Wheyee's idea to establish a venture to create bamboo products, from furniture to ceilings had a great balance of innovation, use of local resources, fulfillment of a need, ease of implementation, and potential to generate income and employment. Consequently, he was the first winner in YOUNG-Africa's Innovators and Inventors Competition. Not only has he already created numerous furniture products made of bamboo, but he also invented a bamboo bed that can be dismantled into 6 parts (to fit in a sedan) using a specially made wooden keys. In the past, Wheyee has been limited on the types of projects he can work on because of the lack of manpower. He has a lot of experience working with bamboo and also received training as a carpenter. One of his major accomplishments has been the magnificent bamboo ceiling of the church in his hometown, Tappita, Liberia.

Mbetsa is a young Kenyan from Mombasa who has developed an SMS-based vehicle security system that enables car-owners to monitor their vehicle from a distance. All that a car-owner needs is a phone in which Morris will install a program. Under the hood, he also connects wires and the like to the engine. Once the device is set up, the car-owner can lock the doors by just sending an SMS. In case the car has been stolen, there is no need to panic. All the owner needs to do is to send an SMS with a code to stop (immobilize) the car wherever it is located provided there is network coverage from the mobile operator. The system is also fitted with a tracking device that will locate, on a map, the location of the car. Morris had received no formal training when he came up with this security device. Mbetsa has since gone on to start his own company which provides fleet management, anti-theft, and vehicle recovery systems, among other services.