INNOVATE™ South Africa

Innovations of the World

INNOVATE™ South Africa

South Africa is a country rich with innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. INNOVATE™ South Africa is a showcase of all the innovators and thought leaders who are making a positive difference across the region, reinforcing South Africa’s position as a growing hub of innovation and entrepreneurship.

INNOVATE™ South Africa is a unique 350+ page premium coffee-table book featuring the top home-grown innovators and innovation enablers who are shifting the landscape across South Africa. INNOVATE™ South Africa is also available as an e-book and an online platform, representing a network with a common goal of ensuring the region’s top innovators connect and succeed. In the spirit of innovation, the book is embedded with augmented reality video, delivering true convergence of offline and online platforms, enabling the book to literally come alive in your hands, much like Harry Potter’s newspaper!

For further information please contact Anne Kirkpatrick: [email protected]

Featured Thought Leaders

Featured Thought Leaders

Featured Innovators

Featured Innovators

THE FLAMING HEART OF NANDO’S

THE FLAMING HEART OF NANDO’S -WE ARE PROUD TO COUNT OURSELVES ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST LOVED EXPORTS

WE ARE PROUD TO COUNT OURSELVES ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST LOVED EXPORTS

The story of Nando’s is well-known to South Africans who grew up alongside us in our relatively new democracy. In 1987 two friends shared a meal at a humble Portuguese eatery in Rosettenville, Johannesburg. Here they were inspired by the taste of the African Bird’s Eye Chilli, a spice that...

HONEST CHOCOLATE

HONEST CHOCOLATE- DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK

DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK

Honest Chocolate was founded in 2010 by two friends Anthony Gird and Michael de Klerk. When they couldn’t find high quality, locally made chocolate on the retail shelf they decided to start making their own. When their friends couldn’t get enough of these homemade treats, Anthony and Michael realised there...

ELEGANT FUEL

CHANGING THE FACE OF FUEL IN SOUTH AFRICA – ONE FORECOURT AT A TIME

We are a young, innovative and ever-expanding company. All our ventures are driven by a passionate, entrepreneurial spirit and the desire to meet our customers’ needs....

EVERYDAY SPEAK

EVERYDAY SPEAK CREATIVITY WILL MAKE THE 21ST CENTURY AFRICA’S CENTURY

CREATIVITY WILL MAKE THE 21ST CENTURY AFRICA’S CENTURY

Founded in 2017, by Melusi Tshabalala (creative professional, entrepreneur, author, speaker, humourist, language & culture activist), Everyday Speak is a culture, dialogue, language activism, advertising and design company. Driven by the ethos – Creativity can make the 21st century Africa’s century – Everyday Speak develops ideas and solutions that touch...

DISCOVERY

DISCOVERY - CAN A COMPANY REALLY MAKE PEOPLE HEALTHIER?

CAN A COMPANY REALLY MAKE PEOPLE HEALTHIER?

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were already a priority on the global health agenda, responsible for 70% of deaths at a significant and escalating cost to the international economy. The pandemic has magnified the importance of addressing lifestyle-related risk: global research demonstrates that more than 50% of COVID-19...

SHARKS RUGBY UNION

SHARKS RUGBY UNION- NOT JUST BLACK AND WHITE

NOT JUST BLACK AND WHITE

Rugby isn’t the same as it was 20, or even 10, years ago. COVID-19 had also left a profound impact on sport. Such are the changes that the Sharks’ competition isn’t always facing them on the rugby pitch on Saturday afternoons. Instead, this team competes against other industries and entertainment...

MYSOCIALIFE

MYSOCIALIFE- IS AN EDTECH TRAINING PROGRAM THAT TRAINS PRE-TEENS AND TEENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY

IS AN EDTECH TRAINING PROGRAM THAT TRAINS PRE-TEENS AND TEENS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY, DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND MEDIA LITERACY, IN ORDER TO FIRST MAKE THEM CONSCIOUS AND AWARE OF SAFETY ONLINE, WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY ALLOW THEM TO EXPLORE INTELLIGENTLY AND LATER EXCEL IN A COMPETITIVE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

In order to ensure this is successful, the South African-based educators also teach learners’ parents and their teachers too, as well as mental health professionals, helping to bridge the technological divide and provide the much-needed insights and tools to navigate a complex social landscape.   “The more we do that,...

FLOW COMMUNICATIONS

FLOW COMMUNICATIONS- WHERE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MAGIC HAPPENS

WHERE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MAGIC HAPPENS

Flow Communications believes in working with great people, on work it loves, and on work that will make the world a better place. That’s not a glib statement. Indeed, it goes to the very heart of what kind of company Flow is: it speaks to its values and integrity, how...

EOH

EOH-DIGITAL CONVERGENCE AND INNOVATION ENABLING GROWTH

DIGITAL CONVERGENCE AND INNOVATION ENABLING GROWTH, EFFICIENCY, AND OPTIMISATION. THE CUTTING EDGE OF DIGITAL CONVERGENCE

Technology is to the world as oxygen is to the blood. The world through its people and systems have become immersed in technology, in some form or other, by virtue of its enablement and efficiency. The path forward is predicated upon greater complexity due to converging technologies and an increased...

THE RESILIENCE FACTORY

THE RESILIENCE FACTORY - DOES WHAT IT SAYS IT DOES

DOES WHAT IT SAYS IT DOES

Gabi Lowe and Pippa Shaper are Certified Life Coaches – experts in creating and teaching Authentic Resilience. Their mission is to train people to learn the tools and skills of authentic resilience, to recover from difficulties; to equip them with strategies to endure and overcome life’s challenges with a sustainable...

WHYFIVE INSIGHTS - BRANDMAPP

WHYFIVE INSIGHTS - BRANDMAPP- A WEALTH OF CONSUMER INSIGHTS

A WEALTH OF CONSUMER INSIGHTS

Where do brands and marketers look to understand middle-class consumers go to find actionable, realistic, useful data? That was the question the team at WhyFive Insights asked almost a decade ago when they launched a unique annual survey and data set called BrandMapp. “We were working in media at the...

FARM SANCTUARY SA

FARM SANCTUARY SA: PIGCASSO INSPIRING A KINDER

PIGCASSO INSPIRING A KINDER, MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD

A painting pig from Farm Sanctuary SA is hogging the limelight and inspiring animal lovers to make the connection between what they eat and the industries that they support.   When South African Joanne Lefson rescued a small piglet from a local industrialized hog facility in 2016, she knew this...

FLOW

FLOW- IS FLIPPING THE PROPERTY INDUSTRY

IS FLIPPING THE PROPERTY INDUSTRY

FLOW IS DEMOCRATISING THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY’S ARCHAIC OPERATING MODEL FOR AGENTS, EMPOWERING THEM IN A DIGITAL WORLD AND GIVING BUYER, SELLER AND AGENT THE BENEFIT OF A BETTER, MORE TRANSPARENT AND COST-EFFECTIVE PROCESS. THE FACE OF TECHNOLOGY CAN STILL BE HUMAN – AND FLOW MAKES SURE THAT ESTATE AGENTS...

HYBR

HYBR-INNOVATIONS FOR AFRICA

INNOVATIONS FOR AFRICA

Africa needs African solutions. Adversities unquestionably limit the potential of people, communities, and economies in Africa. However, where there are challenges, there are opportunities. HYBR proves scalable entrepreneurship is the answer for social change and impact in Africa.   HYBR is a unique social enterprise founded in Africa with the...

NEDBANK

NEDBANK -A SIGNIFICANT FOCUS ON DIGITISATION ALLOWS NEDBANK TO MEET FAST-CHANGING BANKING CUSTOMER NEEDS

A SIGNIFICANT FOCUS ON DIGITISATION ALLOWS NEDBANK TO MEET FAST-CHANGING BANKING CUSTOMER NEEDS

Digitisation and technological innovation are nothing new to the South African banking industry, but those banks that had made significant progress on their digital journeys before the Covid-19 pandemic, have been best placed to meet the fast-changing needs of their clients and, as is the case with Nedbank, gain efficiencies...

PROMMAC

PROMMAC- LEADS INNOVATION IN THE PROJECT SERVICES INDUSTRY

LEADS INNOVATION IN THE PROJECT SERVICES INDUSTRY

Leading South African multidisciplinary technical services business, Prommac, has been excelling in the petrochemical and heavy industry sectors since 2012 providing mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and welding services in execution of maintenance, shutdowns and turnarounds, as well as construction projects. If this sounds like just another company, think again. For a...

ELAN BLYTHEDALE COASTAL ESTATE

ELAN BLYTHEDALE COASTAL ESTATE-THE FUTURE OF ESTATE LIVING ON THE NORTH COAST OF KZN

THE FUTURE OF ESTATE LIVING ON THE NORTH COAST OF KZN

Blythedale Coastal Estate is a catalytic development with a makeup of near 5,000 residential opportunities including 350 retirement opportunities, Mega Retail and Mega Beach Resort Hotel and Entertainment Developments. The Development is on prime real estate on the North Coast of KwaZulu Natal and will boast schools, sports and more...

ANALYTIX ENGINE

OUR PURPOSE IS TO HELP ORGANISATIONS MAKE BETTER DECISIONS USING DATA AND ANALYTICS

Most organisations have more data than they realise. The problem is usually the disconnect between business decision making and the curated data warehouse...

TIGER BRANDS

TIGER BRANDS- KEEPING UP WITH THE CONSUMER THROUGH INNOVATIVE PRODUCT OFFERINGS

KEEPING UP WITH THE CONSUMER THROUGH INNOVATIVE PRODUCT OFFERINGS

For more than 100 years, Tiger Brands has produced some of South Africa’s most loved quality brands from culinary favourites like Jungle Oats, All Gold Tomato Sauce and Black Cat Peanut Butter, to personal care products. But as much as these have become staples in local homes, which we are...

DATADISTILLR

DATADISTILLR- COLLABORATE AND EXPLORE DATA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

COLLABORATE AND EXPLORE DATA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Data is the source of all learning, and nothing should get in the way of that. Data should be easy to access and explore. We spend too long working on our data instead of with our data. Data tells a story, and it’s our job to unearth and tell that...

RESPEK NATURE

RESPEK NATURE-PLANTS SPEKBOOM

PLANTS SPEKBOOM, A CO2 CAPTURING INDIGENOUS SUCCULENT, ON TRACTS OF DENUDED LAND NEAR GRAAFF-REINET AND IN THE LARGER KAROO REGION OF SOUTH AFRICA. LAUNCHED IN AUGUST OF 2020, RESPEK IS A BLENDED DIGITAL AND BOTANICAL CARBON OFFSET PROGRAMME.

The hardy spekboom is considered a pioneer species within the Karoo thicket biome. This means that the plant itself can assist in the regeneration of the indigenous brush, with many other species benefitting from its shade and the nutrients it brings into the soil. As a succulent, spekboom is the...

KUDOTI

KUDOTI- A TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM THAT ENABLES FMCG BRANDS TO TRACE THEIR WASTE MATERIAL

A TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM THAT ENABLES FMCG BRANDS TO TRACE THEIR WASTE MATERIAL, PROVIDES REALTIME DATA FOR BETTER DECISION MAKING AND IMPROVES SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL PROCUREMENT

Kudoti was founded in 2019, offering a tailored solution based on our clients sustainability goals and offers an end-to-end solution from developing strategy with our clients, implementation thereof, and right through to tracking and tracing and reporting, enabling brands to become fully circular through real-time data. Unlike solutions from outside...

MEDIOLOGY

MEDIOLOGY - SMART WITH HEART

SMART WITH HEART

Intuitively Innovative Mediology is South Africa’s largest independent integrated media and digital marketing agency. Founded in a media-agency-sea-of-sameness, Mediology distinguished itself by harnessing the science of media planning, fusing it with insights and wrapping it around the big ideas that differentiate brands. Thereby enhancing brand stories and narratives by placing...

HEAVY CHEF

HEAVY CHEF -THERE’S A SAYING THAT GOES NEVER TRUST A SKINNY CHEF. THIS GOES FOR BUSINESS ADVISORS

THERE’S A SAYING THAT GOES NEVER TRUST A SKINNY CHEF. THIS GOES FOR BUSINESS ADVISORS, CONSULTANTS, AND EXPERTS, TOO

A Heavy Chef is someone that speaks authoritatively about a specific subject because they have vast experience in that area. Some of our Heavy Chefs are not internationally known but still making a notable impact in their spaces, or who’s been performing notable work in the background. It is someone...

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The Publisher

Debbie Ihlenfeldt

Debbie has extensive experience in the advertising and media industry with a strong emphasis on purpose-driven communication. Aside from working alongside many multi-nationals and homegrown South African organizations, she has also helped shape communications at various NGOs within the healthcare sector. Debbie has a wide network and is a master at coordinating messaging and aligning... click to read more

Anne Kirkpatrick

Anne has a rather unique ability to connect people and their projects.  For the last 30 years she has immersed herself in the business of recognition and, besides a slight detour to run a media monitoring company in the mid-nineties, has devoted much of her career to recognising and rewarding talented individuals and their remarkable... click to read more

The Publisher

Debbie Ihlenfeldt

Debbie has extensive experience in the advertising and media industry with a strong emphasis on purpose-driven communication. Aside from working alongside many multi-nationals and homegrown South African organizations, she has also helped shape communications at various NGOs within the healthcare sector. Debbie has a wide network and is a master at coordinating messaging and aligning... click to read more

Anne Kirkpatrick

Anne has a rather unique ability to connect people and their projects.  For the last 30 years she has immersed herself in the business of recognition and, besides a slight detour to run a media monitoring company in the mid-nineties, has devoted much of her career to recognising and rewarding talented individuals and their remarkable... click to read more

Other Ecosystems