September 24: Nepal’s leading mobile service provider Ncell has selected 150 teams for the second edition of Nepal’s biggest mobile app development conclave, Ncell App Camp.

The 150 were selected from a list of 728 that had applied to take part in the event. The deadline for this year was September 20. The list of names of the teams selected is also available on the event’s Android app, and on its website www.ncelappcamp.com.

“We would like to thank all the interested teams for their overwhelming response and enthusiasm to contribute to important sectors like health and tourism with innovative solutions. The response demonstrates the digital potential that the country has,” said Ncell CEO Erim Taylanlar.

This year, mobile app ideas compete under four categories—games and entertainment, tourism, health, and utilities. All categories, except tourism, are new to this year’s Ncell App Camp.

The selection was made based on pre-announced judgment criteria: importance of problem the app aimed to solve, the app’s business potential, its global scalability, and how the teams could articulate and present their ideas. According to the organisers, of the 150 selected ideas, 37 are under the games and entertainment category, 38 in tourism, 38 in health and 37 in utilities categories.

The selected teams will now participate in capacity-building seminars and trainings conducted by national and international experts in November. “Through the seminars and trainings the selected teams will get the opportunity to learn more about the app industry, further refine their ideas and learn the art of creating apps,” said Milan Sharma, Ncell’s corporate communications expert. 

The seminars also will have international figures sharing their experience and knowledge with the teams. Last year, Tomy Palm of Candy Crush was here to mentor the participants. Following the seminars and trainings, the teams will develop a working prototype of their app, which will be screened by industry experts, and the top 24 teams (six from each category), will be selected for the final. 

During the final, each team will receive one-to-one mentorship on developing a business model, improving user interface and experience, and pitching their ideas. The best team in each category will win a cash prize of Rs 250,000 and a grand winner from among them will win an additional cash prize of Rs 500,000, and an opportunity to participate in an international event in 2016.