EatOut is among the 60 finalists selected by Facebook for the Bots for Messenger Developer Challenge in Middle East and Africa. Launching the Facebook Bot at the same time as the recently concluded Nairobi Burger Festival, EatOut made it to the top 30 bots in Sub-Saharan Africa to be selected, alongside Ghana, Cameroon, Madagascar, Nigeria, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Benin, Ethiopia, South Africa and Tanzania.
The Bots for Messenger Developer Challenge was organized by Facebook in a bid to recognize and rewards developers who create the most innovative new bots for Messenger. The 60 finalists (10 per category in Middle East/North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa) each won a Gear VR and mobile phone, one hour of Facebook mentorship, and tools and services from FbStart, a Facebook program designed to help early stage mobile start-ups build and grow their bots.
Facebook will contact the finalists and connect them with a mentor. They will need to resubmit their bots before midnight (GMT) on June 2 to qualify to win. For each region, three runner-up teams (one from each category) will win $10,000 and three months of Facebook mentorship. For each region, three winning teams (one from each category) will win $20,000 and three months of Facebook mentorship.
