Katlego is the co-founder and CEO at Yoco. Yoco offers an easy way for SMEs to securely accept card payments at the store or on the go, empowering the growth of entrepreneurial businesses. He drives the company’s expansion, customer experience and org design elements as the venture looks to increase card acceptance amongst SMEs. While having lunch in San Francisco at a small eatery that he assumed would not be able to process a card payment, a mobile card reader was presented to him. This encounter planted the seed that led to Yoco’s start. Yoco launched out of beta in October 2015. The venture has acquired over 6 000 merchants, processing a billion rand in annualised transactions. Katlego’s previous work involved venture development at Rocket Internet, setting up Jumia.com in Nigeria, where he met co-founder Bradley Wattrus. The majority of Katlego’s career was in telecoms, media & technology management consulting at Accenture and Delta Partners. Katlego met co-founder, Carl Wazen at Delta Partners. Katlego studied Business Science Information Systems at the University of Cape; this is where he met co-founder Lungisa Matshoba.

As former Head of Sage One International, Steven Cohen oversaw the growth and development of Sage’s cloud-based accounting and payroll solutions in Africa, Australia, Middle East and Asia. Prior to this, Cohen dedicated his 25-year career to Sage Pastel, the innovative business software company he founded with partners Ivan Epstein and Alan Osrin in 1989.During this time, Steven has held several management positions in the company, including financial director, chief operating officer, managing director and Head of Sage One AAMEA.  He has played a central role in the company’s growth from a start-up to a part of the JSE-listed Softline Group, right up to its present incarnation as part of Sage plc, a FTSE 100 company. A charted accountant by qualification, Steven has driven Sage Pastel’s approach to keeping accounting at the cutting edge of technology and turning accounting software into a business management tool.

Roslyn is the Head of Business Development at PayFast and runs the Startups Portfolio on the Silicon Cape Community Council. She has degrees in both Software Development and Financial Analysis, and extensive experience working in and with SMMEs. With combined knowledge of money and tech, she is uniquely positioned to understand, navigate and shape the exploding startup space in South Africa. She presents on e-commerce and entrepreneurship at conferences and workshops around the country, including Wordcamp, Tech4Africa, Sparkup and Seedstars World.

Allon Raiz is regarded both locally and globally as a pioneer and maverick in the business incubation industry. He is the founder and CEO of Raizcorp, the only privately held, unfunded, profitable business incubator on the African continent, currently supporting in excess of 500 businesses. Allon is the author of two bestselling entrepreneurial books – Lose the Business Plan and What to Do When You Want to Give Up. He is the co-founder of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation South Africa and Rural Roots, and sits on the advisory and judging boards of numerous local and international NGOs and entrepreneurial awards. Allon’s passion and focus on the development of entrepreneurs attracted the attention of the World Economic Forum (WEF) which, on 11 March 2008, awarded Allon as a Young Global Leader. In 2013, Allon received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Oliver Transformation and Empowerment Awards. The following year, he was recognised as the country winner, regional winner and continental winner of the Titan Award for Building Nations.

Mark started his entrepreneurial journey as a student at the University of Cape Town. Having earned just enough money to buy sound equipment he offered DJing services for weddings and birthday parties. With a degree in Information Systems and a passion for web design Mark has since been involved in, and invested in, a few internet based startups. Most notably Mark co-founded WooThemes – the makers of WooCommerce. Their platform now powers over one million online stores around the world. Supported by a completely remote team spanning the globe. In 2015, WooThemes sold to Automattic, the makers of WordPress.com, with a quest to democratise commerce.

Goldstuck is an award-winning writer, analyst and technology commentator. A winner of SA’s Distinguished Service in ICT Award, he is author of 19 books and editor-in-chief of South Africa’s longest-running online consumer technology magazine, Gadget.co.za. His weekly gadgets column is the most widely syndicated technology column in South Africa and he writes a weekly trends column for the Sunday Times. He is founder of World Wide Worx, leading groundbreaking market research, and presents his insights to audiences across the globe.

Graham Mitchell founded GROW as a leading business coaching firm with a team of six coaches who are working with over 85 business each month across South Africa. He is a Gazelles Certified Coach and is the Regional Advocate for Gazelles International Coaches in Sub-Saharan Africa. Before starting GROW, Graham was recognised as the number one coach in South Africa for a global coaching firm. Graham quickly made a name for himself and was recognised as and ranked in their top 50 coaches worldwide. He is now a senior coach within the Gazelles International Coaching Community. He also held the position of Chief Operating Officer for Houses for Africa, a newly formed pan-African housing developer. He was responsible for securing $55 million of funding to establish a large-scale housing project in Lusaka, Zambia and for expanding the company’s operations into Abuja, Nigeria.

Louw Barnardt CA (SA) is the co-founder and managing director of Outsourced CFO, a multi award-winning financial consultancy that specialises in CFO and cloud accounting services for scaling tech and innovation companies. A voice for entrepreneurship and finance, Louw drives multiple conversations around the use of technology, raising of capital and scaling up of business ventures across multiple platforms. The current Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, a top 35 under 35 Chartered Accountant and a young business leader in South Africa, Louw speaks, writes, records and promotes entrepreneurship as a catalyst for social change while championing one of the most exciting scale-up companies in the finance industry today.

Nic is the founder of the popular style company, NicHarry.com. Nic was the CEO and co-founder of Motribe, the mobile community platform, before the company was successfully acquired in 2012. He also founded ForeFront Africa consulting firm before selling the business to Imperial Holdings. His entrepreneurial career proudly includes at least 10 failed startups. Nic started his first business at 16 and recently published his business biography: DO. FAIL. LEARN. REPEAT. Nic is also a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. Nic has put his time in at some of the largest media and telco companies in Africa including Mail & Guardian, Financial Mail, 702 and Vodacom.

Phumi champions a new way of brand building, where the community takes the centre-stage. She has worked on various brands including King Korn of Tiger Brands. Since inception Ignitive has led successful campaigns for the likes of Tshwane Open, AFCON and Albany. She started her advertising career at Net#work BBDO as a TV producer and started her own production company, Blender. Phumi joined TBWAHuntLascaris as Talent Development Manager focussing on transformation of the agency. Phumi hosts Womandla show on online radio station CliffCentral.com and is executive producer of the documentary series South Africa’s Promise.

Beauty has over 19 years of ICT industry experience. Currently responsible for leading the Mobile, Telkom ISP network and IT service delivery technical teams. Responsible to the Telkom Mobile network strategy, architecture, planning and deployment.

Born in 1959, Herman Mashaba’s academic dream was shattered in 1980 in his second year of a B.A. at the University of The North when the University was shut down due to political unrests. When the University was reopened after two months, he decided not to go back. Strong promises to send him out of the country for military training. In February 1985 the first bottle of ‘Black Like Me’ products hit the South African market. Business started with three other partners and his wife with a R30 000 loan, in 200sm SBDC units in Ga-Rankuwa, in the then homeland of Bophuthatswana. He now runs his own investment company, Lephatsi Investments (Pty) Ltd with investments in various sectors of the South African economy; real estate, financial services, insurance brokerage, bullet proof materials, private security, fuel distribution, global cleaning services, facilities management and construction aggregates.  On 12 March 2013, Herman was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration by Central University of Technology, Free State

Joubert was born to be a vet and ran a thriving practice in Joburg for many years. In 2002 he was involved in a motor vehicle accident which impaired his use of one hand – effectively ending his career as a practicing vet. Not one to dwell on what has been lost, Joubert reskilled himself to service a need he saw for web services for vets, and is successfully running that business while staying involved in the management of his practices.

Zipho Sikhakhane is a global speaker and business strategist. She has held positions in industry leading corporations worldwide and is the first black South African to complete an MBA at the top-ranked Stanford University in the USA. In 2016, she received the Outstanding Young Achiever Award from the UNESCO Center for Global Education.

In the last 15 years, she has presented in four continents, including a TEDx Talk in the USA on Africa’s potential. She delivers inspiring keynotes and facilitated interventions on leadership, change management and Africa’s potential. She has been featured in numerous publications worldwide and is published as a contributing author in Singapore in a book on inspirational women.

From being raised by a single parent in a poor township in northern KwaZulu Natal to overcoming the challenges faced by individuals from disadvantaged communities, Zipho’s journey has been one of consistently breaking barriers. She uses her inspiring life story to help individuals and businesses unleash their true potential.

Adam is a speaker and Behavioural Scientist whose focus centres around customer behaviour, human irrationality, digitisation, and the strategic application of Behavioural Economics and Behavioural Science within the corporate sector.

Adam has a Master’s Degree from Leiden University in the Netherlands in Behavioural Science and is an international award-winning Project Manager. Adam currently heads up Behavioural Science for Standard Bank in Client Solutions where his focus is on solving for staff and customers by practically applying Behavioural Science in a way that actionable, sustainable and contextually relevant across multiple consumer touch points.

Danny was the last general secretary of the Transvaal Darts Association and the first General Secretary of the Gauteng Darts Association. I have held the Tournament Director post for 2 years and I am the current President of the Gauteng Darts Federation. This would be the 10th year that he was in this post.

Danny runs his own accounting and auditing practice and showcases aspects of Accounting, auditing, tax and human resources.

Bruce is a visionary who was audacious enough to take on Chinese manufacturers and an effective monopoly in the hotel supply chain, in the highly commoditised space of hospitality cosmetics and amenities.

The Bespoke Amenities Company manufactures a wide range of quality soaps, cosmetics and amenities which are stocked extensively in South African hotels, lodges and bnbs.

As Covid hit, Trinity contributed to leading The Media Connection’s dramatic shift in business model, which has seen the business achieve record growth in the last year..

Robyn is an active board member of the Dental Wellness Foundation (DWF) which recruits unemployed women in Mfuleni and Khayelitsha, who teach hundreds of children the Live Smart tooth brushing program. She is also involved in sustainable food gardens in these communities.

Her personal achievements include completing both the Comrades and 2 Oceans Ultra Marathon.

Gaurav has extensive experience in financial services, which includes: asset management, domestic and international corporate and project finance, capital structuring and raising, hedging various financial risks and managing investments. He has brought valuable insight to Jaltech and has been crucial in allowing Jaltech to provide a customer centric service offering.

Commenced my career as:

• In trade processing a trade officer in a processing environment to check clerk, to

• First Trade Consultant in Standard Bank Int Trade – looking after clients, speaking at conferences and workshops on trade

• Trade Sales managing client relationships in trade

• Global Markets – short term trade finance

• Head of Trade Sales – Nationally

• Head of iTrade: Implemented a trade front end many years back

• Head Global Financial Institutions Cash and Trade Finance

• Head Trade Product and Client Experience – Financial Institutions

• Head Trade and Supply Chain Finance current role

Passion – my family which is the most valuable part of my life and I am Pilates Instructor part time as this contributes to good health and movement.

Naledzani Mosomane is the Head of Enterprise Development at Standard Bank South Africa. She is a Chartered Accountant with a Masters in Development Finance (cum laude) from the University of Stellenbosch Business School.

Her experience spans across multiple disciplines including operations, risk and governance, finance, and strategy development and implementation. She has worked across the continent and is passionate about creating sustainable solutions to improve economic development particularly through enterprise development. Her mom is an entrepreneur and therefore she fully understands the challenges that come with owning and sustaining a business and the role that SMEs have in contributing to the development of their communities.

She is a mom to a very busy 5 year old and in her personal capacity volunteers her time by advising small businesses on financial management. She loves spending time with her family and exploring new places and adventures.

Economics (University of London), Foresight (University of Manchester), and Future Studies (University of Stellenbosch). She is currently completing a Masters in Applied Economics from the University of Bath.

Today, as a partner at Flux Trends, Bronwyn’s research focuses on how macro socio-economic trends and emerging technologies will impact businesses, industries, and nations in the near and long term future. Part economist, part strategist, Bronwyn’s particular areas of expertise includes fintech trends, alternative economic models, and sustainable future design.

Bronwyn’s clients include Top 40 JSE listed companies, The South African Reserve Bank, African government departments, and global business leaders. She also guest lectures for leading business schools, such as Duke, GIBS, UCT, and the University of Johannesburg. Bronwyn is also the co-author of The Future Starts Now, published by Bloomsbury UK, and a well- known media commentator on future trends and economic trajectories for network channels including CNBC Africa and ENCA News. She is also a member of the Association of Professional Futurists.

Moshima believes that, “through collaborative digital connections we can collectively foster positive impact and contribute towards meaningful growth for Africa and its people”. Thus, her ongoing mission is to constantly unlock the opportunities that technology provides; while also striving to understand and eliminate barriers to adoption, scaling and commercialisation of digital solutions.

Adriana is currently a Director at the Foundation for Space Development Africa, developing Africa’s first mission to the Moon, the Africa2Moon Project. She is Scientific Moderator on Space Resources with the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator, and Chair of Space Sciences at Tod’Aérs Aeronautics and Space Research. She is also Faculty at the Singularity University and Duke Corporate Education.

In 2019, Adriana founded Proudly Human, and she is currently leading the organisation’s Off-World Project: a series of off-grid habitation experiments in the most extreme environments on the planet, in preparation for life on the Moon, Mars and beyond, as well as a sustainable future on Earth.

She has been a speaker at the BCX XCITE21 virtual event in 2021 and focused on the rapid expansion of the gig economy not only as a response to the pandemic, but a reflection of a shift in working models, which corporations must embrace.

The Wonderbag is a powerless, heat-retention cooker. Using insulation, it allows food that has been brought to boil to continue cooking for up to 12 hours, without using additional energy.

He is the Head of Business Intelligence and Public Relations at Hohm Energy, which is South Africa’s solar fintech marketplace that has quickly become SA’s market-leader in providing solar installations.

He is also the face of Hohm Energy, which involves regular media engagements

In 2018 he completed a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) dissertation titled: Eskom, Too Big To Fail, or Necessitated Change?

In his capacity as an Energy Expert, he is on the radio and TV news on a weekly basis, providing insights and commentary regarding recent news within the energy sector.

Throughout his career at Arion Power, Alan has actively pursued collaborations and partnerships to ensure the successful implementation of Arion Powers solutions. He has worked closely with SMME owners and individuals, understanding their pain points and crafting tailored solutions to enhance their resilience in the face of load-shedding.

In 2017, Talifhani started Analytics Advertising with the aim of helping large entities manage Cloud, Data, and Software. In 2020, Talifhani saw an opportunity to develop a platform that would connect communities through their own cuisines, grocery products, and fresh produce.

After conducting research and development for Spaza Eats, the company launched in 2023. It has now been a year since the launch, and they are growing rapidly.

They are currently operating in Gauteng, Cape Town, Durban, and key areas in Limpopo, Eastern Cape, Free State, and Northwest.

Talifhani likes to think of himself as innovative, strategic, and analytical in his decision-making.

Aside from digital business, Greg has written seminal books on the topic of analytics in HRM (HR Metrics: Strategic and Quantitative Tools for People Management, Knowledge Resources), business analytics and data (Business Statistics Made Easy in SAS, SAS Institute), and organisational design, development and people management (Designing Organisations for People-Led Sustainable Competitiveness, Silk Route Press).

Greg has founded the run several entrepreneurial ventures including an analytics firm specialising in workforce analytics, an ecommerce venture and a technology consultancy focusing on automation.

He has published in top academic journals such as Human Resource Management Journal, the European Journal of Operational Research, International Journal of HRM, & many others.