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

RETAIL CAPITAL

RETAIL CAPITAL-TURNING A DIGITAL FOOTPRINT INTO A FUNDING LIFELINE

TURNING A DIGITAL FOOTPRINT INTO A FUNDING LIFELINE

Retail Capital was born in 2011 as an idea on a white napkin. Those drawings became the framework of what ended up being the first Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) product for businesses in South Africa. Driven by a deep passion to support the SME sector, Retail Capital has since innovated...

JOE PUBLIC

JOE PUBLIC-OUR PURPOSE IS GROWTH. TO BE THE FERTILE SOIL THAT GROWS OUR PEOPLE

OUR PURPOSE IS GROWTH. TO BE THE FERTILE SOIL THAT GROWS OUR PEOPLE, OUR CLIENTS AND OUR COUNTRY.

Joe Public was established in Cape Town in 1998 by Gareth Leck and Pepe Marais. They opened the agency’s doors to the public with something completely new, Take-Away Advertising. This revolutionary model allowed hungry clients to order an ad off a menu with a price list, making Joe Public a...

MAHLAKO A PHAHLA

MAHLAKO A PHAHLA - AN ORGANISATION THAT IS AFRICAN WOMEN-OWNED

AN ORGANISATION THAT IS AFRICAN WOMEN-OWNED, MANAGED AND INSPIRED, THAT PROMOTES AFRICAN AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND EXCELLENCE

Mahlako a Phahla, founded by sisters Makole Mupita and Meta Mhlarhi, is named after our mother Mahlako to pay homage to her pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit in building a successful family business at a time when it was difficult for many black people to do so.   Mahlako is an...

CINEVATION

CINEVATION -ENTERTAINMENT IS OUR BUSINESS! IT BEGAN WITH A DINNER. AND A DREAM

ENTERTAINMENT IS OUR BUSINESS! IT BEGAN WITH A DINNER. AND A DREAM

Throw in some “What if…” blue sky thinking, a good dollop of youth and passion and Cinevation was born. It was 1997 and cinemas were 35mm which meant advertising took months to produce and was so expensive that it was reserved only for the big guys. Over a glass of...

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...

BAZ ART

ART SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS -BAZ-ART CREATES PUBLIC INTERACTION THROUGH URBAN ART

Co-founders Alexandre Tilmans (Sales, Marketing and Financial Director) and Melissa Cucci (Operations and Art Director) started the company in 2016 with the vision to make South Africa a flagship and main actor in the public art and marketing sector....

BT INDUSTRIAL

CHALLENGES CREATE OPPORTUNITIES

BT Industrial isn’t a company name you’ve come across in your day-to-day activities....

SHOUT-IT-NOW

SHOUT-IT-NOW - TACKLING HIV THROUGH INNOVATIVE

TACKLING HIV THROUGH INNOVATIVE, TECH-ENABLED, COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMMING

Shout-It-Now (Shout) is an innovative social enterprise, empowering youth to own their sexuality. We concentrate on hard to reach communities; we go to the places where they are, provide services they want, in such a way that they choose to keep coming back. We are a local South African organisation...

NXATEL

NXATEL-PROVIDES AN ALL-IN-ONE

PROVIDES AN ALL-IN-ONE, EASY TO USE, CLOUD-BASED COMMUNICATION SOLUTION

NxaTel is a Modern Unified communication platform for Small and Medium businesses that allows you to get local numbers from over 10+ African countries to use on any device. It’s easy to set up; you just need three minutes, and you gain access to the cloud phone system, virtual meetings,...

GLOBAL E-TALENT

GLOBAL E-TALENT- MEETING YOUR TALENT ACQUISITION NEEDS

MEETING YOUR TALENT ACQUISITION NEEDS

Global e-Talent Pty Ltd (GeT) is a young Sandton, Johannesburg-based talent search, placement, and onboarding firm. It partners with both private and public organisations, to meet their talent acquisition needs and that such talent is adequately integrated into their business. Behind the conventional recruitment agency, behind it sits a very...

THE RED & YELLOW SUCCESS STORY

THE RED & YELLOW SUCCESS STORY- INSPIRING THE FUTURE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BUSINESS LANDSCAPE THROUGH CREATIVITY

INSPIRING THE FUTURE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BUSINESS LANDSCAPE THROUGH CREATIVITY

As industry leaders in the South African marketing landscape, Red & Yellow Creative School of Business has been producing some of the most creative thinkers in advertising, communications, and design for the past 28 years. Driven by a commitment to deliver industry-ready graduates who can meet complex problems and challenges...

TARSUS ON DEMAND

TARSUS ON DEMAND-ACCELERATING ISV GROWTH THROUGH INNOVATION

ACCELERATING ISV GROWTH THROUGH INNOVATION

We are living in an era where hybrid and multi-cloud business environments are on an increase, and this has put the spotlight on the critical role ISVs play. Now is the time for Independent Software Vendors to capitalise on the great opportunities presented to them through assisting consumers to efficiently...

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...

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...

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,...

GOOGLE

GOOGLE - LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

Google’s mission is to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful with a firm commitment to improving people’s lives with technology. Africa is a hub of innovation and innovative uses of technology. As a land of opportunity, Africans can shape and solve the challenges they face...

YOCO

YOCO-PASSION

PASSION, TALENT AND A SHARED SENSE OF PURPOSE SEE YOCO GROW INTO A LEADING AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY COMPANY IN A FEW SHORT YEARS

In a few short years since launching in 2015, Yoco has grown into an African technology company that is ready to take on the world. With its focus on creating opportunities for small businesses, breaking down the barriers they face, and helping them to participate fully in a more inclusive...

SKYFIELD MARKETING

SKYFIELD MARKETING-WAS ESTABLISHED TO MEET THE GROWING DEMAND FOR EVENT TECHNOLOGIES AND DIGITAL EVENT BRANDING. THE COMPANY SERVICES MOSTLY ADVERTISING AGENCIES

WAS ESTABLISHED TO MEET THE GROWING DEMAND FOR EVENT TECHNOLOGIES AND DIGITAL EVENT BRANDING. THE COMPANY SERVICES MOSTLY ADVERTISING AGENCIES, EVENTS COMPANIES AS WELL AS LARGE CORPORATES

Event WiFi RentalsEvent venues often do not have adequate WiFi to service their visitors and this is where SKYFIELD will assist. At indoor events, the venue may have a fiber line but it is overloaded and slow, exhibitors often need to have fast WiFi to demonstrate their products or do...

Sasol’s Green Hydrogen is set to transform the South African energy economy

Sasol’s Green Hydrogen is set to transform the South African energy economy IT IS CRITICAL THAT THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY COLLECTIVELY SEEK TO TRANSFORM ECONOMIES IN A WAY THAT ENABLES A SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE ENERGY FUTURE.

IT IS CRITICAL THAT THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY COLLECTIVELY SEEK TO TRANSFORM ECONOMIES IN A WAY THAT ENABLES A SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE ENERGY FUTURE.

Having placed climate change at the centre of our strategy, Sasol has committed to bold targets that will enable South Africa’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) by reducing our emissions by 30% by 2030 and achieving Net Zero by 2050. The innovative commercialisation of Hydrogen is a core lever in enabling...

BRANSON CENTRE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP SOUTH AFRICA

BRANSON CENTRE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP SOUTH AFRICA- SCREW IT

SCREW IT, LET’S DO IT!

The world is obsessed with changing businesses for good. Ask the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship South Africa (Branson Centre) for its take on that, and it’ll tell you that is actually a misnomer. Fundamentally, business is good. The focus of the Branson Centre is entrepreneurialism and social responsibility. The Branson...

BOOMPLAATS

BOOMPLAATS -ORGANIC FARM REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

ORGANIC FARM REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Boomplaats has been in the same family for over a century, nestled in the Maluti Mountains in the south-eastern Free State. This is South Africa’s only certified organic cattle, sheep, and pasture-raised pig farm. Regenerative farming isn’t a new agricultural method. This was the traditional farming way in previous centuries...

FLUX TRENDS

IS A BOUTIQUE TRENDS CONSULTANCY THAT SPECIALISES IN HELPING COMPANIES TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD WE LIVE IN AND WHERE WE ARE HEADED

The Flux research methodology falls under six pillars T.R.E.N.D.S. - Technology, Retail & Marketing, Economy, Natural world, Diplomacy and Sociocultural. These six pillars encapsulate all the business and consumer trends that companies need to be cognisant of....

CREATIVITYWILLSAVEUS

NEED WE SAY MORE?

Hope is one of the most powerful forces in our lives. Without it, we struggle to move forward, to progress, to thrive....

ESPORTS AFRICA NEWS

ESPORTS AFRICA NEWS-Get Coverage Of The Hottest And Latest African Esports News Here!!!

Get coverage of the hottest and latest African esports news here!!!

OUR CULTUREAs an organization, our modus operandi is fashioned around the concept of the Adinkra symbol from Ghana, ‘Nkonsonkonson’ also known as Chain link. A symbol of unity and human relations. A reminder that in unity lies strength. Flows into the Ubuntu philosophy from southern Africa, where the word means...

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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