In January 2023, the inaugural ACE Conference was held at Hotel Arts in Barcelona, allowing ACE teams to present their work, collaborate and network. As one of the lead recipients of the ACE programme in Africa, the FinHub team and three graduate students were invited to attend the conference. We used this opportunity to showcase our work and learn from other multidisciplinary teams from top universities and research institutions worldwide.

During the conference, Professor Co-Pierre Georg, FinHub Director, presented the team's accomplishments and projects in the last 12 months. He highlighted the significance of creating a nurturing environment for student entrepreneurs to develop blockchain-based start-ups for meaningful job creation and societal impact.

Masters candidate Francis Stoffberg and PhD candidate Julian Kanjere presented Mudala and FoodPrint. Mudala is a carbon offsetting exchange solution using blockchain technology, while FoodPrint is a digital food supply chain platform for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The audience received both presentations well, with several ACE teams expressing interest in partnering with the projects.

The conference allowed us to work with other ACE teams to discuss and collaborate on solving problems and developing new ideas. It also provided an excellent opportunity to network and explore future collaboration opportunities. We're proud to be part of such an extraordinary group of leading multidisciplinary teams from top universities and research institutions.

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