Early bird registrations have opened for South Africa’s most well know conference on debt collection.The 5th annual Debt Collection Conference – organised by Trade Conferences International - will take place on the 6 & 7 May 2020, at the Indaba Hotel, Fourways.

With digital disruption in the debt collection industry seems to be successfully adopted, replacing the traditional and inefficient ways of debt collection, attending the Debt Collection conference will help personnel in the debt collection space to keep abreast of new technology trends impacting on the industry.

Nearly 25 debt collection experts who will be addressing the audience on new developments and innovations within the debt collection industry, including technology and debt collection, legal framework, governance and compliance, call centre management, credit risk strategies, data analytic and the digital customer experience

Register today for the early bird discount of R2 500.00 per person

Normal registration fee for conference: R9400.00 + VAT = R10 350.00 p.p.

Early bird registration fee: R6 900 + VAT = R7 935.00 p.p. (Value until 10 December 2019)

To register as a delegate email Thunile Nkosi on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for sponsorship & exhibition enquiries call 011 803 1553 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

By Annelize van Rensburg* - Director: Signium Africa (www.signium.co.za)

Ours is a disruptive world. Disruptors include AI, robotics, computerisation, globalisation and the imminent fourth industrial revolution. Already, a growing number of commercial and industrial processes are being dehumanised. So, are humans reaching their sell-by date?

Admittedly, people will have to adapt or cry (over lost jobs or diminished career prospects). The good news is that a stellar future awaits those who are flexible, resourceful, emotive and empathetic (in other words, the very human humans). This is especially true of corporate leaders who are developing coping strategies for the 2020s.Pertinent insights are afforded by work in my own specialisation – executive search and talent acquisition. Among leading practitioners, the goalposts have widened to the point where the work now entails close partnership with corporates with the aim of shaping integrated leadership and talent solutions.

Listening, understanding and empathising are the key requirements, not crunching the data to find candidates with the technical qualifications and relevant experience. Machines can do that.But machines can’t sense the cultural fit or feel the chemistry when a potential leader is exposed to new challenges.

These days, you can put a smiling face on a machine, but you can’t instil empathy and the human ability to assess feelings and emotions. Only humans can do that – whether you are a so-called headhunter looking for the ideal fit or a seasoned business leader creating a succession strategy by developing and acquiring the right talent.The importance of very human qualities is spotlighted when working with an individual executive looking to ensure continued relevance as a senior corporate performer.he key question is: what do I need to do or be to ensure career success in five years’ time?

Research the literature and international studies and the answer is the same … stay human, become more empathetic, improve your listening skills, increase your understanding of the needs of others and look to make an emotive bond with peers and subordinates.how your human qualities and colleagues and customers open up to you.

An ongoing conversation with key players will nurture the relationships that enable the organisation to anticipate demands and meet expectations.oft skills can’t be written into an algorithm. They set us apart and ensure our superiority over the cobots.  Soft skills don’t create soft leaders. They create a growth platform for highly successful, ultra-receptive leaders.So, demonstrate learning agility, absorb new information and insights. Make sure there is still joy and excitement in your job; not just for you but for everyone on the team.

Creativity drives today’s successful business, not mindless repetition. A very human spark drives creativity, not reams of data.Insight and interpretation give leaders the power to focus on the key issues. A machine can generate a 25-page report filled with techno-babble. A receptive human can condense that into one page with half-a-dozen action points.ind joy in sharing and communicating. If you take everything on your own shoulders you eventually feel sucked dry by the demands of leadership. You go on to auto-pilot. In other words, you become a machine, and that’s a no-no.

Adapt by all means, but stay human. You and your organisation will be better for it.

*Annelize van Rensburg is a director of Signium Africa (previously Talent Africa), a leading South Africa-based executive search and talent management company servicing sub-Saharan Africa.

The art of photography is one of the most pivotal aspects of today’s Pop culture and photography with the help of cutting-edge technology, has transcended from involving heavy duty equipment that can be transported easily to portable, lightweight tech devices known as smartphones. TECNO Mobile, knowing how photo centric this current generation is and how smartphone users continually search for a smartphone with utterly exceptional cameras has recently announced a flagship device from its CAMON series that beats an industrial

benchmark.CAMON 11: New devices with the power to capture more beauty.

CAMON 11 adequately address any smartphone camera related grievance users could have, as the CAMON 11 comes with a 16MP selfie shooter and dual rear camera setup (13MP+2MP) that are synchronized with Artificial Intelligence which automatically recognizes user’s environment within seconds and adds various light shades in a bid to pick the best suitable settings for a high-quality image.

It doesn’t end there, the new CAMON devices tracks 240 facial points in real time to properly replicate the user’s facial features and transform them into top notch pictures. This is a big deal as the industrial benchmark for most smartphone is 108, but the new CAMON 11 doubled that benchmark effortlessly- Great one from team TECNO.

Over the years, TECNO’s consistency in launching really good camera- centric smartphone is commendable as these new devices seems to have added more weight on an already flattering record. With the new CAMON 11, it is obvious that flawless selfies will never be a thing to yearn for, as they are easily attainable. The devices also parade an Artificial Intelligent beautification effect, an A.I HDR, A.I Adjustable flashlights and other modes affixed into the device as camera sub features to ensure users have several enticing options to keep taking amazing pictures.

Additionally, the new CAMON devices are not a slouch on other aspects that makes up an amazing device. The smartphones also showcase improved facial unlock feature which works more effectively, and users do not need to worry so much about keeping records as they can seamlessly record their phone calls by just tapping the fingerprint sensor which is placed behind the devices.

Other features to look out for on the new TECNO CAMON 11 includes a 6.2-inch notch screen + Super full view display, a 4G LTE connectivity, a 3750mAh Li-Polymer. The CAMON 11 carries a 3GB RAM+32GB ROM.

Eleven startups from across the African continent, identified as “entrepreneurs for humanity”, were awarded the opportunity to partner with the AfricArena challenge corporate sponsors at the end of the second AfricArena technology conference in Cape Town today.

Saturday 17 November, Cape Town – Amongst others, Air France KLM selected DiscoverIkasi and Sea Monster, both from South Africa, to assist with improving the travel experience and sustainability of its subsidiary Joon. Vinci Energie, will work with Senegal’s Oniriq and South Africa’s DataProphet on innovative energy solutions in Africa.

See the full list of winners, sponsors and challenges below.

During 2018, in the run up to AfricArena2018, 60 startups pitched their businesses in regional events in eight cities across Africa. Many of which were invited to take part in a series of challenges set by the AfricArena sponsors, all looking to solve uniquely African business problems.  

SOLUTIONS FOR THE AFRICAN MARKET

The AfricArena 2018 conference was anchored and endorsed by major international sponsors La French Tech, Silicon Cape, Vinci Energies, AirFrance KLM, Engie, Saint-Gobain, Methys, Rogerwilco, City of Cape Town, Proparco, RCS, and Leroy Merlin.

The following sponsors specifically came to South Africa and AfricArena to explore innovation opportunities within Africa and abroad: RCS, Saint-Gobain, AirFrance KLM, Vinci Energies, VivaTech, Leroy Merlin, Engie, Sanofi and FSAT Labs.

“We expect to have a different approach from these startups, a bright idea that could be easily implemented, and also to benefit from what is very high potential in terms of innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives. And to find solutions that are very well adapted to the African market,” said Jean-Michel Mathieu, CEO of Joon, a subsidiary of Air France.

“African entrepreneurs are very willing to find solutions, to take risks, they address vital expectations and needs, and they are looking at the challenges with a very frugal mindset. I think this is a lesson for us as well, we learn a lot working with them and collaborating with them to find the right solutions and we take this inspiration back to Europe with us,” said Lydia Babaci-Victor, Chief Innovation and Development Officer at Vinci Energies.

Vincent Viollain, co-Founder and Head of Partnerships and Startups at VivaTech, the biggest tech conference in Europe said: “The leapfrog ability of African technology has become a bit of a cliché. But when you get a chance to see it, you’ll see that it’s actually true. African technology is frugal, its smart and it can have an impact locally as well as globally. In our winner, Aerobotics’ case we believe the solution can move beyond physical borders, and also have application in different industry sectors.” 

AFRICARENA WINNERS:

The startups who won the challenges, were grateful of the experience and excited to be moving forward with some of the largest corporations across the globe.

“Oniriq provides access to African rural populations through energy and the internet. It’s great to be here at AfricArena, it has been a journey. For two months we’ve been participating in this challenge since the selection two months ago in Dakar with Vinci Energies team and we’ve been in discussions since. For us the win is a great achievement and we’re looking forward to starting our collaboration in Senegal,” said Rodolphe Rosier, Founder of Oniriq. 

“We’d like to thank AfricArena and VivaTech for the opportunity to present and we’re really happy to have won and we cannot wait to be in Paris in May. We’re already expanding around the world and this presence at VivaTech 2019 will give us a great opportunity to meet the European market,” said Nasreen Patel, Head of Product at Aerobotics. 

“This is not just a win for DiscoverIkasi, it’s a win for the communities we work with across South Africa. It’s going to give them a lot more exposure. This is what we’ve been working towards since starting the business, to get to a platform where I can market DiscoverIkasi, our market, our experiences and the townships on an international stage. Now we need to go back home and form a strategy to scale the business across South Africa,” said Ntsebenziswano (Benzi) November, Founder of DiscoverIkasi.

The startups attending the conference will also each be receiving credit from AWS as part of their prizes. Each startup in attendance, winner or not, will receive $2000 in AWS credit.  

A WORD FROM THE ECO-SYSTEM

Kerry Petrie, General Manager of Silicon Cape, host ecosystem of AfricArena, states: “It’s such an amazing opportunity for entrepreneurs from all across the continent to connect and share, building bridges that may hold future partnership, export and market opportunities. It builds the visibility of the pan-African community for a local, regional and global stakeholder audience. We have to work together to increase investment in African ventures from 1%. And AfricArena is playing a pivotal role in making that a reality.”

Reflecting on the event, Christophe Viarnaud, CEO of AfricArena, expanded on the philosophy behind the conference. “AfricArena’s open collaborative Pan-African model, highly inclusive and embarking all categories of investors, ecosystem contributors, and corporates focused on innovation in Africa, has demonstrated very high impact throughout 2018 with 16 events on 3 continents. The grand finale at AfricArena2018 has shown the energy and excitement from 15 corporates, over 150 investors and 70 startups, with over $2m deals being done, startup-corporate partnerships being struck and a wave of energy and innovation from African entrepreneurs. We could not be more excited about the future, comments Viarnaud.  

THE WINNERS:

Air France KLM Challenge 1                     DiscoverIkasi

Air France KLM Challenge 2                    Sea Monster

Engie Challenge                                           Arnegy

Leroy Merlin Challenge                             BizAR Reality

Saint-Gobain Challenge 1                         Swift GeoSpatial

Saint-Gobain Challenge 2                         The Student Hub

Sanofi South Africa Challenge                Iyeza Health

The RCS Group Challenge                        ThisIsMe

Vinci Energies Challenge 1                       Oniriq

Vinci Energies Challenge 2                       DataProphet

Vivatech 2019 Challenge                          Aerobotics 

SPONSORS AND THEIR CHALLENGES:

Air France KLM Challenge 1 – optimising the airline’s travel experience while reducing its environmental footprint

Air France KLM Challenge 2 – using technology to enrich subsidiary Joon’s travel experience for its passengers

Engie Challenge – ensuing a reliable energy supply in urban areas

Leroy Merlin Challenge – immersive showroom experience that shows off a large variety of products

Saint-Gobain Challenge 1 – using satellite trend analysis to predict urban and climate challenges

Saint-Gobain Challenge 2 -- a solution to upgrade professionals’ skills across Africa, especially in remote areas.

Sanofi South Africa Challenge – optimising patient treatment adherence and completion rates

The RCS Group Challenge – storing and securing customer identity and authentication credentials

Vinci Energies Challenge 1 – using digitalisation to optimise industry and energy performance

Vinci Energies Challenge 2 – How to make energy more accessible in Africa using technology such as energy efficiency flow solutions, energy flow optimisation, blockchain and artificial intelligence

Vivatech 2019 Challenge – using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate growth and sustainability in the agriculture sector 

 

-- ENDS --

For more information on AfricArena or this press release, please contact:

Mika Stanvliet | 081 534 6237 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About AfricArena:

AfricArena is a conference that showcases Africa’s best startups and innovators in front of an audience of local and international investors looking for world-class talent.Celebrated as the largest tech ecosystem accelerator on the African continent, last year’s edition of AfricArena saw more than 80 startups presenting to over 100 investors with 25 countries being represented and over $2M worth of deals done. This year's edition saw 70 startups from 32 countries pitching to over 600 attendees. This year they are predicting that funding for African startups will crack US$1 billion. Earlier this year AfricArena launched a global tour to source the world's best tech innovators solving uniquely African problems, and the tour covered 66 000 kilometers in total. AfricArena is the ultimate deal-flow platform, bringing investors and startups together in one central location.

For more information visit: https://africarena2018.com

Cape Town, South Africa 23rd May 2018 - With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) now becoming more pervasive in the Enterprise, the way brands can engage with the market, clients, consumers or end users has dramatically changed.  Intele.Chat will join Conversica’s Alliance Partner Program to grow sales of their award winning AI powered technology to enhance the B2B & B2C sales and marketing interface, bringing improvements to key business operations and improved productivity for South African based Enterprise clients.   

“We are very excited to partner with Intele.Chat”, said Victor Belfor, SVP Business Development at Conversica. “Intele.Chat is the premier conversational AI consultancy and thought leader in the region.  Intele.Chat is uniquely suited to represent our Automated Sales Assistant which follows up on every sale lead and converts them to opportunities by using natural language conversations.  Because the messages appear to come from a real person, the engagement rate is very high.” 

“For me, Conversica is a technology that takes your sales and marketing operation to the next level”, said Nick Bradshaw, CEO Intele.Chat.  “I have been in business development for over 20 years and Conversica solves many of the age old problems we face as sales and marketing professionals, namely; keeping  leads engaged, relentless follow-up, post tradeshow engagement, re-engagement with old leads, cross selling, focus on higher quality leads, lead nurturing and keeping conversations going until timely hand-off to the sales rep is required”. 

Belfor concluded, “The Conversica AI virtual assistant can get the best phone number, the best time to call, and sales feedback without you lifting a finger 24/7 365 days a year. Used by more than 1,200 companies worldwide including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, EPSON, Chrysler, Conversica’s sales assistants are built on a proven AI platform integrating natural language processing (NLP), natural language generation (NLG), and machine learning (ML) capabilities”.  Bradshaw concluded, “Conversica’s Artificial Intelligence sales and marketing AI technology is easy to configure and deploy using a subscription based model.  We look forward to taking this product to market in South Africa. 

About Intele.Chat

Intele.Chat is part of the Conversational Commerce Group and we help South African clients leverage conversational commerce technologies be they human powered, augmented or fully automated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the B2B & B2C sales and marketing interface, bringing improvement and efficiency to your sales operations.  Conversica’s AI sales and service assistants are multi-award winning products and are used by hundreds of clients around the world to reach out and qualify sales and service leads 24×7, verify contact information, collect requirements, and set appointments. Intele.Chat serves Conversica’s clients in the Southern Africa region. To learn more and book an appointment / demo visit www.intele.chat

About Conversica

Conversica is the leader in AI-powered business conversations and the only provider of AI-driven lead engagement software for marketing and sales organizations. The flagship Conversica® AI Sales Assistant helps companies find and secure customers more quickly and efficiently by automatically contacting, engaging, qualifying, and following up with leads via natural, two-way conversations. Used by more than 1,000 companies worldwide, Conversica’s sales assistants are built on a proven AI platform integrating natural language processing (NLP), natural language generation (NLG), and machine learning (ML) capabilities and engage prospects over multiple communication channels and in multiple languages. Recognized by Gartner as a Cool Vendor, Conversica is a portfolio company of Providence Equity, Kennet Partners and Toba Capital and is headquartered in Foster City, Calif. 

Press & Media Links

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: +27 7957 33206
Web: www.intele.chat
All trademarks & company names mentioned are protected by their respective owner

As support gathers for Africa’s first Artificial Intelligence Expo, top names in the AI field have signed up for the event that will allow C-Suite Executives from across all industries to understand, embrace and implement AI in their businesses.

AI ExpoAfrica 2018 is aimed at the C-Suite and Enterprise decision makers who are grappling to understand how AI applications can add value or impact their business today. With emerging technology breakthroughs in AI now going mainstream, understanding the business opportunity from both a supplier and client perspective has never been more paramount. AI ExpoAfrica 2018 will focus on real-world applications, trends driving the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Economy in Africa and seeks to build an AI Business-focused community across the continent.

Companies and organisations at the forefront of research, investment and implementation in Artificial Intelligence across Africa such as SAP Africa, TransUnion Africa, Data Prophet, LARC AI, Siatik, MIIA (Machine Intelligence Institute of Africa), Clevva, Knife Capital, StartUpBootcamp Africa, Cortex Logic, Sw7, Silicon Cape, Mint and Amani Business to name a few have already signed up or endorsed the event:

Lee Naik, CEO TransUnion Africa & Digital Transformation Expert stated: “Technology will always be one of the biggest disruptors in our industries. As a business leader myself, I have seen first-hand how the power of disruption can either cause chaos for a business or provide it with an opportunity to innovate and differentiate itself in exciting, new ways. This is why platforms like AI Expo Africa are so valuable: it brings CxOs, investors and innovators together to engage in real-world discussions around technologies disrupting Enterprises, markets and clients. Together with my fellow speakers I look forward to sharing my perspective and some insights around what these disruptors mean for our industries.”

Frans Cronjé, MD of DataProphet said: ”We are really excited to be part of AI Expo Africa - to showcase some of the great results of AI we have implemented in the manufacturing environment and share our experiences in seeing AI integrated into business processes, both in the local and international market. AI often goes unmentioned in Industry 4.0 conversations - but is a critical component in giving a factory its own ability to learn from its mistakes.”

Keith Jones, Sw7 Co-Founder, who will be leading the Plenary and case study track as moderator at AI Expo Africa said: "As we see the effect of connected markets, digitisation, mobility, IoT, interoperability and big data drive access to, and increase the quality of, data business will increasingly be driven by machine-assisted decisions. The ability to leverage the available data assets to make informed decisions quickly will be what drives strategic advantage in the future. This will affect all market sectors, not just the digitised markets. AI Expo Africa is creating a platform to connect businesses with the community that is driving this exciting sector. The goal is to educate delegates about what is possible and connect them with people in the sector. The real world aspect of this event will have great appeal to any business leader seeking to explore and acquire both innovative and proven AI based solutions.”

Dr Jacques Ludik, Founder & President of MIIA & Cortex Logic CEO, will be serving as Track Moderator at the event and stated, “It’s great to see AI Expo Africa focusing on the real world applications of AI. Their novel approach to include large enterprise platform and service vendors, alongside AI start-up innovators coupled to a CxO audience containing decision makers and investors makes for a perfect mix. It’s a great opportunity to see how AI is now impacting many aspects of Commerce and Enterprise in Africa, and delegates will gain great value from attending.”

The event will showcase AI Cloud platform providers, Tier 1 & 2 deployment & service providers, AI start-ups, investors, educators, government and AI ecosystem community builders. The event will give those attending a real feel for what’s available now or in the near future. With six themes and three tracks the event is focused on real Enterprise AI case studies and the application of AI in Business, AI deployment challenges, ethics and skills plus the business innovation driving current deployment trends across all industry sectors.”

About AI Expo Africa

Taking place on 9-11 September 2018, Century City Conference Centre, Cape Town, South Africa, AI Expo Africa 2018 is focusing on real world applications & trends driving the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Economy in Africa and seeking to build an AI Business focused Community across the continent. With 400 delegates, 27x speakers, 5x keynotes, 28x AI exhibitors plus Innovation Cafe housing 20x AI Start-Ups, the event is aimed at CxO / C Suite delegates with the primary goal of educating business leaders about AI applications and opportunities impacting the Enterprise today as well as generating real business opportunities for sponsors, speakers & AI innovators across the region. If you would like to join the event as a delegate or would like take up one of the exhibition, Innovation cafe or speaking opportunities simply visit www.aiexpoafrica.com

{pp}South Africa has long had a proud tradition of cutting edge technology development. Industrial and commercial applications developed in SA have found their way into major markets across the globe. Artificial intelligence is fast becoming a high growth sector in the technology industry and South Africa has a small but growing niche community working in this field.