloads.

Nigerian Startup Gets Into MIT Solve: Nigeria's popular digital content distribution platform, Publiseer, gets into MIT Solve Global Challenges. MIT Solve is a business incubator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that advances solutions from… https://t.co/BfBqd3ciN8 pic.twitter.com/zjWXzDLpVa

— $MAYOR💵⭐️ (@Mayor38) July 5, 2018

Despite the number of copyrights laws that exist, thousands of artists still find their works distributed freely online, causing them to lose a lot of money. Publiseer attempts to solve this problem by distributing contents on popular platforms like Apple Store, Amazon, and Android Play Store.

The innovation is catching on fast as the startup has published 92 books for 73 writers and distributed 374 songs for 154 musical artists. And with just 10 months in business, the startup has made profits of $10,000, with no external funding round recorded.

And according to its entry details on the Solve website, Publiseer is gearing to take the solution across Africa within the next 12 months.

Thousands of Applicants Submit Entries for the Solve Challenge

Winning the Solve Challenge will be a huge boost for Publiseer but it won’t be an easy ride.

Time is running out to apply to the next Solve Global Challenges. More than $650,000 in prize funding is at stake. Apply by 5pm ET today. https://t.co/vc0q7GLX5t

— SolveMIT (@SolveMIT) July 1, 2018

Although still in its third year, The Solve Challenge gets thousands of entries each year and this year is no different. With applications now closed, successful applicants will now be screened before making the final shortlist.

The finalists will be invited to The Solve Challenge Finals which holds in New York on September 23, 2018. Taking advantage of the United Nations General Assembly Week, the event will be graced by Dr. Jim Yong Kim, the current President of the World Bank Group.