Podcasts about simodisa

Expert Topic: Call for government to back high-growth startups with reform and investment to grow GDP and jobs Guest: Phumzile Chifunyise, Managing Director of SiMODiSA

Technology startups and the venture capital ecosystem that transforms ideas and fledgling companies into disruptive businesses are growing and expanding in Africa. Africa and South Africa enjoys a fertile environment for tech entrepreneurs due to the continent's youthful and growing population, rising internet penetration, and the application of emerging technologies that have the potential to improve access to healthcare, financial services, education, and energy. To talk about the key industry trends and updates in tech, startup policy Michael Avery is joined by Matsi Modise, Vice-Chairperson of SiMODiSA; Tanya van Lill, CEO of the Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA); Melvyn Lubega, Co-founder of Go1& Alison Collier, Managing Director of Endeavor South Africa

In the year 2000, when the world was recovering the dotcom bubble the breathless non-event of the Y2K a former optometrist in Cape Town was busy developing his start-up company, which had created a way to send SMS from the internet to cellphones – a world first at the time which seems scarcely believable now. The firm was also instrumental in helping WhatsApp create a sign-up solution that doesn't require email. The company's name is Clickatell and it now has offices across the world including in Silicon Valley and Nigeria, but most of its developers - and its CEO - remain based in Cape Town. The global chat commerce leader, led by South-African born co-founder and CEO Pieter de Villiers - one of the Endeavor South Africa network of high-growth entrepreneurs, recently secured $91 million in investment in their Series C round. That's R1,3bn. Along with his work with Clickatell and the mobile industry, Pieter actively works to promote and empower entrepreneurs in Africa in digital skills training in South Africa serving as chairman of SiMODiSA.org, a public benefit, not-for-profit organization based in South Africa and Africa. Pieter de Villiers, CEO and founder of tech unicorn Clickatell Alison Collier, Endeavor South Africa Managing Director

One thing Covid has done is shine a spotlight on the pre-existing digital skills crisis in South Africa, and indeed around the developing world. A recent OECD paper analysed job postings among member countries and found a sharp increase in the demand for certain digital skills ushered in by the Pandemic. South Africa’s ‘Silicon Valley’ in Cape Town has over 450 tech firms and employs more than 40,000 people, but in the main the current Skills Development Levy and other initiatives have proven unsuccessful in producing sufficient future work ready skills at scale. Michael Avery spoke to Pieter de Villiers, Co-Founder and CEO of Clickatell and Chairman of SiMODiSA, & Vukani Mngxati, CEO for Accenture in Africa about a bold new collaborative idea born out of SiMODiSA, to turn the skills crisis into an opportunity to make dents in youth unemployment at scale.

Pieter de Villiers, Co-Founder and CEO of Clickatell and Chairman of SiMODiSA, & Vukani Mngxati, CEO for Accenture in Africa

A woman on a mission to boost South African entrepreneurs. Matsi Modise is the Managing Director of SiMODiSA, an industry association with a mission to accelerate entrepreneurship by collaborating with policy makers to enhance the success rate of high impact, high growth entrepreneurs. The Money Show’s Bruce Whitfield interviewed Modise for his weekly “ShapeShifter” feature.

Matsi Modise is an entrepreneur and Managing Director of Simodisa - an industry association who’s mission is to accelerate entrepreneurship by collaborating with policy makers to enhance the success rate of high impact, high growth entrepreneurs.

CliffCentral.com — Matsi Molise is the MD of Simodisa - an association set up to assist SMEs with some of the challenges they face in starting up their businesses. She's also a fellow Qwa Qwa local who is jetting off to the World Economic Forum in Jan 2016 as part of a select 50 young South African entrepreneurs who will be in the company of the likes of Warren Buffet, Bill Gates etc. Then, Mabale Moloi gets some insights into the process of egg donation amongst South African women as well as learning about the international scams which plaque the industry with the help of Psychologist for Wijnland Fertility in Stellenbosch, Lizanne Van Waart.

By her own admission, Matsi Modise, does not look a day over 25. But you would do well not to underestimate this 30 year-20old executive who has recently been appointed Managing Director of SiMODiSA-- a South African industry-led initiative launched to address the hurdles faced by small and medium-sized enterprises and startups. Formerly the National Executive Director of the South African Black Entrepreneurs Forum, Matsi is an avid entrepreneurship activist and a successful entrepreneur in her own right — having co-founded the business development advisory firm, Emerge Ltd. In this conversation, Matsi spoke about finding her voice and not being afraid to use it to advocate for causes she cares about. No doubt, it is her affinity for engaging in meaningful dialogue that has led to her being inducted as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and appointed the South African Chapter Head of the Pan-African foundation, Africa 2.0. We are willing to bet that this bright, millennial upstart will continue to help keep the African startup eco-system's fires burning. Music Credits: All music by Brian Lupiya. Used with permission.