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Red Group

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Blessing Sithole

Kwa-Zulu Natal

Blessing sithole profile

What started in a home kitchen in the heart of Maphephetheni has been baked into something seriously sweet! Meet Blessing Sithole, the creative force behind Bakers Creationz – the confectionery brand turning nostalgic treats into retail gold. His creations are stocked by retail heavyweights like Pick n Pay and Spar and it’s easy to taste why. His signature masterpiece? A reinvention of the classic snowball cake – fluffy sponge, creamy filling and pure nostalgic delight. The market is eating it up – literally – with over 10 000 snowballs flying off the shelves every week!

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Tieho Tsiane

Gauteng

Tieho tsiane profile

Imagine using your smartphone without even glancing at the screen! That’s exactly what Tieho Tsiane is making possible with Oplene Group’s KA-DAH – an AI-powered device that gives the visually impaired full control of their smartphones through intuitive gestures and voice feedback. With over 8 million visually impaired people in South Africa alone, KA-DAH’s impact is potentially huge. It’s not just about accessibility – it’s about dignity, independence and creating a greener, more inclusive digital world.

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Prudence Mabaso

Gauteng

Prudence mabaso profile

No moving out, no dust, no demolition – just a fresh new look overnight! Prudence Mabaso’s company is transforming home renovations in South Africa with its innovative wrap solutions. Whether it’s turning dull brown cupboards into sleek white ones or giving your furniture an instant style boost, they make it happen quickly, cleanly and affordably. No mess, no fuss – just instant home makeovers!

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Xolani Gininda

Mpumalanga

Xolani gininda profile

Imagine a world where the deaf can “hear” through their eyes. Xolani Gininda is making this possible with Smartsight South Africa – the first African company to integrate speech-to-text AI into smart glasses. With over 40 million people in Africa living with hearing disabilities, Xolani’s innovation is a potential game-changer. This is more than just a tech innovation – it’s a step towards easier communication and a more inclusive world.

Green Group

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Cate Olifant

Limpopo

Cate oliphant profile

Cate Olifant is proving that paint can be both eco-friendly and top-notch. Her business, Akani Paints, crafts high-grade, water-based paints that let you personalise your colour palette without harming the planet. With two branches and a growing team, Cate is making waves in the coatings industry. From competitive pricing to offering internships for young chemical engineers, Akani Paints is all about quality, sustainability and opening doors to brighter futures.

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Tebogo Mpe

Gauteng

Tebogo mpe profile

Why let expensive machines gather dust? Tebogo Mpe’s Assetshare is shaking up the construction game with an AI-powered platform that connects idle equipment to eager contractors. No more endless calls or slow paperwork – just quick digital quotes, trusted matches, and a fair shot for smaller players. By turning underutilised machines into active assets, Tebogo is building a smarter, more efficient future for the construction industry.

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Tshitso Mosolodi & Karl Carter

Gauteng

Tshitso mosolodi and karl carter profile

Tshitso Mosolodi and Karl Carter are revolutionising the creative economy with Snake Nation – a Web3 platform where young, diverse creators can build, distribute and monetise their work. Forget gatekeepers! Snake Nation uses blockchain to track every piece of content and ensure fair payment, turning creative energy into economic opportunity. From studios to global audiences, they’re unlocking doors for African creatives to earn in rands and thrive in a decentralised, creator-first ecosystem.

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Tshepo Madigage

Gauteng

Tshepo madigage profile

In a world where speed and service drive loyalty, Tshepo Madigage is keeping businesses ahead of the game with Gentaflo. His company builds intelligent chatbots and virtual assistants that talk to customers in real time across websites, social media and messaging apps. Using natural language processing and machine learning, Gentaflo’s tools streamline support, reduce wait times and even analyse customer sentiment. With seamless CRM integration and multilingual capabilities, Tshepo’s team is redefining how companies connect, one smart conversation at a time.

Blue Group

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Colleen Toerien

Gauteng

Colleen toerien profile

Colleen Toerien’s business is the first local date syrup manufacturer in South Africa. Her range of refined-sugar-free treats, from date syrup to spread and choco-date bars, hit the sweet spot for health-conscious snackers and those managing diabetes. Stocked in local hotspots like The Pantry and Jacksons, Sweethearts is winning hearts – and awards – for its guilt-free indulgence. With plans to expand into cooking essentials like salad dressings, Colleen is bringing natural sweetness and healthier snacking to South African kitchens, one delicious bite at a time.

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Maria Pelembe

Gauteng

Maria pelembe profile

Plastic is everywhere, and it’s not going anywhere, which is why Maria Pelembe is making sure it’s managed smartly and sustainably. As the driving force behind Semapak, Maria produces high-quality packaging for everything from cosmetics and chemicals to pharmaceuticals. Based in Devland, Semapak isn’t just about bottles and caps – it’s about providing reliable, recyclable solutions for some of South Africa’s biggest names.

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Nontsikelelo Mokoena

Gauteng

Nontsikelelo mokoena profile

Nontsikelelo Mokoena is redefining modest fashion with her luxury brand, TOLTHEMA. Blending traditional aesthetics with contemporary design, TOLTHEMA celebrates cultural heritage while embracing sophisticated style. All fabrics are locally sourced and every product is proudly manufactured in South Africa – a testament to the fact that elegance, comfort and modesty can coexist beautifully.

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Vanessa Snyman

Mpumalanga

Vanessa snyman profile

Here’s proof that even the most basic household items can spark meaningful change. Vanessa Snyman’s business is pioneering bioactive toilet paper – this clever innovation involves a process where a five-strain bacteria blend is added to toilet paper, making it effective in reducing blocked drains, eliminating odours and promoting a healthier water system. Vanessa’s vision is simple: transform everyday essentials into sustainable solutions for a cleaner, greener future – one flush at a time.

Yellow Group

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Chantelle de Bruyn

Free State

Chantelle de bruyn profile
Chantelle de Bruyn is shaking up the coffee world with a unique, vegetable-based alternative that’s rich, aromatic and entirely caffeine-free. At Buttercup Farmhouse, she’s turning real vegetables into a roasted, comforting brew that’s perfect for anyone seeking a more mindful cup. Born from her personal search for a healthier, caffeine-free lifestyle, Chantelle’s creation blends sustainability and ingenuity in every sip—proving that your daily ritual can be as delicious as it is conscious.
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Orion Herman

KwaZulu-Natal

Orion herman profile
Orion Herman is proving that waste can be a goldmine – literally. With LiquidGold Africa, he’s spearheading waterless sanitation systems that turn human waste into valuable products like animal feed, compost and fertiliser. Using innovative Black Soldier Fly processing and urine-to-fertiliser technology, Orion’s approach saves precious water and fuels regenerative farming while transforming waste into real solutions for food security, water conservation and a greener planet.
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Oscar Monama

Gauteng

Oscar monama profile
Oscar Monama is bringing indigenous African plants to the forefront of wellness and nutrition. His biotech and foodtech startup transforms everyday foods into nutrient-rich superfoods using plants like Moringa, Artemisia Afra, Soursop and Bidens Pilosa. From Moringa-based oils and powders to healthy animal feed, every product he makes is crafted with sustainability in mind. Named the 2024 Green SME Overall Winner, Oscar’s team is also developing an app that profiles over 4 500 African indigenous plants, connecting tradition, science and a healthier future.
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Memphis Kaotsane

North West

Memphis kaotsane profile
Memphis is making rural roads safer and giving farmers peace of mind with Moonshine Reflective Spray – a simple, non-toxic innovation that makes stray animals like livestock shine bright at night. Acting like reflective paint, it ensures motorists can spot animals from 200 metres away, reducing collisions and saving lives by avoiding countless accidents caused by free-roaming livestock.

Florence Duval

Florence Duval is a seasoned strategist with over 25 years of experience leading sustainability, stakeholder engagement and social impact initiatives across public and private sectors. 

As CEO and founder of IN TOUCH, she guides cross-sectoral teams to deliver high-impact advisory solutions that strengthen institutions, enable public-private partnerships and secure both the legal and social licence to operate. Her expertise spans compliance, community development, issue management and sponsorship development – always anchored in sustainable development principles. 

A former mining executive and committed social activist, Florence is known for her ability to build meaningful partnerships, navigate complex regulatory environments and drive transformative impact through purpose-driven leadership

Monique Chinnah

Monique is a curious, serial questioner who wants to take the mystique out of business and finance to make it practical and relevant to entrepreneurs. ‘Why?’, ‘Why not?’ and ‘How can we help, for real?' are her favourite questions.

She is the Senior Manager of Segment Design and Development in Retail Relationship Banking at Nedbank, and she is responsible for ensuring that small businesses are fully supported through Banking and Beyond® solutions and most particularly as the product owner of the SimplyBiz® platform. Monique believes that keeping business strategy simple, real and practically implementable is fundamental to success. She also believes in the power of fun. If you don’t like what you’re doing, don’t do it!

Monique draws on her own entrepreneurial journeys and extensive management roles in various industries to ensure that solutions are conceptualised and delivered with small-business owners’ needs in mind.

She believes in life-long learning and being a sponge through immersions in over 300 000 businesses, various tertiary and educational programmes, and she is a YouTube and social-media hustler. In 2012 she was awarded a scholarship through Goldman Sachs UK to attend the 10 000 Women entrepreneurial programme through the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and she has been recognised with several Top Achiever Awards in Nedbank.

Allon Raiz

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 which, according to The Economist, is the only genuine incubator in Africa and which currently supports over 500 businesses.

A two-times PhD dropout, Allon is the best-selling author of three entrepreneurial books. He hosted the first national radio show on entrepreneurship in South Africa in 2004; wrote and hosted the first South African prime-time entrepreneurship reality television show; and created and published an entrepreneurial cartoon strip. Allon is currently hosting his 15th season of the popular The Big Small Business Show on Business Day TV.

Allon is a co-founder of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation South Africa and Rural Roots, and is on the advisory and judging boards of numerous local and international NGOs and entrepreneurial awards. His passion for and focus on the development of entrepreneurs attracted the attention of the World Economic Forum (WEF) which, in 2008, recognised Allon as a Young Global Leader.

As an accomplished international speaker, Allon was invited to speak at the 2011 WEF Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland. In 2011, he became a member of the WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Fostering Entrepreneurship, making him one of 15 recognised global experts in the field. More recently, he became a member of the WEF’s Global Future Council.

In 2013, Allon received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Oliver Transformation and Empowerment Awards. The following year, he became the country winner, regional winner and continental winner of the Titan Award for Building Nations.

Between 2014 and 2016, Allon guest lectured at Oxford University where he was recognised as the Oxford University Saïd Business School’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence.

In 2015, Allon received an invitation from the White House, on behalf of President Barack Obama, to speak at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit held in Kenya.

Nonkqubela Maliza

Nonkqubela Maliza is the director of Corporate and Government Affairs at Volkswagen Group Africa. She has held the position since 2006 and also chairs the VW Community Trust and VWSA BEE Initiatives Trust. 

Prior to this, Nonkqubela was a senior executive at Metallon Corporation, a pan-African mining and financial services company with operations in South Africa and Zimbabwe. She also served as a chief director at the Department of Trade and Industry and has strong experience in the financial services sector. 

Nonkqubela holds an MBA from the University of Cape Town, a BA Honours in Economics from Rhodes University and a BA in Psychology and Economics from Rhodes University.