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

CITI

CITI-TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO

TWENTY-TWO YEARS AGO, THE CAPE INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE (CITI) SEEDED IT’S VISION OF A FUTURE FIT INCLUSIVE SOCIETY, IN THE WESTERN CAPE, THEN A PREDOMINANTLY AGRARIAN ECONOMY

Using Michael Porter’s cluster theory as a cornerstone of its strategy, CiTi designed interventions to grow, transform and enable a leading digital economy on the continent.   CiTi’s interventions have been acknowledged to have supported South Africa’s charge to the top of the inaugural fDi Africa “Tech Ecosystems of the...

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...

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...

CREATING KLEIN JAN

CREATING KLEIN JAN - CREATIVITY IN THE KALAHARI

CREATIVITY IN THE KALAHARI

When Michelin star chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen first laid eyes on Boscia House, a one-hundred-year-old farmhouse situated at the beautiful Tswalu Kalahari in the Northern Cape, he saw the vastness of the region as a canvas on which to create something special. Worlds away from the beautiful waters...

DYNAMIC BRANDS MANUFACTURING (PTY) LTD

DYNAMIC BRANDS MANUFACTURING (PTY) LTD

Birthed from humble beginnings within the Eastern Cape, Dynamic Brands Manufacturing (Pty) Ltd began its journey when current CEO, John Kew, identified a unique gap in the dilutable dairy blend market. Like many great entrepreneurial minds before him, John believed in the power of ideas that at first may not...

DMG EVENTS

INNOVATING THE BUSINESS OF FACE-TO-FACE EVENTS , THE GLOBAL EXHIBITIONS INDUSTRY IS OF KEY ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE AND IS BY NO MEANS AN INSIGNIFICANT BUSINESS

Worldwide there are approximately 32 000 exhibitions each year, featuring 4.5 million exhibiting companies and attracting over 303 million visitors....

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....

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...

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...

KOLISI FOUNDATION

KOLISI FOUNDATION- REMEMBER THE ONE

REMEMBER THE ONE, ONE BY ONE.

Rachel and Siya Kolisi founded the Kolisi Foundation with this belief in mind: it is through the power of listening that positive change can happen in South Africa. We need to listen to what people dealing with challenging circumstances really need. We need to listen to the people already working...

HOME OF MY OWN

HOME OF MY OWN-MANY SOUTH AFRICANS STRUGGLE FINANCIALLY BECAUSE THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND THE VITAL ROLE HOMEOWNERSHIP PLAYS IN GETTING AHEAD FINANCIALLY

MANY SOUTH AFRICANS STRUGGLE FINANCIALLY BECAUSE THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND THE VITAL ROLE HOMEOWNERSHIP PLAYS IN GETTING AHEAD FINANCIALLY

At Home of My Own, we are passionate about homeownership because:• It generates wealth for homeowners and their families• Creates a more stable home environment• Results in better educational and behavioral outcomes for children• Improves physical and mental health homeowners• Builds stronger and more engaged communities Our mission is to...

CHEFS WAREHOUSE

CHEFS WAREHOUSE -WHIPPING UP A WINNING RECIPE

WHIPPING UP A WINNING RECIPE

As businesses go, restaurants aren’t for the faint of heart. The hospitality industry is one of cutthroat competition. This industry demands discipline, dedication, constant innovation, passion, opportunity, and perseverance from restaurateurs, managers, kitchen staff, and front-of-house staff. Creating fine-dining cuisine is as much an art form as it is the science...

FLOW TRAVEL

FLOW TRAVEL- A BOUTIQUE OFFERING OUT OF AFRICA THAT’S GOING PLACES

A BOUTIQUE OFFERING OUT OF AFRICA THAT’S GOING PLACES

When Tara Turkington, CEO of marketing agency Flow Communications, was asked to arrange a visit for a few people to South Africa, nobody realised it was the genesis of something remarkable. Flow Travel organises exciting, immersive trips for small groups to wherever our guests lead us. We like to do...

KNIFE CAPITAL

KNIFE CAPITAL - IS A SOUTH AFRICAN VENTURE CAPITAL INVESTMENT FIRM FOCUSING ON INNOVATION-DRIVEN VENTURES WITH PROVEN TRACTION

IS A SOUTH AFRICAN VENTURE CAPITAL INVESTMENT FIRM FOCUSING ON INNOVATION-DRIVEN VENTURES WITH PROVEN TRACTION

Established in 2010 as the incarnation of the South African venture capital division of ‘Here Be Dragons’ – a privately owned emerging market investment group founded by internet entrepreneur and cosmonaut Mark Shuttleworth. By leveraging knowledge, networks & funding, Knife Capital accelerates the international expansion of entrepreneurial businesses that achieved...

EDS PROJECTS

INNOVATIVE IDEAS BACKED BY PRODUCTS WITH REAL SOLUTIONS

"EDS” is an acronym for Enterprise Development Solutions, our holding company, and the foundation for the business....

TYMEBANK

THE DIGITALLY SMART BANK FOR ALL SOUTH AFRICANS

With more than 4.5 million customers acquired since launching in February 2019, TymeBank is one of the world’s fastest-growing digital banks....

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...

BT INDUSTRIAL

CHALLENGES CREATE OPPORTUNITIES

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

THE GIANT FLAG

THE GIANT FLAG -IS A WORLD-FIRST GREEN INNOVATION PROJECT THAT CELEBRATES THE SPIRIT OF SOUTH AFRICA

IS A WORLD-FIRST GREEN INNOVATION PROJECT THAT CELEBRATES THE SPIRIT OF SOUTH AFRICA, HER LAND AND HER PEOPLE, WHILE BRINGING TOGETHER JOB CREATION, CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION, CLEAN ENERGY AND TOURISM

The Giant Flag is a world-first green innovation project that celebrates the spirit of South Africa, her land and her people, while bringing together job creation, climate change mitigation, clean energy and tourism. The Giant Flag will be made up of millions of coloured desert plants, agricultural tunnels, a tourism...

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...

YIEDI

YIEDI -A COMPANY DESIGNED BY ENTREPRENEURS FOR ENTREPRENEURS

A COMPANY DESIGNED BY ENTREPRENEURS FOR ENTREPRENEURS

Just over eight years ago the founder of YIEDI, Jayshree Naidoo and Jay Naidoo her business and life partner, sat across from a branding expert and outlined the vision for the company. They went on to describe a model that they had created, it was still drawn on a napkin...

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...

STREETSCHOOL - Journeys of Discovery

STREETSCHOOL - Journeys of Discovery -As Humans We Are Still Foraging

As Humans We Are Still Foraging, But Instead Of Turning Over Rocks In Search Of Insects And Nuts, We Are Wanting To Understand It All

Our search for clarity is probably the oldest quest we have. We are forever asking “what must I do”, “why are things the way they are”, and “how could my life be different?” Our deepest motivating force is to make a difference, to experience meaning and live with purpose. We...

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...

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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