KATHMANDU: Ncell announced 150 teams for the Ncell App Camp 2015, Nepal’s biggest mobile app development conclave on September 23. The top 150 teams were selected from a list of 728 ideas that teams applied to take part in the competition. The ideas were selected based on pre-announced judgment criteria: importance of problem the idea aimed to solve, the idea’s business potential, its global scalability, and how the teams articulated and presented their ideas. The list of names of 150 teams selected for the next phase of competition is available online at www.ncellappcamp.com and Ncell App Camp App. This year, mobile app ideas are competing under four categories — Games and Entertainment, Health, Tourism and Utilities. “We would like to thank all 728 teams for actively registering ideas and showing enthusiasm to contribute to important sectors like health and tourism with innovative solutions,” said Erim Taylanlar, CEO at Ncell, adding that the response demonstrates the digital potential that Nepal has. Of the selected 150 ideas, 37 are under the Games and Entertainment category, 38 under Health, 38 under Tourism, and 37 under Utilities. The selected teams will now participate in capacity-building seminars and training by national and international experts in November. “Through the seminars and trainings the selected teams will get an opportunity to learn more about the app industry, further refine their ideas and learn the art of creating apps,” said Milan Mani Sharma, Corporate Communications Expert at Ncell. The seminars also will have international figures sharing their experiences and knowledge with the teams. Following the seminars and training, 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 finals. During the finals, 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. —