SPEAKERS
The 2025 lineup will feature key thought leaders in Southern Africa that will explore this year's theme.
MC: Rajiv Daya
Rajiv Daya
Rajiv has spent the last 15 years advising on over $1bn worth of African investment deals and has helped to actively manage over $200m of investment funds on the continent. He is Head of Investments at NEXT176 which is the corporate VC arm of the Old Mutual Group. Rajiv was previously Head of Investments at Founders Factory Africa (FFA), where he built and led a pan-African investment team that did over 50 startup investments during his time – and he helped to raise $100m+ in follow-on funding for the portfolio through his global network of VCs, family offices and corporates.
Prior to becoming a VC investor in 2019, Rajiv spent almost a decade in management consulting, investment banking and development finance roles at Accenture, Goldman Sachs and The World Bank Group, where he specialised in strategy, M&A, investments and financial sector innovation.
Rajiv has played a leadership role within the African VC industry by serving on the inaugural Board of the Digital Collective Africa group (where he contributed to open-source investment documents for the industry), participating alongside industry leaders at various global investment events (as speaker, judge and mentor), co-hosting an African VC podcast and serving as an advisory board member at Keyo Ventures, one of SA’s most innovative women-led VC funds.
Rajiv is an angel investor, a member of the Global Corporate Venturing community, GIBS business school guest speaker and writer. He has lived in South Africa, Kenya and the UK, where he obtained an MBA from Oxford University and was chosen by the Mail & Guardian as one of the top 200 young South Africans of 2020.
Abdullah Verachia
Abdullah Verachia
Dr Abdullah Verachia (PhD in Strategy) is one of the world’s leading voices on strategy, disruption, and innovation. As CEO of The Strategists, he partners with boards, governments, and Fortune 500 companies to craft competitive strategies, navigate turbulence, and unlock innovation. His work is globally recognised for marrying foresight with execution—helping leaders see what’s coming next, and then building the capabilities to act with confidence.
In parallel, Abdullah serves as Faculty Head for Strategy, Sustainability, and Digital at GIBS and as faculty lead for the Harvard Senior Executive Programme for Africa. An accomplished entrepreneur and best-selling author, he has delivered keynote addresses in more than 70 cities worldwide, built disruptive firms across multiple sectors, and facilitated conversations with Nobel laureates, heads of state, and world champions. His voice is sought after because it combines intellectual depth, practical impact, and the ability to translate complexity into clarity—guiding leaders and organisations to thrive in a world where disruption does not knock, it arrives
Akshay Karan
Akshay Karan
Akshay Karan is the Chief Investment Officer of Altvest Capital, an innovative, JSE listed, investment platform built around democratizing access to unique investment opportunities for ordinary South Africans and connecting small businesses to capital markets. As a CA(SA) and CAIA Charterholder, he has extensive experience in investment banking, management consulting, private equity, venture capital and alternative investments. He has helped build Altvest Capital from a startup to a dual-listed investment platform with almost R500 mil in assets under management within three years, and leads Altvest’s flagship Private Credit Fund, Altvest Credit Opportunities Fund.
Akshay is passionate about the intersection of traditional finance and social impact, and is a thought leader on utilizing innovative funding structures to achieve great risk-adjusted financial and social returns at scale. Most recently, he was a key figure behind Altvest’s consortium bid to purchase the commercial rights to the Springbok Rugby team, funded by and on behalf of ordinary South Africans and rugby fans.
Alison Collier
Alison Collier
Alison Collier is the Managing Director of Endeavor South Africa. Alison joined Endeavor in April 2019, bringing close to 20yrs of experience in Strategy & Business Development roles – understanding what it takes to establish new offices for both large multi-nationals & start-ups both in the international markets and the power of technology to transform business & society.
She has a passion to drive business development & growth, specifically in the entrepreneurial space given the huge positive impact high growth emerging businesses have on long term job creation and economic growth.
Alison has strong commercial acumen and experience in establishing value creating partnerships having worked in senior global procurement roles for SABMiller (JHB, London, Zurich) & Unilever (Singapore) as well as having successfully led the international expansion of a Cape Town based beverage start-up BOS ICE TEA to Europe (Amsterdam, Paris). Through these global roles, Alison developed a broad understanding of the business landscape across the globe and understands the importance of appreciating the local context especially for market entry.
Alison holds a B.Bus.Sci degree with Honours Finance from UCT (2000) and an MBA from INSEAD (2004).
Brett Commaille
Brett Commaille
Brett Commaille is a distinguished figure in the world of venture capital, known for his unwavering commitment to fostering high-growth businesses in emerging markets. As a Director and Partner at Hlayisani Capital, a pioneering venture capital fund manager based in South Africa, Brett spearheads initiatives that facilitate the global expansion of promising enterprises.
With an extensive background in finance, Brett's journey began as a Chartered Accountant, honing his skills at industry giants Deloitte and PWC in South Africa and the Middle East. His foray into merchant banking at Standard Corporate Merchant Bank further enriched his financial acumen. He entered Venture capital as the first CEO of Remgro’s venture Capital arm but his entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found AngelHub Ventures, South Africa's inaugural angel investment group, which he successfully elevated into one of the nation's most influential venture capital funds.
Drawing from a wealth of experience, Brett's greatest insights have emerged from the dynamic landscape of start-ups and young businesses. He is a fervent advocate for recognizing the pivotal role these enterprises play in driving authentic economic growth, especially in burgeoning markets. His advocacy extends to championing the critical support that both these businesses and the venture capital sector require from governmental bodies, businesses, and the broader investment industry.
Brett serves as a trusted director and advisor to numerous young businesses at varying stages of global expansion. His multifaceted expertise and dedication aim to inspire and shape the trajectory of emerging enterprises, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of venture capital.
Claudia Manning
Claudia Manning
Claudia Manning is a Principal at the SA SME Fund, a fund of funds established by the CEOs of the largest 40 corporates in South Africa as well as the PIC, with a mandate to invest in growing small and medium businesses.
The SA SME Fund has become one of the largest institutional investors in Venture Capital in South Africa, having provided capital to 7 VC Fund Managers in Fund 1 and a further 4 Funds in the new Venture Capital Fund of Funds.
Claudia’s role at the SA SME Fund comprises portfolio management responsibilities, and she co-led the SA SME Fund’s capital raise for the new Venture Capital Fund of Funds which achieved a first close at R700m.
Claudia has over 25 years of experience in the investment and finance sector, initially as an investment transactor at a development finance institution, focusing on the infrastructure sector, later as a shareholder and executive of an investment holding company. She has also served as Managing Director of the Southern African business of the global development implementation company, DAI.
She has extensive governance experience, having served on numerous Boards as a non-executive director, including financial institutions such as the DBSA and PIC, where she also served on the investment committees. She is currently an independent non-executive director on the Board of listed pharma company Adcock Ingram, financial advisory company Rothschild & Co, and is Chairman the board of the social enterprise, Mondi Zimele.
Clayton Wiggill
Clayton Wiggill
Clayton is Investment Principal at Keyo Ventures, where he leads origination, structuring, and portfolio management for asset-backed, green-economy venture debt across South Africa and beyond. He partners with founders to design financing that balances growth and risk.
Previously, he held senior roles at Ozow and Silvertree Holdings, where he led capital raises, M&A processes, and strategic initiatives. With experience as both investor and operator, he brings a practical perspective on scaling high-growth businesses in emerging markets.
Denise Mulenga
Denise Mulenga
Denise Mulenga Ottesen is a lawyer turned entrepreneur with a Master's in Commercial Law and experience in Mergers & Acquisitions and Banking Finance at global law firm White & Case. As Founder & CEO of Denshé Beauty, she applies her strategic, analytical and negotiation expertise to building a scalable, technology-enabled beauty company.
Denshé Beauty is redefining how beauty is sold and experienced through its proprietary customisation technology. Powered by data, pigment science and hardware innovation, Denshé Beauty solves the longstanding problem of shade mismatch and shade unavailability by customising foundation at point of sale. Having personally struggled to find makeup that matched her skin tone, Denise is deeply connected to the problem Denshé Beauty solves. This lived experience, combined with her business acumen and passion for purposeful innovation, is what drives Denise forward as she builds a brand rooted in Africa with a vision to foster global belonging.
Janice Johnston
Janice Johnston
Janice has a deep and diverse investment background, spanning over 20 years with highly regarded financial institutions in South Africa and the UK. She has significant debt, venture capital and private equity investment experience across multiple sectors and business stages and is a CFA Charterholder. Janice is committed to strategic leadership of impact investments into innovative, growth businesses in key sectors with the potential for significant environmental/social impact and financial return through collaboration, diversity, and inclusion.
Janice spent 10 years with Prudential Capital plc (part of M&G) in London as a senior member of its Principal Finance team prior to joining Edge Growth, a leading SA impact investor and accelerator for SMEs. She ended up as CE of its Growth Equity portfolio which invests in innovative, high growth companies with the potential for significant financial return and social impact. Thereafter, Janice joined the Identity Partners Group, a majority black women led investment group.
Having worked in the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team which led the negotiation of South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET IP), Janice was a Financing Advisor tasked with facilitating and co-ordinating the implementation of the JET IP. She is involved in several mentorship initiatives and is the chair of 100 Women in Finance in South Africa.
Janice has re-joined Edge Growth Ventures as CEO of the fund management business from July 2023.
Jannes Venter
Jannes Venter
Jannes is the CEO and co-founder of INSiAVA Sensors, a high-tech fabless semiconductor company based in South Africa, delivering advanced smart sensor microchips to global customers. He began his career as an intern at SAMES, South Africa’s pioneering CMOS microelectronics foundry, in the early 2000s. In 2007, he joined the University of Pretoria as a lecturer, where he contributed to the original INSiAVA project as a researcher focused on silicon light emission. In 2014, he was appointed INSiAVA’s first full-time CEO, transitioning to a leadership role with a strong commercial focus.
Jannes holds an Honours degree, Master’s, and PhD in Microelectronics Engineering, reflecting his deep technical expertise. His curiosity about intellectual property led him to earn an LLB degree, enriching his interdisciplinary perspective. This unique blend of fundraising experience, financial acumen, legal knowledge, and technical proficiency has been instrumental in driving the continuation of INSiAVA and, subsequently, the success of INSiAVA Sensors.
Jeff Miller
Jeff Miller
Jeff is a co-founder and CEO of Grovest Investment holdings where he brings over 30 years of expertise in startups and venture capital . A Chartered Accountant by profession, Jeff co-founded notable ventures including Brandcorp (listed on the JSE in 1997), Grovest Investment Holdings, Bride & Co, Eurosuit, Sunstone Capital, Twelve B Green Energy Fund, MeTTa Capital, Kalon Ventures and Mdluli Safari Lodge.
He is recognised as a pioneer in the establishment of the Section 12J Venture Capital Companies and Section 12B solar energy companies in South Africa. Beyond his executive leadership, Jeff serves as a director on the boards of several companies.
His passion is assisting entrepreneurs grow their companies to scale
Johann Stahnke
Johann Stahnke
Johann Stahnke is an Investment Manager in DEG's African Private Equity team, where he has been for the past 5 years. Based in Johannesburg, he is responsible for DEG's venture capital fund investments across Africa and leads origination efforts and portfolio management in southern Africa, whilst contributing to capital allocation and deal execution across the African continent. Johann holds several board positions and brings prior experience from Munich Re. He holds an MSc in Finance from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich.
Julian Mixon
Julian Mixon
Julian Mixon is a seasoned finance and investment professional with over 19 years of experience across a wide range of industries, including Financial Services, Renewable Energy, Resources, Technology, M&A, and Venture Capital. A Chartered Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant, Julian currently serves as an Associate Fund Principal at the Public Investment Corporation, working within the Early-Stage Fund team. He is currently the Acting Fund Principal. Prior to this, he held the position of Investment Principal at Naspers Foundry.
In addition to his professional roles, Julian is a Council Member of the National Advisory Council for Innovation (NACI) and volunteers as a Board of Trustees member for KST Trust, where he also chairs the Finance, Audit, and Risk Committee (FARCO). He is also a member of the FARCO at the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation.
Kate Turner-Smith
Kate Turner-Smith
Kate is a founder of Savant, and a Partner in Savant Venture Fund. She holds a PhD in Clinical Laboratory Medicine and an MBA in Advanced Corporate Finance. She is well versed in IP management, Venture Capital, Private Equity and Corporate Governance. Having spent ten years in investment banking, Kate is skilled in Equity Research, Corporate Finance, Equity Valuation, and Investment Strategies.
Savant is the only dedicated hardware and deep tech ecosystem player in South Africa. Savant brings over twenty years of rigorous hands-on commercialisation experience to early-stage hardware and deep tech projects and ventures.
Keet van Zyl
Keet van Zyl
Keet has over 20 years of investment experience in private equity, banking and venture capital. He co-founded Knife Capital in 2010 to scale African high-growth businesses globally and worked at industry-leading companies such as Procter & Gamble, Investec Bank and ‘Here Be Dragons’ (HBD) Venture Capital. Knife Capital's track record includes VC exits to the likes of General Electric, Visa, Garmin, Uber Eats and SoftBank. Keet is passionate about building the early-stage funding ecosystem in Africa.
Kiara Suttner-Tromp
Kiara Suttner-Tromp
Kiara is an astute, results-driven, big-picture thinker. Her family history of entrepreneurship has taught her to challenge the status quo and take the road less travelled. As a qualified CA and CFA with over a decade of experience in unlisted investments, Kiara brings critical thinking and financial expertise to the table. In addition to leveraging her extensive experience in financial analysis, as well as structuring and managing investments, Kiara is committed to creating sustainable, inclusive, and purposeful impact.
Mandlakazi Gcasamba
Mandlakazi Gcasamba
Mandlakazi Gcasamba CA (SA) is the Head of Operations. Prior to joining SAVCA she was the Head of Operations at LEGACY AFRICA Fund Managers where she was in charge of providing inspired leadership for the business, which involves working with the board of directors in making important policy and strategic decisions. She was part of the team that set up the first Legacy Africa Private Equity Fund. She completed a year of academic articles in Financial Management at the University of Limpopo (UL) as one of the first clerks in the partnership between UJ and UL to assist UL in attaining their CTA Honours accreditation.
She completed the rest of her articles at SNG Grant Thornton where she become an audit manager in the Financial Services division.
Within the Academia, Mandlakazi was a Senior Lecturer in Financial Management at North West University. She was also a Financial Officer at Cloud Atlas Investing where she was actively involved in the application to get the SARB to amend legislation, and allow local investment schemes to issue a pioneering Pan African ETF which facilitates a more efficient manner of investing in African developed markets.
Mthobisi Shandu
Mthobisi Shandu
Mthobisi is an Associate at Savant, supporting deep tech and hardware startups from first build through to scale. An MBA graduate with a background in geology, entrepreneurship, and operations, he brings practical manufacturing and project delivery experience to venture investing.
Previously, he worked within the Savant Group’s early-stage support function. He is passionate about helping founders turn strong scienced and engineering-based innovations into scalable businesses.
Muziwakhe Zwane
Kiara Suttner
(LLB) (UCT) LLM, Pensions (Wits) LLM, Commercial (UCT)
Muzi Zwane is an admitted attorney and director of Camaku Transaction Advisory. Muzi and the Camaku team provide legal advice to local and international firms on investments in private equity and venture capital transactions.
Nicola Gubb
Nicola Gubb
Nicola has over 25 years of investment and corporate finance experience with a particular niche in BBBEE and gender lens investing coupled with 17 years of board experience in Financial Services, Media, Wholesale Fuel Supply and Private Education. In her previous role as CIO of WDB Investment Holdings, Nicola was responsible for investee strategic value-add and post deal maintenance of a portfolio with a NAV of ZAR 5 billion, where she built and managed a team of (all women) investment professionals. She is passionate about the Private Equity sector and its transformative potential and would like to add value at a strategic level on the SAVCA board.
Paula Mokwena
Paula Mokwena
Paula is an engineer by training who has extensive experience in private equity, investment management and development finance. Paula’s career started in corporate and investment banking at Standard Bank, after which she went on to gain experience in stockbroking, development finance, consulting, private equity and, most recently, venture capital. Her initial involvement in the venture capital industry occurred during her tenure at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). At the IDC, she worked for a grant funding programme designed to promote technology development in South Africa called the Support Programme for Industrial Innovation (SPII). SPII provides financial assistance for the development of innovative products, processes and/or technologies, specifically focusing on the development phase, which begins at the conclusion of basic research and ends at the point when a pre-production prototype has been produced. She was also instrumental in the establishment of the Technology Venture Capital fund, which provides business support and seed capital for the commercialization of innovations and technologies funded by SPII.
She is currently the CEO of Fireball Capital, an integrated and diversified venture capital platform that makes direct investments in early-stage tech-enabled businesses and in established and emerging venture capital funds in South Africa. Paula believes that Africa is beaming with potential and that, despite the many challenges facing the continent and the as-yet unfulfilled promise of Africa rising, bold innovation and technology have the greatest potential to accelerate economic development. Her role at Fireball Capital has given her a glimpse into the incredible talent and groundbreaking innovations that exist in South Africa and other parts of the continent. As such, she hopes that Fireball Capital will become a key contributor to the venture capital ecosystem in Africa generally, and South Africa in particular, in the decades to come.
Pieter de Villiers
Paula Mokwena
Pieter de Villiers is a visionary South African-born entrepreneur and global thought leader in Conversational AI and Chat Commerce. Recently featured on CNN for his groundbreaking work revolutionizing e-commerce across Africa, Pieter has dedicated over two decades to transforming the global telecoms, mobile messaging, and mobile payments landscape.
As the CEO and co-founder of Clickatell, Inc., he has propelled the company into a leading global provider of Application-to-Person (A2P) mobile messaging and transactional services. Under his dynamic leadership, Clickatell was the 1st company globally to enable Chat Banking and Chat Commerce in WhatsApp and the company has grown into a $130 million+, profitable enterprise operating across multiple continents, empowering Fortune 500 brands and over 13,000 businesses in 224 countries and territories.
Pieter's entrepreneurial spirit is reflected in his roles as a dedicated ‘pay it forward’ Endeavor Entrepreneur and YPO member. He is the founder and chairman of SiMODiSA (www.SiMODiSA.org) an initiative passionately focused on accelerating startup success for South African entrepreneurs. Committed to fostering innovation and collaboration, he also co-founded and serves on the board of The Collective X (www.TheCollectiveX.org) aimed at establishing South Africa as a serious role player in the global digital economy.
His innovative contributions have earned him prestigious accolades, including an IT Personality nomination and recognition by Fast Company. Early in his career, Pieter was named one of Global Telecoms Business's "Top 40 Under 40" executives poised to lead the telecoms industry into the future.
A recognized authority in the mobile industry, Pieter actively participates in leading organizations such as the GSM Association, CTIA, Open Mobile Alliance, Wireless Application Service Provider Association, and Mobile Data Association. His expertise makes him a sought-after speaker at global conferences, including the GSM Mobile World Congress, Mobile Money Africa, and the International CTIA Wireless Conference.
Having spent approximately a decade in Silicon Valley, where he raised over $120m in venture capital from institutional investors including Sequoia Capital, Ethos Private Equity, Founder Collective, etc. Pieter serves as adviser to several parties including early stage companies and as venture partner. Pieter honed his passion for leveraging technology to empower people and businesses. His commitment extends to banking the unbanked and driving financial inclusion through mobile banking and mobile money initiatives.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Pieter is a proud father of three wonderful children and has been happily married for over 25 years. An avid mountain biking enthusiast, he balances his dynamic career with his love for adventure, enduring friendships and family.
Specialties: Conversational AI, Chat Commerce, Mobile Messaging, Mobile Banking, Mobile Money, Telecoms, Banking the Unbanked, Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital, Angel Investment, Innovation and Leadership.
Pyi Maung
Pyi Maung
Pyi leads the investment function at E Squared, formulating and executing the investment strategy of the organisation. His professional background includes leadership roles in venture capital, private equity and structured finance, giving him a broad perspective on high-growth businesses. Pyi holds an MBA (UCT). Away from work, he values quality time with family and friends.
Russel Brueton
Russel Brueton
Russel is the Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at Wesgro. As a proudly South African agency, Wesgro attracts and facilitates investment, grows the export of products and services, and markets the Western Cape as a competitive business and travel destination.
The Marketing & Innovation team at Wesgro is focused on enabling catalytic growth, overseeing three public-private partnerships including Cape Town Air Access, Cruise Cape Town and Edu Invest. Another key area of focus is economic intelligence and sharing data-led insights with stakeholders.
Russel also works closely with Wesgro’s established Advocacy and Advisory capacity, with a particular focus on logistics and venture capital. To support this objective, Russel serves on the SA Start-up Act Steering Committee.
Russel has an MSc in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom.
Safeera Mayet
Safeera Mayet
Safeera is an admitted attorney and brings over two decades of providing services encompassing corporate and commercial law, financial structuring, international law, risk management, corporate finance, competition law, and company secretarial guidance. She previously held senior management roles in Tiso Group, Kagiso Tiso Holdings, Tiso Blackstar Group, Idwala Industrial Holdings and Tiso Investment Holdings. She has a track record of developing and steering legal consulting services to a diverse customer population, delivering legal and commercial guidance to manage transactions across Africa and Europe.
She has facilitated numerous M&A initiatives, redesigning internal debt and tax structures, establishing investment companies for offshore holdings, as well as negotiating and concluding new investments, disposals, and funding agreements.
She also serves as a trustee of the Tiso Foundation Charitable Trust to manage and promote programmes that support the academic and leadership development of young South Africans from underprivileged backgrounds.
She holds a BCom and LLB degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science
Stephan Lamprecht
Stephan Lamprecht
Stephan is recognised within South Africa’s early-stage finance ecosystem for his work on the annual SAVCA VC Survey and his involvement in shaping the SA Startup Act. With a background in industrial engineering and a master’s in entrepreneurship and new venture creation, he combines analytical precision with entrepreneurial agility.
Beyond startups and early-stage finance, Stephan supports management teams and founders in charting strategy and solving complex challenges — serving as a catalyst for meaningful progress. His experience ranges from helping scale high-growth startups to contributing to strategic initiatives for organisations such as Nike, Lesaka Technologies, FirstRand, and Vodafone. Having collaborated with leading early-stage investors, high-growth ventures like FloSolve, GoMetro, and Simera Sense, and global development finance institutions, Stephan focuses on delivering clarity, alignment, and momentum where it matters most.
Tumisho Sedibe
Tumisho Sedibe
Tumisho Sedibe is Head of Pre-Seed Portfolio in Value Creation and Post-Investment Management, responsible for delivering an efficient entrepreneurial support framework for early-stage founders to grow their ventures holistically and sustainably. She is a thoughtful and strategic business shaper with a rich background in business incubation, acceleration, fundraising and Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) consulting. Tumisho strongly believes in fostering inclusive growth. Her strength lies in working with founders to bring their vision to life, interrogating their ideas to build scalable and investable business models.
With an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) and an Honours in Psychology, Tumisho combines business fundamentals with founder-centric techniques to identify and shape high-potential ventures that can deliver strong returns and drive lasting economic impact.
Her measured and insightful approach makes her an invaluable asset to E Squared’s early-stage portfolio, where she applies big-picture thinking and outcome-driven strategy to help entrepreneurs work with the end in mind while staying grounded in execution.
Vuyo Angoma-Mzini
Vuyo Angoma-Mzini
Vuyo is portfolio manager based out of Launch Africa’s Johannesburg offices. He manages the post investment portfolio company support, the fund’s value addition strategies together with reporting.
Vuyo is a qualified Chartered Accountant in South Africa, with extensive experience across all major elements of the investment industry value chain including research and analysis, principal investing, deal structuring and execution and entrepreneurship.