263Chat is an online publication based in Harare Zimbabwe that distributes a daily e-Paper to around 50 000 subscribers for free. They joined SAMIP to support the launch of a new daily news product to distribute news via SMS to those who have a mobile phone with no internet access.

Children’s Radio Foundation is a youth-centred non-profit using radio to promote dialogue, leadership and advocacy for young people across five African countries. Its first initiative within SAMIP was an award-winning toolkit to extend the reach and impact of their community radio partners through WhatsApp; CRF is now building The Radio Workshop, a social enterprise to develop podcasting in the region.

The Citizen Bulletin is an audience-first hybrid newsroom that produces hard-hitting hyperlocal reporting and analysis for the greater region of Matabeleland, southwestern Zimbabwe. The Citizen Bulletin’s mission is to use public service journalism to inform and convene traditionally underserved people from Matabeleland into engaged citizens of good governance and social progress. 

The Daily Vox is a millennial-focused news site that seeks to place citizens at the centre of it all. With an audience of 18-34 year olds, The Daily Vox has developed the ability to greatly influence and impact the narrative of issues facing South Africa’s youth.

Explain.co.za is a news site that aims to explain the news to local audiences in fun and engaging ways. Founded by former Mail & Guardian editor Verashni Pillay, Explain.co.za offers a weekly news briefing by email and WhatsApp, and uses entertaining news videos to reach traditionally neglected audiences in South Africa.

Food for Mzansi is a digital news start-up that covers the agriculture sector in South Africa with a focus on uncovering stories about people of colour in farming communities. In their own words, they “unashamedly share success stories and good news from the farms and agri-businesses who feed South Africa”.

Hashtag Our Stories is a Durban based company that creates citizen journalism shows, with mobile phones and for mobile audiences, in every language. Their project seeks to train and create a network of citizen journalists who will contribute stories to community Facebook groups.

Health-e News has a 20-year history as a news agency in South Africa that reports on public health issues to empower South Africans. Their current focus is on HIV/Aids, communicable diseases and reproductive health.

Igunundu Press is a KZN-based publishing specialising in high quality vernacular news. Through its in-house native marketing agency, Igunundu Agency, it combines newsroom experience and knowledge of language to create ground-breaking campaigns, and bring content to life in print and digital platforms.

Media Hack Collective is a data journalism firm that entered SAMIP after graduating from the Journalism and Media Lab (JamLab) in 2019. Founded by Laura Grant and Alastair Otter, MHC’s decision to build an South Africa-wide Covid-19 data portal established them as one of Africa’s leading data-viz start-ups.

The Namibia Media Trust was established to promote media freedom, freedom of expression and access to information in Namibia and beyond its borders. The collaboration with SAMIP is aimed at extending the right to freedom of expression to underserved communities, particularly those living with disabilities; to help them use media innovatively to tell their stories.

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Newsday media, based in Maseru, Lesotho, publishes a weekly English-language newspaper every Friday. It believes in upholding human rights, being a voice for the voiceless and giving gender and children issues center attention. The company also produces video content for a fledgling online TV endeavour which is shared on Facebook and YouTube Channel (NewsdayMediaLs).

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QuoteThisWoman+ is a non-profit start-up that is committed to getting more women’s voices heard in South African media across a wide range of subjects. They do this by maintaining and promoting a curated database of experts that can be accessed by interested parties.

Scrolla is a news start-up that wants to redefine the mobile-first user experience. Scrolla publishes investigations in a series of short updates that are posted on a daily basis.

#SMWX, founded by Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, offers analysis and interviews on politics and current affairs from a youth perspective. After experimenting with mobile messaging platforms for audience engagement, #SMWX has pivoted to high quality multimedia, including a growing online video audience.

Viewfinder is a South African investigative journalism start-up. It applies investigative journalism, data visualisations and video storytelling to expose abuses of power which impact on poor and marginalized communities. Viewfinder’s focus within SAMIP is to build a sustainable revenue mix for its quality journalism, and develop new voices in its team in pursuit of a more just and inclusive South Africa.

Founded in 2017, Volume was one of SAMIP’s first entrants and has gone on to become one of South Africa’s most prolific and innovative podcasting companies. Volume’s focus has always been on producing one-of-a-kind shows with real-world impact, partnering with organizations such as Africa Check, Internews and the CCIJ. In 2021 they become the third SAMIP participant to secure MDIF investment.

Zonotho is a financial literacy platform that was founded with the aim of providing readers with the information they need to make the most optimal financial decisions. They do this by explaining issues around finance and economics in order to make them easier to understand for the layman.

Collective Media Cooperative entered SAMIP to service media workers who have been structurally excluded from ownership, training, and representation in South African media.

Digest sought to develop a daily email newsletter that selects, summarises and explains financial news in a quirky and millennial-friendly format.

Pocket Reporter entered SAMIP to develop mobile digital toolkit that assists journalists at community newspapers to report more effectively.

Media Factory entered SAMIP as a mobile content agency for citizen journalists across South Africa.