speakers

SA Innovation Summit: CEO

Buntu Majaja

CEO at the SA Innovation Summit. A Chemical Engineer (UP) turned social entrepreneur. After a stint in management and innovation consulting, he worked with grassroot entrepreneurs setting up their businesses. He later co-founded a SaaS online exchange between Japanese investors and African Entrepreneurs which he left and set up a Data-tech start-up that later closed.

He published the book: How to start a business in 90 days. He is a data science enthusiast and property investor. He also hosts the Ubuntu Dreams Podcast – Your Voice of Africa Rising.

Majaja holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (GIBS) and a Master of Management in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation (Wits Business School).

Buntu dreams of touching millions of African entrepreneurs. He believes that education and entrepreneurship are the keys to Africa’s productivity and inventiveness which will unlock its innovation.

ThoughtLab: CEO and Founder

James Scott

James, with 24 years in digital transformation and banking, served as Chief Digital Officer at Absa Corporate and Investment Bank, leading the disentanglement of Absa and Barclays Plc across Africa. In 2021, he founded ThoughtLab and Hive Ventures, focusing on digital impact and tech-forward startups. By 2023, he expanded ThoughtLab to include ThoughtLab Technologies and ThoughtLab Ventures, addressing niche client needs. His experience spans the UK, Ireland, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa, covering sales, business technology, client solutions, and product design.

Mafikeng Digital Innovation Hub: CEO

Commissioner Joseph Ndaba

Founder of Mafikeng Digital Innovation Hub and appointed Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Commissioner) under the leadership of President Ramaphosa, an expert in delivering professional and innovative training interventions. A qualified Assessor and Facilitator, my passion for IT has acquired great work ethics and business experience in both the big corporate and SMME enviroments.

City of Cape Town: Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security

Alderman JP Smith

Alderman Jean-Pierre Smith was born on 13 July, 1971. He attended Micro Primary School and matriculated at De Kuilen High School, both in Kuilsriver, Cape Town. He continued his studies at Stellenbosch University where he achieved a BA degree in English.

In addition to serving as the Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, he is also a Proportional Councillor assigned to Langa and serves on the Provincial Executive of the Democratic Alliance (DA). He previously served as the ward councillor for Ward 58 (Atlantic Seaboard).

Ald Smith served on the board of an NGO working with street children and worked with a variety of NGOs that assist homeless children and adults, including the Western Cape Street Children’s Forum and the Central Street People’s Forum (which he chaired for two years). He started the Atlantic Seaboard Refugees Association and the Atlantic Seaboard Domestic Workers’ Association and served on the Civilian Oversight Committee of the Cape Town Metro Police.

He previously taught English abroad and conducted computer software research and development. His interests include paragliding, kayaking, politics, reading, IT and gadgets of all descriptions, science and technology, organized electronic sports and computer network gaming, cinema, table-top, simulation and board games, animals, travelling and exploring the diversity of people and cultures.

Mukuru: Chief Information Officer

Sandy Rheeder

Sandy Rheeder is the Chief Information Officer at Mukuru, one of the largest money transfer providers in Africa and a leading next generation fintech platform. She joined the company just over 5 years ago after 16 years in IT consulting for a wide range of Financial Services companies. Sandy graduated from Rhodes University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Business Science (Hons) Information Systems. She started her consulting career as a business analyst, understanding how systems can really help or hinder an end user. Before joining Mukuru, she was helping companies translate business goals into IT strategy.

Sandy also has experience in making agile work in large organisations, in managing large delivery teams, and as a specialist facilitator for both strategic and design level discussions. She is passionate about creating technology solutions that really meet customer’s needs; creating simplicity in a usually complicated tech world. Mukuru is a company that embodies this thinking in an African context, providing an essential service for so many people on our continent to send money back home to their loved ones. Sandy is excited to be part of Mukuru’s ongoing journey to use technology as an enabler for innovation and problem-solving.

Technology Innovation Agency: Acting CEO

Patrick Krappie

Patrick Krappie is the Acting CEO of the Technology Innovation Agency, having served in various senior management and executive roles in the agency. Mr. Krappie has a strong management background, having held senior positions in government institutions specialising in economic policy and negotiations. He holds an Honours degree in economics and has vast international working experience in England and Switzerland serving as a diplomat for 8 years representing South Africa as a negotiator in the World Trade Organisation, World Intellectual Property Organisation, and the United Nation Conference for Trade and Development. He was involved in the establishment of the TIA, facilitating the merger of seven entities of the Department of Science and Innovation.

Xion Global: COO & Co-founder

Aeryn Quarmby

Aeryn Quarmby is a seasoned veteran in blockchain payment orchestration, operations, partnerships and dabbles in solidity contract development amongst other well known programming languages.

Sensory Intelligence® Consulting Pty Ltd: CEO/Founder

Dr Annemarie Lombard

Dr. Annemarie Lombard is the Founder and CEO of Sensory Intelligence® Consulting, with over 33 years of experience in people development and learning. She holds a PhD in Occupational Therapy from the University of Cape Town and practiced as an occupational therapist for 15 years, focusing on neurodiverse children with special needs. As a thought leader in sensory processing, she authored “Sensory Intelligence: Why It Matters More Than IQ and EQ” and is a frequent speaker at conferences. Her company, established in 2003, applies neuroscience to develop practical tools for leaders, teams, and healthcare professionals globally. Annemarie lives in Cape Town with her family.

rather.chat:CEO

Jonathan Elcock

Jonathan Elcock is an accomplished entrepreneur with a background in Actuarial Science from the University of Cape Town (UCT). His journey into the world of startups began with Zestlife, where he gained invaluable experience. As a pivotal member of the founding team at MiWayLife, Jonathan led the sales division, contributing significantly to the company’s growth and success.

In 2017, Jonathan Elcock co-founded CompariSure with Matthew Kloos, a venture that later evolved into rather.chat in 2023 under his leadership. His innovative spirit and dedication to leveraging technology for consumer empowerment continue to drive his success in the dynamic landscape of digital business solutions.

The Open Letter: Founder

Renier Kriel

With over 15 years of experience in tech entrepreneurship, I’ve empowered startups and established organizations with innovative strategies. At 24, I founded a software agency in Stellenbosch, South Africa, growing it to 50+ employees and then exited. I then lead a top local incubator, mentoring 25+ startups. Now, I am building The Open Letter, a platform that is connecting the fragmented startup space in SA as well as content services business called Stream.

Precium: COO

Nicole Dunn

Nicole Dunn is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Precium, the first African payment platform purpose-built for enterprise.

The company helps businesses optimise payment performance, automate financial operations, and craft extraordinary customer experiences through its modular payment platform.

Before Precium, Nicole spent 5+ years building and advising businesses – first at Elixirr, a global challenger consultancy, and then Founders Factory Africa, a pan-African venture builder and investor. She has worked with 60+ startups across the continent and continues to support selected founders as an angel investor and advisor.

Snail Attorneys At Law Inc: Director

Prof Sizwe Snail

Sizwe Lindelo Snail ka Mtuze is an attorney with extensive experience in cyberlaw. He holds an LLB from the University of Pretoria, an LLM from the University of South Africa, and is pursuing an LLD at the University of Fort Hare. Since 2010, he has practiced at Snail Attorneys at Law and served as an adjunct professor at Nelson Mandela University. His roles include research fellow, lecturer, and postgraduate supervisor. Sizwe has also been involved in various national committees, and advisory roles, and is a published author in the field of internet law.

The Delta: Ecosystem Manager and Delta Apex Head

Stefni Bridges

Stefni is the Ecosystem Manager and Head of the Delta Apex Investor Club, where she oversees the group’s global investor network. She has been a driving force at The Delta, playing a crucial role in building a dynamic ecosystem that connects European and African ventures with a powerful network of advisors, angel investors, and venture capitalists. This approach has been key to accelerating the growth and success of numerous early-stage startups.

Aruna AI: CEO

Chiraag Gokaldas

Chiraag holds a Masters degree in Engineering from the University of Twente (NL) and has held various technical and managerial positions in the power sector. He has experience in R&D and commercialization of new technologies including coal gasification technologies and small modular nuclear reactors. With deep knowledge of the oil & gas and power sectors, Chiraag is actively working on AI driven climate change solutions.

Specno: Group CEO

Daniel Novitzkas

Daniel Novitzkas is a key figure in digital innovation and app development in South Africa, leading Specno, a top app development and digital innovation agency, for six years. His work focuses on creating impactful digital solutions that expand business operations nationally and internationally. Recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2024, Daniel aims to position African companies at the forefront of the AI revolution, fostering job creation and enhancing leadership skills. His dedication and visionary approach inspire many in the tech industry.

Havaic: Partner

Kiara Suttner-Tromp

Kiara is an astute, results-driven, big-picture thinker. Her family history of entrepreneurship has taught her to challenge the status quo and take the road less travelled. As a qualified CA and CFA with over a decade of experience in unlisted investments, Kiara brings critical thinking and financial expertise to the HAVAÍC team and its portfolio companies. In addition to leveraging her extensive experience in financial analysis, as well as structuring and managing investments, Kiara is committed to creating sustainable, inclusive, and purposeful impact.

Holocene: Head of Investments

Duval Van Zijl

Duval is the Head of Investments at Holocene, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on climate tech in Africa. Previous to his role at Holocene he worked in venture investing, investment banking, and financial advisory for companies in South Africa, UK, and the Netherlands.

Holocene: Ventures Principal

Abby Stern

A global food industry innovation, health and sustainability expert, helping companies grow in scale and impact. Passionate about unlocking true human potential through empathy, connection and purpose to build a more vibrant world.

RIIS

Vishaylin Mahadeo

Welcome Tomorrow: Creative Strategist

Izak Theron

I’m a Creative Strategist, which means I infuse data into creativity to build relevant messages driving users to adopt a product.

Over the last few years, I’ve been focused on helping Africa’s more ambitious brands to grow through the power of data-driven creativity. Excellent creatives drive down cost per acquisition and increase user retention for products.

I believe that AI unlocks the original intent of digital marketing, which is hyper personalisation at scale.
In recent years, I have built advanced, AI-powered processes that enable us at Welcome Tomorrow to drive down creative production time by 50% and build up to 100 different messages to test in a day. This has led us to impressive results making online growth more sustainable for our clients.

Be Brave: Founder

Pierre du Plessis

Fetola South Africa: Founder and CEO

Catherine Wijnberg

Catherine Wijnberg is a powerful advocate for change, for entrepreneurs, for Africa and the planet with a particular passion for effecting impact at the ecosystem level.

Born in Zambia, she has two degrees in Agriculture, an MBA, and more than 30 years of business growth experience having created enterprises in 5 different sectors across 3 countries.

She founded Fetola in 2006, a leading provider of world-class entrepreneurial support programmes for African entrepreneurs, building businesses that last by designing scalable solutions that ensure social, environmental and economic impact.

Through their national business accelerators Fetola builds sustainable, empowered and thriving small and medium enterprises at scale. These entrepreneurs grow the economy, create inclusive wealth and generate jobs creating lasting anchors in the local economy, 87% of whom are still in business ten years later – which is 9 times the national average.

A thought leader on small business development, sustainability and circularity, Catherine was listed amongst the first ever Forbes Africa 50 Over 50 women in business, a spotlight on Africa’s female powerhouses who are inspiring the next generation.

Injini: Venture Scale Lead

Gigi Ngcobo

Gigi Ngcobo, is the Venture Scale Lead at Injini and one of the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans for 2023. Passionate about innovation and technology, Gigi has over five years of experience in venture capital in the US and as a venture builder and accelerator in South Africa. At Injini, she helps EdTech startup founders scale their businesses, aiming to expand access to quality education for children across Africa.

Her entrepreneurial journey began at 16 when she founded an NGO focused on teaching ethical leadership in underprivileged communities. While studying at the African Leadership Academy, Gigi founded a company advocating for the LGBTQ+ community. Gigi was a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at Michigan State University, where she launched the MSU African Business Symposium to explore innovation and venture capital in Africa.

Nelson Mandela Innovation Hub: CEO

Darryl Dennis

Darryl Dennis, with over 28 years of experience in IT, is the CEO of the Nelson Mandela Innovation Hub. His background includes a legal education from Nelson Mandela University and management training from Manchester and Stellenbosch Universities. As CEO since 2020, Darryl has expanded the Hub by opening new centers in township economies and strengthening its role in incubation and acceleration, supporting startups, and building partnerships with governmental and academic entities. He also holds board positions with several tech councils and was the former National Chairperson of the Black Information Technology Forum, advocating for Black IT professionals.

AIfE (African Institute for Entrepreneurship): Executive Director

Tamiko Sher

Tamiko Sher is a co-founder and Executive Director of AIfE with more than 30 years of experience in entrepreneurship and consulting. She initiated and project multiple research projects in drone tech, fintech, health tech, and various other research publications and thought leadership discussions. Tamiko has presented at the SA Innovation Summit on various research papers developed by AIfE to assist entrepreneurs in identifying opportunities in new technologies.

Open Access Energy: CEO

Gerjo Hoffman

Gerjo Hoffman is the CEO of Open Access Energy, a leading software company in South Africa’s renewable energy sector. With experience across multiple industries, he has developed innovative solutions like Amptera and Energypro, tools for efficient energy management and project optimisation. His leadership has positioned the team at Open Access Energy as a trusted name in the industry.

ShazaCin Accessible Media: Managing Director

Shakila Maharaj

Shakila’s remarkable and diverse accomplishments can be described as contributing towards
creating an inclusive society. Shakila social entrepreneur, innovator, recognised global disability
strategist and trainer, member of the Presidential Working Group on Disability is a Masters graduate
of Columbia University New York, USA and a registered Organisational Psychologist. Shakila says “whenever I come across something that liberates me as a blind person, I want to share it.” She says
“An equally important part of my life is being a mother to my son Prashant and a home maker.” She has pioneered in SA access to books for persons with print disabilities through the promotion of alternate reading formats and is the founder and MD of DAISY SA (Digital Accessible Information Systems South Africa) which is part of the global non-profit International DAISY Consortium. Shakila designed the prototype and manufactured the first Braille voting template for the IEC used in SA national elections, enabling visually impaired persons to vote independently.

She introduced the Indian SmartCane to SA visually impaired white cane users to enhance safe and
independent mobility. Shakila founded and chaired the Inclusive Tourism Forum, trained tour operators in accessible tourism, created the first access guide for the city of Durban and served on the Board of Directors for the KZN Tourism Authority and the KZN Sharks Board. In addition, she has held several office
bearer positions over the years on the boards of corporate and non-profit organisations. In her global consultancy Disability Management Services, Shakila’s disability rights enforcement through her research, training, strategies and policies developed for corporate and government locally and internationally has brought her several esteemed awards and recognition from the disability, private and public sectors which acknowledge her contribution to business, the arts and society.

She pioneered audio description for 12 years and established AudioDescribe (Pty) Ltd in 2010 and in
2020 the sister company ShazaCin Accessible Media (. A first in the country and continent) with the
aim to bring young blood, transfer skills and shift audio description to the digital space. Shakila’s
aspiration for blind persons to see the visual world resulted   in the creation of the ShazaCin mobile
app named “describeAT” and which is available on the google play store.

She has exposed thousands through her Audio Description Movie Club and trained over 200 disabled
and non-disabled persons in audio description, (including in isiZulu) and also conducts the blind
verification and quality control on current ShazaCin AD projects. She has received the Sabella Award
from the Durban International Film Festival for her contribution to inclusion in South African film.
Shakila is the MD and Business Development Lead at ShazaCin Accessible Media. The ShazaCin app
to date has received awards from SmartXchange 2020, Technology Innovation Agency TIA 2020,
Small Enterprise Development Agency SEFA 2020, SA Brewery Foundation SABF, Social Disability
Innovation award 2021, The Irish Tech Challenge SA 2022, TIA Tourism Innovation Programme
TGIIP2022, Durban Tourism 2023 and the AFD Digital Challenge (French Development Agency) 2023.

Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism: Senior Manager: Knowledge Economy Support

Rodwyn Grewan

Having left South Africa in the early 1960’s, Rod earned his primary education in Zambia, his secondary education in England and Iran, and finally graduated in the USA. His tertiary education included academic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, Jackson State University and ultimately with a Post-Grad in Knowledge and Information Systems Management from Stellenbosch University. He is a dedicated and accomplished Information and Communications Technology for Development (ICT4D) practitioner, with extensive experience in driving strategic initiatives for the development of the Information Society (IS) and Knowledge-Based Economy (KBE), which included the South African Information Technology Industry Strategy, the South African Information Society and Development Plan and the Provincial Information Society Strategy in the Republic of South Africa. Today he serves in the Northern Cape Provincial Government, Department of Economic Development and Tourism as the Senior Manager for Knowledge Economy Support.

JSE Private Placements: Head of Sales and Business Development

Preshan Govinder

Experienced fintech & financial markets professional. His career has spans several years at Refinitiv and FIS were he lead their private equity business in sub Saharan Africa and Israel. In his current role at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, he leads the sales and business development effort of their Private Markets business with the mandate of helping to build on the JSE’s ability to raise capital for non-listed entities. The vision of JSE Private Placements is to be the most effective way for private companies to raise and manage investments on the African continent. They aim to connect Issuers and Advisors with Investors and Distributors

Injini: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learnings Head

Alexei McGregor

Alexei McGregor holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Cape Town (UCT), where her 2016 dissertation examined the impact of disability on labor market participation in South Africa. She has since worked in the enterprise development space, specialising in monitoring and evaluation (M&E), In early 2023, Alexei joined the Injini EdTech Accelerator and Think Tank, where she transitioned her focus to educational technology (EdTech) and continues to drive impactful research and analysis focused in the sector

Public Investment Corporation: Associate Fund Principal

Julian Mixon

Julian Mixon is a finance and investment professional with more than 19 years’ experience across diverse sectors like Financial Services, Technology, M&A and Venture Capital. He is a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. He currently works as an Associate Fund Principal at the Public Investment Corporation as part of the Early-Stage Fund team and prior to that worked at Naspers Foundry. He started his career at Microsoft South Africa as a Trainee Accountant where he did his TOPP Articles.

He has a B.Com Accounting degree and a Honours Financial Management degree from the University from Johannesburg as well as a Honours Accounting degree (CTA) from UNISA.

Rorschach Innovation Services: CTO

Carlton Ndhlovu

Carlton Ndhlovu is a CTO and entrepreneur collaborating with Kai Goodall on a groundbreaking GENAI project. He is committed to harnessing advanced technology to drive business growth and innovation, ensuring solutions are both cutting-edge and practical. Recently, the two entrepreneurs secured a contract with a sports franchise to deploy an AI solution across the region.

Espere: Managing Director, Writer and Global Keynote Speaker

Ida Kymmer

Ida is a global keynote speaker, panelist, and moderator. She has spoken at world-renowned events such as the World Economic Forum, SXSW, Gitex, TechBBQ, Deloitte Innovation Day, Next in Vogue and many more (link to Keynote & Talks tab). With a Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies, Ida is well endowed to be publishing Tech for War and Peace – the weekly newsletter covering current news relating to tech in contexts of war and peace. Ida’s special interests include: Innovation, Emerging Technologies, Sustainability, Disinformation, Creativity, Global Inclusion, Defence and Peace Building. Ida has lived in eight countries and speaks five languages, including Swedish, Korean, English, German, Serbian-Croatian.

Ida’s Extensive Experience in Creative Technologies:

Ida is currently involved in several projects.
She is a Partner at Flow, a digital production studio, the Managing Director of Espere, an international business development consultancy and a consultant advisor for numerous companies across the creative industries of tech, fashion, and art.

From 2021 to 2023, Ida acted as the Director of Global Affairs for Journee, collaborating with brands such as BMW, H&M, Clinique, and Shiseido to create the future of immersive web and immersive commerce.

Previous to that, Ida collaborated with Dexter Studios in South Korea (link?) to develop the 3D interior screens for the SLS Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

She has also worked with 3D musicals and early VR applications of architectural renderings.

University of Cape Town: Senior Lecturer

Paul Amayo

Paul Amayo is a researcher and technology enthusiast with broad experience in both hardware and software development over various sectors (from self-driving cars in the UK to agricultural robotics in South Africa). Paul is currently a Senior Lecturer and Principal Investigator of the Spatial Intelligence Lab at the University of Cape Town, a lab whose interest is in investigating the fundamental techno-social questions that impede the adoption of robotics in the African context. He is an alumnus of the Oxford Robotics Institute, where he obtained his DPhil and undertook research into accurate, robust and fast computer vision methods for extracting geometric models of the environment from robots and their associated sensors.

CAPACITI - UVU Africa: Head of Career Education

Kelly Maroon

Kelly has been in the educational industry for over a decade; working across higher education and informal educational sectors with a keen passion for people development and the practical implementation of the philosophies and best practices of education. Currently the Head of Career Education at CAPACITI Tech Skills Accelerator as a part of the UVU Africa NPC, Kelly oversees the delivery of fit-for-purpose skills development, workforce acquisition and talent development that aims to get previously unemployed youth of South Africa into catalytic career and employment opportunities in the tech sector.

Previously, Kelly was the Head of Learning and Development for a large-scale private educational holding company, after completing a tenure of being the Academic Head for a PHEI in the creative arts field. Kelly has designed higher education programmes, reviewed and contributed to programme redevelopment and has participated in numerous think tanks on education, quality and accreditation and importantly, disability and inclusion in learning. Whilst pursuing her Masters in Adult Education, Kelly found her passion and purpose in people development, staff development and meaningful engagement in teaching and learning initiatives that draw out the very strengths in those responsible for developing young people.

With experience in educational technology solutions building, bridging digital divides and international open learning initiatives, Kelly has set her sights on developing a scalable methodology of talent development that sees people at the epicenter of change, transformation and life-long growth. Kelly has also been a facilitator for the international Open Learning Network initiative supported by Karlstad and Lund Universities and was the Chief Youth Liaison for the Journal of African Youth Literature.

Sakon Semiconductors & Rorschach Innovation Services: Co-founder at Sakon Semiconductors & AI Engineer at Rorschach Innovation Services

Kai Goodall

Kai Goodall is a co-founder of Sakon Semiconductor, a deep tech startup aiming to develop Wi-Fi HaLow chips to enhance IoT connectivity in Africa and beyond. He is currently working at Rorschach Innovation Services (RIS), where he is driving AI and Computer Vision capabilities in high-performance sport analytics with RIS’s Medicoach platform.

Knife Capital: Partner

Catherine Young

Catherine Young is an entrepreneur and investor with a deep passion for unlocking the potential of fellow entrepreneurs. With a successful corporate career that includes senior and executive roles at Shoprite/Checkers, Deloitte, Chevron, and SAP Ariba, Catherine has gained invaluable insights into what it takes to thrive in the business world. This experience has been instrumental in shaping her journey as an entrepreneur and investor, enabling her to recognise and cultivate the qualities that lead to business success.

She is the founder of Thinkroom and Managing Partner of Grindstone Accelerator and Grindstone Ventures, where she plays a critical role in developing entrepreneurial ecosystems globally, with experience in Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the UK. She is also a Partner at Knife Capital, where she contributes to the asset class of venture capital in Africa, focusing on high-potential startups and growing them toward successful exits. Her work spans a diverse range of entrepreneurial programs, both tech and non-tech, through Thinkroom, and she is deeply involved in supporting growth-stage businesses via Grindstone and its post-seed, pre-series A fund, Grindstone Ventures. At Knife Capital she partners in contributing to boards and investment committees, and growing portfolio companies with the rest of the team to ready them for exit. With a keen understanding of the challenges faced by startups and small business owners, Catherine’s ability to lead, build, and grow businesses is rooted in her profound connection with others and love for growing people and teams. She recharges through reading, poetry, the ocean, walking, and birdwatching, and is content when solving problems and innovating new ways of doing things.

As a renowned authority on entrepreneurship, start-up training, and ecosystem development, Catherine is also a public speaker and thought leader in the industry. She shares her insights with others through keynote presentations, workshop facilitation, and by chairing ecosystem events.

Aerobotics: Head of Marketing

Jessica Davies

GENAI: Lead Researcher & Digital Facilitator

Vinnie Mzolisa

Vinnie is the Lead Researcher for the AIfE GENAI for non-tech entrepreneurs and youth project. He conducts research and works as AIfE’s Digital Facilitator. Vinnie is a passionate entrepreneur and self-starter who loves learning new tech and is constantly teaches himself. He has developed AI and ML tools that the NGO uses in its research work

Female Founders Initiative Global & Neeps Accounting Services (UAE and RSA): Founder&President / Founder&MD

Rosheen Ngorima

Rosheen Ngorima is a Seasoned Professional Accountant by qualification and an award- winning entrepreneur predominantly based in Dubai and South Africa

She is a Forbes Business Council Member
Founder of Neeps Accounting Services
Founder of Female Founders Initiative Global
CoFounder of Melwil Logistics, a company that handles procurement for government entities and private sector.
She is a Co-Founder of Nutrir Foods which is a herbal supplements company that she started with her husband who is a scientist

UNWOMEN Business Mentor for Europe and Central Asia and Member of Dubai Business Women Council

On her journey to entrepreneurship, she noted a HUGE gap in support services especially for female entrepreneurs, being the problem solver she is, sho founded the fastest growing organization for female entrepreneurs in Global called Female Founders’ Initiative Global (FFIG) an organization for female founders offering a platform where aspiring and established entrepreneurs can receive support, guidance, and funding opportunities for their startups.

The organization’s tagline, is: “We don’t compete, we collaborate!” encouraging women to collaborate and assist each other grow in business. Throughout her career she had gained vast experience in various sectors such as retail. Telecommunications, legal, and e-commerce just to name a few. She lives by simple mantra, “people are currency, invest in creating networks

• Rosheen Ngorima has received the following awards:
• 2020 | Business Finance Leader of the Year- She Awards, Dubai.
• 2021 | Best Full-Service Bookkeeping & VAT Services Company, UAE MEA Markets 2020 | Best Brand of the Year-Women World Wide Do Dubel.
• 2022 Top 50 Women in Management Awards in Africa
• 2023 | Professional Service Provider of the Year by Entrepreneur Middle East in collaboration with Mastercard
• 2023 Recognized as one of the 60 exceptional African women at the prestigious Pan African Women Summit, Africa Union

Dream VC: Corporate Venture Practice

Martin Maina

Martin Maina is the Corporate Venture Practice Lead at Dream VC, where he brings a wealth of experience in venture-building and corporate venture capital to the role. With a strong foundation in technology innovation management and financial modelling, Martin has successfully led strategic investments and venture management across diverse industries including fintech, media and entertainment, and supply chain, particularly focusing on the African market. He has managed over $30 Mn in off-balance sheet investments of corporate and institutional capital and secured additional growth funding from co-investors including Google and the UK Government. Additionally, Martin is also a founding member of the Nairobi Business Angels Network, where the network has grown to include over 100 active angels and deployed over $1 Mn in 20+ early-stage scale-ups.

Martin has a strong entrepreneur and operator background as a 3x founder himself, having successfully raised venture funding from corporate venture capital firms and successfully closed partial exits. His leadership in these ventures have earned significant media coverage showcasing his ability to drive growth and innovation. Martin’s extensive experience in venture capital, strategic growth, and business development continues to drive his mission to grow the Corporate Venture Practice at Dream VC, where he is committed to advancing the African innovation ecosystem.

Suppple: Co-Founder & CEO

Goitse Konopi

Goitse Konopi embodies innovative leadership and expertise cultivated across the fields of public policy, international relations and technology. Before co-founding Suppple, Goitse co-founded GovChat, revolutionizing citizen engagement with government through the development of proprietary technologies. With a rich background in developing scalable, secure software Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and APIs for government bodies, Konopi has significantly influenced digital infrastructure across Africa. His academic background in Development Studies, coupled with his practical experience at the Presidency of South Africa and the World Bank adds substantial depth to his understanding of global economic, technological, and social dynamics.

Next176: Chief Venture Officer

Tramayne Monaghan

Tramayne Monaghan is a Ventures Officer with a CA(SA) and MBA.

In his current role, he ideates new potential products and devises strategies for going to market. He invests in startups and looks after the VC portfolio of Next176, with Old Mutual as an LP.

Tramayne loves to play in the grey areas between humanity and technology and how they intertwine in businesses. He believes we are building the future by looking at technology, but humanity becomes the key once technology becomes ubiquitous. Humanity faces a balance crisis, and Tramayne tries to counter the technological narrative by driving home the concepts of humanity and leadership.

Tramayne is a technologist, speaker and coach. Having launched multiple products on the African continent, Tramayne focuses his time on helping startups, and people evolve their innovation standards into more agile and future-fit ones. Tramayne drives innovation through challenging thinking and growing leadership to broaden horizons on what is possible.

Tramayne has spoken at global events, mentors startups, and authored a book on leadership, entitled, the Shepherd and The Beast.

ANZA Capital: CEO

Dr Audrey Verhaeghe

Creativity and innovation is our untapped and unlimited resource. I am privileged to lead initiatives that assist our nation to use it better as individuals and as collectives to improve our position in the world. As an Executive Chairman leveraging close to three decades of global industry expertise in the science, technology and innovation landscape, my experience has enabled me to successfully provide innovative consulting services to both the public and private sectors. My area of accountability includes directing the development and implementation of ground-breaking projects and programmes as well as constructing strategic policies and frameworks to ensure that tech entrepreneurs move forward. Due to my drive and passion, I embarked on a 10-year journey to establish the SA Innovation Summit which is now recognised as the largest innovation event in South Africa that integrates business, academia, and government. I have successfully concluded over 50 innovation challenges that are technology-based, I enjoy identifying business opportunities, invest in them and grow them.

Arion Power: Chief Executive Officer

Brian Gadisi

Brian Gadisi is a South African entrepreneur and co-founder of Arion Power, a start-up focused on innovative energy solutions to tackle power supply challenges. Alongside his co-founders Alan Gie and Themba Hadebe, Gadisi developed the WiBox, a mini-uninterruptible power supply (UPS) designed to keep internet routers and fiber connections operational during power outages, commonly referred to as “load shedding” in South Africa.

The idea for the WiBox originated from the founders’ frustration with frequent power cuts and the resulting lack of connectivity. They conceptualized the product while studying at the University of Cape Town, specifically as part of the Genesis Program in the university’s business school. The WiBox quickly gained traction as an affordable, effective solution for maintaining internet connectivity during power outages, addressing a significant pain point for businesses and individuals alike.

Under Gadisi’s leadership, Arion Power has grown into a successful enterprise, generating substantial revenue and expanding its product offerings. The company aims to provide more sustainable and efficient power solutions, looking beyond South Africa to address global energy challenges. Arion Power’s focus on renewable energy storage and efficient battery technologies showcases its commitment to innovation and sustainability in energy management.

Brian Gadisi and his team are recognized as young innovators contributing significantly to solving South Africa’s energy crisis and are looking to scale their impact on a global scale.

Divaine Growth Solutions: Managing Director

Yolanda Mabuto

Renewable Energy Executive |Milken-Motsepe Greentech Global Judge| Village Capital GreenTech Board Advisor|BRICS Energy & Green Economy Secretary General| Entrepreneur |Chairperson South African Institute Of Electrical Engineers: Entrepreneurship & Innovation |Clean Energy Businesswoman Multiple Award Winner.

• Founder of Divaine Growth Solutions
• Previous Country Director – Genesis Energy Group
• Chairperson of South African Institute of Electrical Engineers Entrepreneurship & Innovation
• Board Member World Business Angel Investment Forum Global Start Ups and Scale Ups,
• International Steering Committee Member of Global Wealth Forum
• Member of BRICS Energy and Green Economy Working group representing South Africa,
• Country Director for World Women Empowerment
• Advisor for Association of Municipal Utility Electricity – Women in Electricity
• Former Board Member of African Utility Week, Power Gen – Africa,

Very passionate about Transformation, Economic development, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Social developments and Climate Change. Women in Electricity Excellence Award recipient, Women Advancement, Women in STEM and recently Global Women in Energy Awards and Clean Energy Businesswoman Award winner and Top 50 Most Influential Pan African Female Executives in the Energy Sector.

NOA: Sales and Business Development

Sibusiso Xaba

Experienced in starting new entrepreneurial ventures as well as providing capital and support to start up businesses.

Experienced in fundamental company valuations and security analysis.

Specialties: Investment management, entrepreneurship, valuations, venture capital and support, and financial markets.

RIIS: Senior Manager

Marc Cawood Dunnink

Marc has an innate curiosity for finding new and better ways of doing things that ultimately enable markets, ecosystems, and economies to better serve those that participate in them. This curiosity found it’s natural home in consulting in 2013 and since, he has had the privilege of supporting governments, private sector actors, NGOs, funds, and development institutions to enable strategic direction setting, design programmes and interventions to bring strategic intent to fruition, support the implementation journey, evaluate success and impact, and rapidly adapt to meet shifting environments and needs. Marc is currently a Senior Manager at the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS) where leads their Impact service offering and key strategic programmes in the mining and energy sectors. He has over 10 years’ experience driving impactful socio-economic development programs with a diversity of clients across Southern and East Africa. Prior to joining RIIS, Marc honed his economic development and impact skill sets with Genesis Analytics in their Evaluation for Development and Economic Opportunities team, and with EY in their Strategy and People Advisory Services team. He holds an MSc in Political Science from Uppsala University, a PDM from WITS Business School, and BA from WITS.

JSE: Head of SME Development

Cleola Kunene

Winner of Future Leaders Entrepreneurial Leader 2024 and Mail & Guardian Woman of Power, Business for 2023. Cleola is a champion of Small Business growth & funding & high growth coach for African Entrepreneurs. As an entrepreneur herself, she has also been instrumental in investing and growing companies in industries from e-commerce, green energy to commodities.

Cleola had demonstrated her capability as a precision business growth expert. She has grown companies in excess of 53% in revenue and aided in increasing jobs, reducing red tape and supporting economic development. Her expertise include business coaching, capital readiness, capital access, market access and strategic pivoting. She honed her skills as an entrepreneur and aiding hundreds of companies in their growth journey. Most notably as part of the JSE she has successfully built the most successful Accelerator Programme in Africa.

Cleola is an advocate for equality, African economic development and has worked tirelessly to promote investment and financial literacy in Africa.

Entrepreneurial Planning Institute: Founding CEO

Christoff Oosthuysen

With over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, coach, trainer, and investor, Christoff Oosthuysen is the Founding CEO of the Entrepreneurial Planning Institute (EPI), a non-profit organisation that contributes to a conducive ecosystem for support small businesses and social enterprises in Africa. He is also a Certified Business Advisor and Executive Coach; and a designer of learning exchange programmes for initiatives such as the Social Enterprise Academy, the DigiBiz Programme, and the African Development Bank’s Innovation Lab.

ZIMELA - ORNA - UTANDO: COO

Babalwa Mni

Babalwa is a fervent advocate for youth engagement in renewable energy solutions, climate solutions, sustainable food systems, and the creative arts, driven by her unwavering commitment to problem-solving and ethical development. Armed with a background in Social Sciences, she perceives issues through the lens of power dynamics, fueling her vision of sustainable development systemically.

As a Climate Governance, Diplomacy, and Negotiations leadership FELLOW Alumni (AGNES), she envisions an empowered Africa, characterized by electrification, food security, and indigenous innovations. As a current Student Energy Fellow 2024 Babalwa’s expertise in renewable energy and sustainable food systems, coupled with her sales background, has honed her into a skilled communication specialist in sustainablity. She passionately champions youth mobilization as essential catalysts for transformative change. As the communication Specialist and Manager at Zimela – ORNA she shares the continued impact of an Intiative that looks at providing Global Market access to Creatives and Innovators around the Global South.

As a Mercedes – Benz BEVISIONEER fellow Alumni she continues to work on her plant positive project, UTANDO. Where she pioneers a research ecosystem, aimed at bridging the gap between energy and food security through renewable technologies and waste management education. Additionally, as Co-Founder of Energy Gist, Babalwa spearheads efforts to promote energy literacy and shape impactful policy briefs, recognizing the pivotal role of informed discourse in combating energy poverty in South Africa and across the continent.

Her continued advocacy and moderation on creativity and innovation summits and platforms make her a seasoned Moderater and Communication Specialist.

Cyber Alliance: Co-Founder & President

Larry Yon

In the dynamic landscape of US – Africa interest and international business, Larry stands as a seasoned professional with over two decades of comprehensive experience. Throughout his illustrious career, he has provided invaluable guidance to governments, multinational corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and High Net Worth Individuals, both in the United States and across the African continent.

As the Co-Founder of CyberAlliance, Larry spearheads initiatives that marry his passion for cybersecurity as an enabler for SME growth with Africa’s burgeoning economic potential. His leadership has earned CyberAlliance prestigious accolades, including the National Pan-African Business of the Year Award, US Department of Commerce Export Achievement Award, and the North Carolina Minority Business Development Agency Champion Award. Notable accomplishments include orchestrating the U.S. – South Africa Black Business Summit and pioneering the African Diaspora Investment Summits, pivotal events aimed at bridging financial divides across the African continent.

Additionally aligned with Larry commitment to Africa, he is the visionary behind B-Direct, the 1st US based but Africa centric board prep and placement program for US corporate executives. Prior to CyberAlliance and B-Direct, Larry was managing partner of the oldest Black owned consulting firm in the United States, B&C International where US – Africa engagement fell under his purview.

Throughout his tenure, Larry’s commitment to socioeconomic progress has created thousands of jobs across Africa. Larry’s influence extends to speaking engagements on prestigious tech podcasts like Founder’s Factory Africa and Unlocking Africa, and his insights have been featured in media outlets such as The Africa Report, Yahoo Finance, Black Enterprise, and Inc. Africa.

USAID Southern Africa Mobilizing Investment: Deputy Chief of Party

Hans Balyamujura

As a passionate, determined, goal – driven and dynamic person, I continually try to inspire others to achieve optimal results. I have gained invaluable experience at various levels and believe that I can achieve anything I set my mind to.

With excellent communication, networking and well-developed interpersonal skills, I integrate well within a team and have the ability to form trusted relationships with subordinates, clients as well as superiors.

Whilst focusing on the job, I am able to keep my eye on the horizon, growing and adapting organically to the environment that I am placed in. My proven track record of responsibility, integrity and commitment to company objectives has allowed me to be innovative in unlocking my growth. It is my strong belief that the detail lies in the execution, focus and timing.

My leadership style is based on managing through mutual respect, honest communication and trust, whilst keeping an eye on the bottom line. I maintain a strong work ethic and governance and have a healthy competitive attitude and thrive under pressure

SAB Foundation: Executive Director

Bridgit Evans

Bridgit Evans is Executive Director of the SAB Foundation investing in and providing business support to approximately 120 small and growing businesses and social innovators per annum, including farmers and entrepreneurs with disabilities. Prior to this, Bridgit was the CEO of the GreaterGood Group, a firm specialising in socio economic development consulting across Africa and home to the South African Impact Investing Network. Bridgit began her career at Tshikululu Social Investments and she also spent time at the Gordon Institute of Business Science running the Social Entrepreneurship Programme. Bridgit has two degrees in Psychology and an MBA from University of Cape Town and the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, with a thesis on Social Innovation. She is a Director at Liqid Medical, a health care start up funded by SAB Foundation and serves on the Foundations committee of Impact Investing South Africa. She is an Archbishop Tutu Fellow and is passionate about unlocking opportunities for people to realise their potential.

TIA - Manager: Stakeholder Relations

Teboho Seseng

Teboho Seseng has over 24 years’ experience in the South African innovation discourse. He trained many chemistry and biochemistry students at former Medunsa, now Sefako Makgatho University in Tshwane, before joining the Innovation Fund as a Science Communicator under the National Innovation Competition for Learner Entrepreneurs (NICLE) Programme. The programme was an early starter to the introduction of innovation concepts in selected South African schools (Dinaledi Project).

During the formation Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) in 2010 he held several positions overseeing bursary and internships programmes and innovation skills developments initiatives. He managed TIA’s strategic relations with many international agencies implementing joint innovation support programmes and initiatives that supports South African Start-ups.

He is currently Manager: Stakeholder Relations, coordinating strategic initiatives with Science Councils, Universities and Provincial Bodies supporting the commercialisation of South African technologies and related capabilities.

Eduponics and Climate Actions Now: Co-Founder

Tumelo Ncube

Tumelo Ncube
Co-Founder of Eduponics | Advocate for AI, Ubuntu, and Transformative Social Impact

Tumelo Ncube is not just an innovator—he is a visionary committed to reimagining the future of communities through the lens of Ubuntu. As the co-founder of Eduponics, Tumelo combines technology and nature, bringing aquaponics and AI together to create tangible solutions to Africa’s food insecurity, sustainability, and educational challenges. But more than just growing food, Eduponics is about growing the minds and possibilities of young people, empowering them to face global challenges with tools grounded in practicality, technology, and human empathy.

Through partnerships with organizations like Fruity Schools Africa, Sagritex, and Stellenbosch University and more, Eduponics strives to transform classrooms and schools into sustainable living ecosystems, nurturing both flora, fauna and minds. With recognition from Ashoka Changemakers and the Stellenbosch Network’s Ideas for Change Challenge, Eduponics represents a new wave of innovation that harmonizes technology with community-driven change.

Yet, Tumelo’s work is far broader than Eduponics. Across all his projects, he integrates AI with Ubuntu—the African principle that emphasizes interconnectedness and shared humanity. Climate Actions Now is Tumelo’s way of bringing communities together to address climate challenges across Africa and the world. Through AI, he empowers local entrepreneurs and change-makers, guiding them towards sustainable practices that benefit both people and the planet.

With CANMusic, Tumelo uses AI to amplify the voices of young people around the globe, showing them how music can be a vehicle for social and environmental change. CANMusic, through platforms like CANBeat, provides a stage for activism and creativity to converge, ensuring the message of climate action reaches beyond borders.

Tumelo’s commitment to wellness goes beyond the environmental. Through Dr. Phil-afel, Tumelo’s team integrates AI to develop personalized nutrition and health solutions. The Valley of Plenty, a project under Dr. Phil-afel, focuses on permaculture, enhancing food security by using AI to optimize resources and empower local communities.

But Tumelo’s passion isn’t limited to health, education, or climate—he believes in the transformative power of connection. Travel and Tours Cape Town offers immersive, culturally enriching travel experiences, using AI to craft journeys that bridge understanding between people and places, reinforcing Ubuntu’s essence of shared experience. And through the Futurist Academy of Cape Town, Tumelo equips the next generation of African leaders with skills in AI, sustainability, and social impact, ensuring that Africa’s future is shaped by those who understand both its roots and its potential.

Across all his endeavors, Tumelo remains grounded in his belief that technology, when guided by Ubuntu, becomes a force for healing and transformation. He demonstrates that AI is not just a tool of the future, but a way of honoring the present—by connecting people, fostering empathy, and creating sustainable solutions that uplift entire communities.

Tumelo Ncube’s mission is clear: to build a future where technology serves humanity, ensuring that solutions are rooted in compassion, resilience, and collective growth. Through every project, Tumelo shows that when we come together—when we acknowledge that we are all connected—the future we dream of is not only possible, it is already being built.

DAI Global LLC: Chief of Party - USAID Southern Africa Mobilizing Investment

Robin Padberg

With over 20 years of international management experience, Robin J. Padberg offers a unique blend of private sector and development expertise. Mr. Padberg is currently the Chief of Party (COP) for the, USAID-funded, Southern Africa Mobilizing Investment project implemented in Johannesburg by DAI Global. Mr. Padberg joins SAMI having successfully led the Rwanda Nguriza Nshore Activity as COP for DAI in Kigali. Prior to his move to Rwanda, Mr. Padberg worked as an independent consultant for an array of development firms such as RTI International, Dexis Consulting Group, Papyrus SA and ABT Associates. In 2019, Mr. Padberg completed an assignment as COP for the, USAID-funded, Local Enterprise and Value Chain Enhancement (LEVE) project in Haiti implemented by RTI International. Before joining RTI International, Mr. Padberg was employed as Country Director for TechnoServe (Haiti), a global nonprofit organization focusing primarily on the economic development of SMEs and smallholder farmer communities. From 2012 – 2013 Mr. Padberg played a pivotal role as an independent consultant in structuring and negotiating the terms that culminated in the sale of the historic Hôtel Villa Créole in Haiti. Mr. Padberg served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Communication Cellulaire d’Haïti S.A. (ComCEL), Haiti’s leading mobile telecommunications provider — owned by Seattle-based, Trilogy International Partners, operating under the brand name, Voilà, which was successfully sold to the Digicel Group in 2012. Having joined the company in 2007 as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Mr. Padberg was promoted to CEO in February 2008. Returning to Haiti in December 2004, Mr. Padberg was appointed as Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in November 2005 and subsequently promoted to Honorary Consul General in 2014. Mr. Padberg is a seasoned international executive having previously held senior positions with such companies as Descartes Systems Group (supply chain execution software) from 2002 to 2004, Tech Inspirations (venture capital) from 1998 to 2002 and Baan USA (ERP software) from 1997 to 1998. Mr. Padberg holds dual graduate degrees from the University of Miami, a MBA and a MS in International Business.

DIMA Health: Principal Investigator

Prof. Jude Igumbor

Prof. Jude Igumbor is an esteemed Associate Professor and the Academic Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary PhD Programme in Public and Population Health at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. As the Wits University Focal Person for the Consortium of Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA), he has pioneered significant advancements in health system strengthening across Africa. Prof Igumbor’s robust research focuses on impactful community health worker interventions, effective school health programs, and sustainable human resources for health. He has successfully managed multi-million-dollar projects and provided strategic technical assistance to enhance health program efficiency and impact. His leadership in establishing transformative platforms such as CARTA Evidence, Africa HIED, and DIMA Health underscores his commitment to improving access to research data, innovation, and human capacity on the continent.

Prof Igumbor’s prolific publication record spans critical areas such as public health, reproductive health, and healthcare management, with recent studies published in prestigious journals like Frontiers in Reproductive Health and Global Public Health. His research has significantly contributed to understanding health behaviours and systems, focusing on vulnerable populations, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, adolescents, and chronic disease patients. Supported by renowned institutions such as the National Research Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, his work has informed policy and practice in public health, driving forward the agenda of health improvement and knowledge development across Africa. Prof Igumbor’s dedication to rigorous research and evidence-based interventions continues to make him a leading voice in the global health community.

27four Investment Managers: Head of Private Markets

Rory Ord

Rory heads the private markets investment team of 27four, a leading independent South African investment management group, with ZAR40 billion under management. 27four creates access to private equity, venture capital, infrastructure and other asset classes for investors through fund of funds and direct investments. The firm has several blended finance partnerships which create impact such as job creation and racial and gender equity and inclusion while producing strong returns.

MsFiT Ventures: Managing Partner

Jill Curr

Jill has almost a decade of investment experience in venture capital, private equity, and hedge funds in Africa. During her five years at Newtown Partners (NP), she deployed more than $10M in seven Seed and Series A venture capital transactions across Africa and Latin America in various industries, including healthcare, e-commerce, and agritech.

She was a board observer for five start-ups and works closely with entrepreneurs on strategy development, transaction structuring, and advisory. Jill was leading NP Fund 1’s exit strategy and has secured a roll-up exit for an early-stage last-mile delivery startup with a regional logistics champion in Latin America.

Technology Innovation Agency: Head: Indigenous Knowledge Systems

Vuyisile Hobololo

Vuyisile Hobololo currently serves as Head: Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Business Unit at the Technology Innovation Agency – an agency of the Department of Science and Innovation. He is responsible for managing an investment portfolio that enables provision of financial and non-financial support to innovators who are in the trade of developing and commercialising bio-based products that emanate from indigenous knowledge. He manages a portfolio that is spread across the following thematic areas: African traditional medicine (including human and ethno-veterinary medicine), cosmeceuticals, health infusions (including indigenous teas), nutraceuticals, and cannabis and hemp-based innovations.
Vuyisile completed a Master of Science (Entomology) degree at the University of Stellenbosch, and Master of Intellectual Property Law and Management (Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) at the University of Strasbourg, France.
In addition to the scientific roles he occupied in industry and at the Agricultural Research Council, he also served as Commercialisation Manager within the Innovation Division at the Armaments Corporation of South Africa (Armscor) where he led commercialisation of intellectual property from defence-related technologies. He has held several other similar roles including at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) where was responsible for protection and commercilisation of intellectual property relating to forestry plant varieties. He draws some of his policy development intellectual property management, and commercialisation experience from the role of the Regional Technology Transfer Manager he held at the Eastern Cape Regional Technology Transfer Office where he led concurrently the technology transfer functions of Rhodes University, the University of Fort Hare and the Walter Sisulu University. He also served as Deputy Director: Offices of Technology Transfer at the National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO).

Parceval Pty: CEO

Ulrich Feiter

Ulrich Feiter is the CEO of Parceval Pty, a phytopharmaceutical company based in Wellington near Cape Town South Africa.
Born and bred in Germany and with a background in horticulture, Ulrich emigrated to South Africa in 1982 and worked with physically and mentally challenged adults in the Western Cape. He started Parceval in 1992 in South Africa after having worked at companies like WALA and Weleda in Germany as well as in South Africa. Parceval cultivates and sources botanical raw materials for processing to herbal medicines as well as cosmetic ingredients in their GMP factory, both for local as well as international markets. Ulrich has worked in many African countries setting up sustainable supply chains for a variety of European clients in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industry.

Ulrich has been active in the ABS arena since 2002 and the company Parceval holds numerous research, biotrade and bioprospecting permits on it’s own or with local and international clients.

Based on the extensive experience in African local communities, Ulrich recognised the need to create the capacity in communities to enable them to participate more actively in the supply chain. To achieve this aim he started the Samara Foundation which links local communities and international businesses to achieve social and economic upliftment and development in the spirit of the Nagoya Protocol.
More recently, he became a founding member of the Southern African Botanical Product Association which aims to represent and assist companies in the Biodiversity Economy to become ABS compliant, develop and promote market access of Southern African botanicals internationally. Ulrich was also instrumental in the development and signing of an industry wide benefit sharing agreement for the Buchu sector in South Africa. Currently, his focus is on working with the South African government to create a more conducive regulatory environment around access to indigenous biological resources and associated benefit sharing.

City of Cape Town: Director Organisational Effectiveness and Innovation

Monica Pregnolato

Cape Peninsula University of Technology: Director: Technology Transfer & Industry Linkages

Revel Iyver

Dr Iyer has a long career in the university environment in a wide range of roles. he completed his PhD in Molecular Biology in 2002, and went on to achieve an LLB degree with electives including intellectual property law, forensic medicine and environmental law, an MBA (dissertation focussing on valuation of intellectual property) and most recently a Master of Laws (LLM in Intellectual Property)
As a researcher he was involved in various fields of biotechnology research culminating in him leading the transgenic maize research program at UCT. Here he was involved in the development of a basket of technologies directed at genetically engineering drought tolerance in plants. Multiple patents applications have arisen out of these developments. One of these the ‘Stress inducible derivative promoter’ has been granted in the USA and China. The technology is being further developed in a five-year project initiated in 2018. The R12.5 million project is funded by TIA. A large South African seed company is involved in the technology development and has committed R150 million to the next phase of development.
He was awarded a Fellowship in the Leaders in Innovation (LiF) programme in the United Kingdom during February 2016. The LiF programme is run by the Royal Academy of Engineering and funded by the UK Government Department of Business, Innovation and Skills’ Newton Fund programme. Dr Iyer was placed first at the pitching event during the 2016 event. Later that same year he was placed as joint runner up in the Newton Fund video competition, which required Fellows to highlight how they have demonstrated leadership in engineering in the developing world.

Revel joined the UCT Technology Transfer Office team in April 2014 as Business Development Manager, and in October 2016 was appointed Director: Technology Transfer and Industry Linkages at Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The Technology Transfer Office (TTO) in South Africa is created by legislation and is dedicated to identifying research which has potential commercial interest and strategies for how to exploit it. He remains in this position whilst also holding the position of CEO: Aonyx Holdings from January 2019.

“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” – Richard Branson

Anza Capital: Venture Partner

Ben Shaw

Seasoned founder and investment professional, Ben is an ex-investment banker now working in private equity and venture capital. In 2015 Ben founded HouseME, a proptech platform that served 50,000 users and disrupted residential rental. In addition to advisory and investment work, Ben co-hosts the Shapers podcast and co-authored The First Kudu, written about his experience in building a tech start-up from the tip of Africa. He is an Allan Gray Fellow.

Akha Ventures: Founder & CEO

Brian Mlambo

Meet Brian Mlambo – a passionate entrepreneur, dynamic leader, and visionary ecosystem builder. As the CEO & Founder of Akha Ventures, Brian is at the forefront of South Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, helping African entrepreneurs create scalable ventures. With a thriving community of over 40,000 members, Brian has incubated more than 500 businesses, helping them raise over $10 million in funding and creating more than 1,000 jobs every year.

Brian is a published author, speaker, and thought leader, known for his book Navigating the Odyssey: A Playbook for Your Entrepreneurship Journey, which provides invaluable insights from his personal experience. He has shared the stage with industry giants like Robert Kiyosaki, Allon Raiz, Vusi Thembekwayo, and Lebo Gunguluza, cementing his status as a trusted voice in the business community.

In the past five years, Brian has impacted over 50,000 entrepreneurs, organizing more than 100 entrepreneurship events and working with major clients such as MTN, Old Mutual, Standard Bank, Primestars, UCT, AFDA, and other leading corporates. Guided by esteemed mentors like Allon Raiz, Sanjay Soni, and Paul Oosthuizen, Brian continues to play a pioneering role in building a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem in South Africa.

Innocentrix: CEO

Henra Mayer

Henra Mayer is CEO of Innocentrix, an innovation company that helps their clients to bring innovation to life. The company specialises in providing innovation services that assist organisations to create engage on and deliver innovation excellence. Innocentrix also founded the African Innovation League Awards in South Africa.

Henra is also the Head of Innovation Faculty at Da Vinci Business School, where she focuses on strategic innovation design work and innovation content and course design. She was also the Editor in Chief for several years at the Future Shaping Media company, based in the UK.

As a South African representative member of the global ISO 56000 Innovation Management standards team, she regularly contributes locally, and leads a team internationally, on shaping the ISO Innovation Management standards and guidelines.

Henra regularly contributes business articles to innovation related publications, newspapers and research journals and worked with many blue-chip organisations like Vodacom, MultiChoice, AVBOB, Altron, Anglo American, and PPC as well as many public sector organisations like the dti, the Innovation Hub, dsi, the City of Joburg, City of Tshwane, the City of Cape Town, and many others.

SNDBX Group: Southern Africa Lead

Vuyisa Qabaka

Vuyisa has over 15 years experience in management, technology, marketing, media and entrepreneurship. He holds directorships and advisory roles on various startup boards, and is a founding non-executive director advocacy group at the South African Black Entrepreneurs Forum (SABEF). Past projects include The Bandwidth Barn Khayelitsha, SiMODiSA, Startup South Africa Conference, Executive MBA startup mentorship with Columbia Business School, Global Entrepreneurship Movement (Malaysia), SA Business Angels Network (SABAN) and Seedstars South Africa. He is a past television host/presenter of Business Beat on Cape Town TV (DSTV Channel 263) and has a weekly column in the Business Report, part of the Independent Media Group and the largest English language business publication in South Africa.

Lebo Raolane

Lebo Raolane is a Senior Investment Manager at Goodwell Investments. He has over 10 years experience in investments where he has led and participated in the execution of transactions in sectors in healthcare, energy, hospitality, agriculture and financial services. Lebo has a keen interest in early stage investments including tech-enabled businesses that are ready to enter their next stage of growth. Lebo’s academic credentials include a Bachelor of Business Science in Finance and Accounting, Advanced Taxation, Advanced Company Law and Securities Law complimented by an MBA from GIBS.

City of Cape Town: Manager: Innovation and Customer Insights

Bridgette Morris

The Human Entrepreneur: Founder

Willem Gous

Willem Gous revolutionises entrepreneurship development with a groundbreaking human-centered model designed in Africa, for Africa. Treating entrepreneurship as a learnable skill, turning unemployed people into self-sufficient entrepreneurs in just 5 weeks without external funding, making entrepreneurship development scalable and cost-effective.

His focus on micro-entrepreneurship continues with his latest book, “Side Hustle Success—A Low-Cost, Low-Risk Way to Make More Money in 5 Easy Steps.”

City of Cape Town: Manager: Data Science

Delyno du Toit

Delyno du Toit is the Manager of the Data Science branch in the City of Cape Town, where they harness the transformative power of data to ensure all residents of Cape Town reap the benefits of informed decision-making and impactful actions. The introduction of the City of Cape Town Data Science unit was a first within the South African spheres of government. Prior to his current role, he applied his Industrial Engineering qualifications to implement Asset Management Systems for the UK rail industry, and leverage data and digital services to optimise business models for prominent companies in the Manufacturing, Logistic and Retail Banking industries in South Africa

City of Cape Town: Manager: Wayleave Centre

Kochiwe Miti

Kochiwe Miti is a registered Professional Natural Scientist with 19 years’ experience in the field of Environmental and Natural Applied Sciences. Following her MSc in Water Resource Management, she acquired extensive experience in both Environmental and Civil Engineering fields, focusing on Sustainable Development, Drought Resilience as well as Water Supply and Demand Management. She holds a Bachelor of Earth Sciences degree, with a major in Hydrology and has done extensive research in Flood Analysis with the use of Probability Density Functions. She is passionate about the use of natural and applied sciences in ensuring sustainable development and resilience against the effects of industrialisation.

Kochiwe joined the Engineering Management Branch in January 2022, to support the establishment of the Wayleave Centre of Excellence within the Future Planning & Resilience directorate. She has been responsible for driving the design and development of a digital wayleave management system. This has streamlined and re-invented the historical fragmented processes, to align with the City’s core values. Essentially, the processes of approximately 20 departments have been unified and hard-coded into a single electronic system.

The System has accelerated the application and approval process by providing automation and integration with existing technological platforms. Successfully translating the now streamlined operation into an electronic format built on accurate, quantitative and qualitative data.

E Squared Investments: CEO

Gladwyn Leeuw

I have been leading E Squared Investments as CEO since September 2023, leveraging my expertise in finance and investment across several sectors. Initially I joined as the Chief Investment Officer, however, now I drive the strategic direction, investment and portfolio growth for this South African Impact Investment Fund. Additionally, I am a Partner and member of the investment committee at Kingson Capital, a South African-based venture capital firm.

My career includes senior roles at Anglo American’s enterprise and supplier development arm, Zimele, as well as at CCI Global, Enabler, and OneCart. I also founded a peer-to-peer lending platform and occasionally lecture on Management & Entrepreneurship at the University of the Witwatersrand.

I hold a Master of Management in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation, a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from Wits Business School, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economic Studies and International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand.

I am committed to economic development and actively participate in investment committees, mentorship, and support innovative ventures across Africa.

Kinjani: Operations Partner

Victoria Harris

Tshiamo Impact Partners: Managing Partner

Shiluba Mawela

CyberAlliance: COO

Henri Ward

City of Cape Town: Digital Transformation Programme Manager

Kelly Searle-Smith

IdeaScale: SA Business Development Associate

Jason Thomas

Digitally Fit: Digital Futurist

Nicky Verd

Nicky Verd is a Digital Futurist, Kickass Author, an International Keynote Speaker, Consultant and a voice for those who yearn to disrupt the status quo and reinvent themselves in an AI-powered economy. She is a leading thinker on driving innovation and digital transformation through personal disruption. She is the Author of the hit book “Disrupt Yourself Or Be Disrupted.”

Nicky Verd is passionate about bridging the gap between people and technology. She has been recognized by Thinkers360 as one of the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders on Digital Disruption and the Future of Work.

Transnet National Ports Authority: Executive Manager: Utilities Development, Special Projects

Tandokazi Nquma-Moyo

A published scientist who is a dynamic business leader in the Energy, Water, Logisitics/Maritime and Bioeconomy industries. She has served in various technical, strategic and management roles at the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (Necsa), the Department of Science and Innovation (secondment) where she was the inaugural Fund Manager of the 3-year-old South Africa’s Innovation Fund, the North West University (NWU) Technolgy Transfer Office and the Technology Innovation Agency, where she established the Industry Matching Fund. She is currently the Executive Manager for Utilities Development at the Transnet National Ports Authority, responsible for developing alternative energy, water and non-tariff revenue initiatives.

Her career is capped with an Award of Excellence in Innovation and Technology Management from the Minister of Science and Innovation (formerly Technology) and featured as a trailblazing Public Sector Manager in the Public Sector Magazine by GCIS.

Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science Honours (published on Biofuels/Renewable Energy), Master of Science in Engineering Sciences, Diploma in Business Management, Project Management and Technology Transfer & Intellectual Property Management certificates.

Savant: Partner

Thaheer Mullins

Thaheer Mullins is a partner at Savant, an Africa-focused high-technology investment fund manager, accelerator, incubator and corporate investment & innovation programme manager.

His specific focus lies in the fund manager where he facilitates deal sourcing, structuring and portfolio support (business development & investor access). He takes a hands-on approach to supporting early-stage businesses spanning pre-seed to series A. Thaheer has a strong pan-African network and brings a practical perspective on corporate integrations and portfolio management.

Anza Capital: Investment Associate

Hesbon Busera

Hesbon is an investment professional with 9 years of experience in fundraising, mergers, and acquisitions across Cleantech, Agtech, and Tech Logistics in Africa. Passionate about empowering African founders, he serves as an investor readiness mentor at Seedstars and was a judge during Visa Foundation’s RevUp Women program in 2023 and Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Competition by Jack Ma Foundation in 2022. His dedication to supporting transformative founders is a testament to his commitment to driving positive change in the African ecosystem.

Cape MedTech: Founder

Juandré Klopper

Juandré Klopper is a South African medical doctor, health tech innovator and humanitarian dedicated to improving healthcare in underserved communities. As the founder of Cape MedTech, at only 27 he leads a team developing innovative, affordable medical technologies and mobile apps that address real-world challenges in Africa’s healthcare system. He also founded Sponsor Medic, a non-profit focused on placing locum doctors in understaffed clinics and hospitals in impoverished areas that need additional staff.
Recognized as one of Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans, Juandré Klopper’s contributions to healthcare innovation have gained widespread recognition. His work has been showcased across television, national radio and in various magazines and newspapers and he has become a popular speaker on the subject of frugal innovaiton. Guided by the philosophy that “Every challenge is an opportunity for a solution,” Juandré is committed to bridging healthcare gaps and improving patient care where it’s most needed.

Fireball Capital: Investment Professional

Justin James

As an Investment Professional at Fireball Capital, we seek to invest and support the South African and Africa venture capital ecosystems. We perform this function through a collaborative approach by investing and partnering with the very best venture capital managers and by investing directly in venture solutions that are seeking smart capital that can internationalize their business on the global stage. We are building a diversified risk adjusted portfolio of innovation and high growth for our clients.

As head of Investment Risk, I am responsible for the design, upgrade and maintenance of the internal investment risk systems. I also monitor daily mandate compliance and portfolios oversight.

Each day I am responsible for building a comprehensive picture of risk across the full range of investment portfolios. This picture is built by collating data from prime brokers, administrators, auditors, custodians and compliance consultants. This allows me to track the daily movements in leverage, directional exposure, position concentration, derivative exposure, volatility and VaR for all underlying funds as well as for the aggregate fund of funds.

I utilise my knowledge of database management (SQL) and Visual Basic coding to create front end user interfaces for the portfolio management team to analyse the funds.

I form part of the investment committee and assist in assessing the ESG component within our funds.

I previously worked in Bermuda for 5 years where I was responsible for managing the global counterparty credit risk at Fidelity Worldwide Investment (FIL Limited). Prior to that, I worked at PWC in their financial services / investment management departments in Cape Town, New York and Bermuda, where I was exposed to hedge funds, investment management and insurance clients.

innovation101: Errorthoughtical Engineer

Peter Greenwall

Peter Greenwall of INNOVATION101 Ideation Co is a songwriter and author of Logical Stupidity – innovation by navigating through nonsense (Amazon’s Best Seller Rank position #15,812,952 )

His musical scores have featured on World Cup opening ceremonies, Miss World Pageants, ringtones and an Edinburgh Fringe Festival show aptly titled FLOPSTAR, about the 99% of songwriters who don’t make it, which is why he is here, as MC of one of the random side events to the main event

Since he specialised in writing no hit wonders they can now all be heard in his multimedia comedy presentations on how multiple types of failure can be up-cycled as material for innovation, a process not widely known as Errorthoughtical Engineering

Since we do know that inspiration for innovation comes from unlikely places , Peter Greenwall is likely to be the origin of your next big idea!

R17 Ventures: Co-General Manager/Performance Marketer

Kyra Engelbrecht

With a proven track record of building and scaling over 10 ventures in the DACH region, I bring a wealth of expertise in venture building, performance marketing strategy, and team management. Having led a team of 20+ professionals, I have driven growth across 15+ global markets, consistently delivering results in dynamic, fast-paced environments. My extensive experience in e-commerce and ability to adapt to market changes ensure I help founders and CEOs achieve their goals efficiently.

ABB South Africa: BBBEE manager

Versha Rowjee

City of Cape Town: Senior Business Climate Officer: Economic Development and Investment Department

Charles Mackriel

Multi-disciplinary professional and part of the team working to make Cape Town the easiest place to do business in Africa, and co-author of the City of Cape Town’s annual Ease-of-Doing-Business Index.

DSI: Innovation Priorities and Instruments

Brigitte Binneman

Great North Road: CEO and Founder

Gareth Bleazard

Gareth Bleazard is a seasoned professional with comprehensive experience in financial transactions. As the founder of Great North Road, Gareth has been instrumental in growing GNR Advisory and driving the launch of GNR Venture Studio. Gareth is passionate about supporting and investing in innovative ventures and contributing to the growth of the ecosystem.

IDF Capital: Investment Manager

Themba Ntini

Themba is an Investment Manager at financial services firm IDF Capital. Having started his career at the Small-Business Development Centre (SBDC) in Philadelphia, USA, he joined IDF Capital in 2011. Through his various roles, Themba has driven due diligence, structuring, deal execution, exits, value creation, and portfolio management at large. He has been lead transactor for seven funds under management and has helped invest more than R400m in over 150 companies. Some notable investments and exits include SweepSouth, Zulzi, Droppa, LED Lighting South Africa, and Sula Group. Current directorships include The Virtual Agent, Mortgage Market, Droppa, and LED Lighting South Africa.

Themba brings to IDF Capital his passion, skill, and investment discipline. His knowledge helps source quality investments and furthers the success of IDF’s stakeholders.

MsFiT Ventures: Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Egla Ntumba

HAVAIC: Partner

Grant Rock

Grant has a talent for finding new business opportunities and providing business-minded, practical advice. For nearly 20 years, Grant worked as a corporate transactional lawyer, solicitor, and executive in South Africa, London, and New York, on a wide range of transactions in banking, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, debt and equity capital markets, and private equity.

Innovate Durban: CEO

Aurelia Albert

Aurelia Albert is the founder and CEO for Innovate Durban , an entity set up to support and promote innovation in Durban. Her background is in economics and innovation management. Her career in innovation management runs over 12 years with her previous role being the Programme Manager for Innovation at the eThekwini Municipality.
Her passion lies in innovation management, social development and design thinking. In 2017, Aurelia was awarded the SARIMA award for Early Career Excellence in Innovation Management and in 2023 she was awarded the Accenture Gender Mainstreaming Awards for Women Inclusion and Positive Role Model.
She has a love for Durban and a passion for positive change within the city.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Executive leadership
Strategic planning
Innovation management
Design thinking
Project management
Innovation Hub development
Lean manufacturing
Facilitation skills
Public speaker

EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA, DURBAN, KWAZULU-NATAL
Honours Bachelor of Commerce in Economics, May 2013

ACCOLADES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Award – Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association Award for Early Career Excellence in Innovation Management
Award – Accenture Gender Mainstreaming Award for Positive Role Model for KZN and Positive Role Model in the Professional Services Industry

Stellenbosch University: Senior Lecturer

Albert Strever

Dr Albert Strever is a senior lecturer in the Department of Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University and coordinates innovation and entrepreneurship activities in the AgriSciences Faculty. He is also a teaching fellow, specialising in entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence incorporation into the University’s Teaching, Learning and Assessment activities. He completed in 2023 a structured Master’s degree in Engineering Management (MEM) with a research assignment that focused on using Natural Language Processing for scoping and scanning recent technology trends in an AgriSciences-related curriculum. He is involved in several initiatives at the university and beyond related to technology utilisation associated with the 4th Industrial Revolution, entrepreneurship and startup development, data management, technology landscape scanning/scoping, personal, team and corporate strategy and innovation. He was also a finalist in the EDHE Entrepreneurship in Teaching Excellence awards in 2023 and is actively aiming at bridging the gaps between academia and industries through, science, engineering, innovation, business and managerial skills, and debunking the myth that “soft” skills are soft (they are rather professional competencies essential to survival in the VUCA world!).

Knife Capital: Investment Associate

Ayanda Bolani

Ayanda Bolani is an Investment Associate at Knife Capital, having joined as an Investment Analyst in July 2023. Before Knife Capital, Ayanda spent nearly three years as an Investment Analyst at Futuregrowth Asset Management, where she led investments in a diverse range of sectors, including deals with hearX, Yoco, Mobiz, and Ozow. Her expertise spans business and financial analysis, valuations, Investment Committee presentations, legal reviews, and portfolio monitoring. Ayanda also served as a non-executive director for Total Mulilo Prieska. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce Honors degree in Investment Management from the University of Pretoria and is a CFA Level II candidate.