Entrepreneur Profiles
Meet Our Featured Entrepreneurs
Lived Enterprise. Structured Insight. Scalable Impact.
Each entrepreneur on this platform represents case material, teaching content, ecosystem insight, and lived strategy. Click any profile to view the full biography, external links, and booking request options.
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13 entrepreneurs
Dr Steven Zwane
Founder & Entrepreneurship Education Strategist, YLED
Dr Steven Zwane
Founder & Entrepreneurship Education Strategist, YLED
Scholar-practitioner at the intersection of youth entrepreneurship, knowledge systems, and institutional reform.
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Themba Makamo
Founder, VAYA Footwear
Themba Makamo
Founder, VAYA Footwear
From township roots to international manufacturing, he built VAYA into a proudly African sneaker brand.
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Rita Zwane
Founder, Imbizo Shisanyama
Rita Zwane
Founder, Imbizo Shisanyama
She pioneered the formalisation of the shisanyama industry, transforming township food culture into scalable hospitality.
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Nozipho Tshabalala
Founder, The Conversation Strategists
Nozipho Tshabalala
Founder, The Conversation Strategists
She has built a global strategic dialogue platform rooted in African leadership conversations and institutional insight.
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Sheldon Tatchell
Founder, Legends Barber
Sheldon Tatchell
Founder, Legends Barber
From cutting hair on a stoep to building a multi-country grooming brand with culture and community at its core.
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Nomso Kana
Founder & CEO, Simsciex Technologies
Nomso Kana
Founder & CEO, Simsciex Technologies
Technology entrepreneur working at the intersection of engineering, digital transformation, and African innovation ecosystems.
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Veronica Motloutsi
Founder & CEO, SmartDigital Solution
Veronica Motloutsi
Founder & CEO, SmartDigital Solution
Digital transformation leader with deep cross-sector experience across ICT, energy, health, mining, and financial services.
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Tebogo Phiri
Founder, Disoufeng Pub
Tebogo Phiri
Founder, Disoufeng Pub
Brand strategist and hospitality entrepreneur who built Disoufeng into a standout township-based lifestyle venue.
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Ntuthuko Shezi
Founder, Livestock Wealth
Ntuthuko Shezi
Founder, Livestock Wealth
He built Africa's first crowd-farming livestock investment platform and continues to champion financial literacy and youth wealth creation.
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Candice Thurston
Founder & Managing Director, Candi & Co
Candice Thurston
Founder & Managing Director, Candi & Co
Beauty and business entrepreneur building an inclusive salon franchise model centered on women of colour.
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Yamkela Khoza Tywakadi
Founder, Blank Page Books
Yamkela Khoza Tywakadi
Founder, Blank Page Books
Publishing entrepreneur and author using storytelling to advance African identity, literacy, and cultural preservation.
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Zibusiso Mkhwanazi
Co-Founder, AVATAR
Zibusiso Mkhwanazi
Co-Founder, AVATAR
Award-winning entrepreneur and digital innovator helping shape how brands connect with audiences across Africa.
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Lekau Sehoana
Founder, Drip Footwear
Lekau Sehoana
Founder, Drip Footwear
Entrepreneur and designer who turned a childhood sneaker hobby into one of South Africa's most recognised lifestyle brands.
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Their stories are in the book
Rising from the Township captures the journeys of these entrepreneurs in structured, teachable case narratives.
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