Now in its eighth year and organized by Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct, Digital Lab Africa has unveiled its initial jury. The illustrious group will be tasked with evaluating and picking the winners from the raft of applications received for DLA 8.

Sithe Ncube is a highly respected game development community leader, who brings over a decade of experience in empowering African game developers. Her impressive credentials include organizing community events, advising the Humble Games’ Black Game Developer Fund, producing games at Nyamakop, and mentoring emerging talent through Pro Helvetia’s She Got Game program.

Thabo Tsolo is the Co-Founder and CEO of SpaceSalad Studios, a multi-award-winning indie games studio. With a passion for storytelling and a proven track record of creating impactful experiences, He brings a unique perspective to the judging process. Their impressive credentials include working on the Emmy-winning animation series ‘My Better World’ and co-founding a studio that has garnered numerous awards for its innovative games.

Created in 2016, Digital Lab Africa is an initiative of the French Institute and the French Embassy in South Africa, managed by the South African innovation hub Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct since 2018. 

The very idea of DLA is to offer emerging talents a springboard to fast-track their project’s development, with the support and expertise of DLA creative industries ecosystems in France and in Sub-Saharan African countries. It has incubated 48 projects since 2016.