Vula Medical Crowned 2025 FNB App of the Year
The 2025 FNB App of the Year Awards lit up Johannesburg last night as South Africa and the continent’s leading innovators gathered to celebrate the best in African tech. Developers, investors, corporates, media, and digital leaders came together to recognise groundbreaking solutions shaping the region’s digital economy.
This year’s top honour, the FNB App of the Year Award, went to Vula Medical — a transformative medical referral platform founded by Dr William Mapham. The idea was born at the Vula Emehlo Eye Clinic in rural Swaziland, where Dr Mapham witnessed the daily challenges faced by remote healthcare workers who needed timely specialist input.
Vula Medical bridges this gap by securely connecting frontline healthcare workers with specialists. The platform allows users to share patient information through custom referral forms, enabling real-time communication, clinical guidance, and more efficient case management. The app is designed to strengthen healthcare delivery in rural and underserved areas, dramatically reducing unnecessary patient travel and improving access to specialist care.
Its impact speaks for itself: published studies show that nearly 30% of rural patients referred via Vula do not need to travel to a specialist, receiving expert input directly through the app. This has been life-changing for patients who often face long, costly journeys to reach care.
To date, Vula has facilitated over 2.5 million patient referrals, connecting health professionals across more than 2 300 public and private facilities, and supporting 105 categories of health workers. Its scale and efficiency continue to make it one of South Africa’s most influential health-tech solutions.
Now in its 14th year, the FNB App of the Year Awards have become the continent’s leading platform for spotlighting digital innovation across sectors including consumer, enterprise, health, agriculture, financial services, and more. The awards form part of a broader FNB ecosystem aimed at accelerating digital talent, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
In 2025 alone, the FNB App Academy graduated over 33 000 full-stack developers through its intensive nine-week programme, equipping young tech entrepreneurs with practical, deployable skills. FNB also hosted Africa’s largest hackathon, drawing over 10 000 participants tackling major social challenges through high-impact innovation.
Over the years, the platform has unearthed some of South Africa’s most successful digital products, including Eskom Se Push, Naked Insurance, Pineapple, Checkers Sixty60, and 2024’s winner Matric Live — all of which have since scaled, attracted investment, and reshaped everyday digital behaviour.
“The FNB App of the Year Awards continue to nurture African innovation, uncover new talent, and offer developers the recognition and exposure they need to scale,” says Janis Robson, Business Development Head at FNB. “By supporting developers and start-ups, we’re driving innovation, creating jobs, and contributing to economic growth.”
Long-time judge Ellen Fischat, founder of Story Room, notes the growth of AI-driven solutions, especially in health tech. “Developers are adapting advanced technology to African realities — not just for scale or profit, but for real social impact. That’s what makes South African innovation special,” she says.
Judge Gareth Tresling, Head of Experience Engineering at Immersion, highlighted the rise of AI companions and assistants across submissions, adding that many apps tackled systemic issues such as safety, education, nutrition, and public transport with strong intent and user empathy.
Jeff Manda, Digital Lead at Brave, echoed the sentiment: “Some teams went deep on offline support and real-world constraints. You can immediately see when a product is designed with purpose.”
2025 FNB App of the Year Category Winners
- Best Consumer Solution: Mr D
- Best Enterprise Solution: Droppa
- Best Hackathon Solution: Usagey
- Best Gaming Solution: Recess
- Best Health Solution: Vula Medical
- Best Agricultural Solution: FarmWise
- Best Educational Solution: d6 School Communicator
- Breakthrough Developer of the Year: CPF Method
- Best Financial Solution: Stokvel Marketplace Powered by StokFella
- Most Innovative Solution: iER (Integrated Emergency Response)
- Best South African Solution: iER
- The Accenture Reinvention Award: Scenda
