The combined effects of the pandemic and the state of the South African economy is exacerbating the unemployment figure and growing poverty in South Africa. With a 46% and increasing youth unemployment rate, we could face more riots in future. Although entrepreneurship offers an excellent opportunity for job creation, many are not taking the plunge because they are waiting for the best time to start that business.

But what many do not know is that the best time to start a business is now.

Willem Gous, the founder of The Human Entrepreneur, says, "There is never the perfect time to start a business. There will always be an element of uncertainty. Breaking through that uncertainty and starting a business is what creates the opportunity to make money and create a job for yourself by becoming a business owner". "If it was easy, everyone would be doing it", Gous says.

It takes 6 to 12 months

"But even when you do decide to start a business and form part of an incubator or business creation programmes you are faced with 6 to 12 months and having to attend countless training and this is too much to ask of anyone, especially when you are hungry and desperate now," says Gous.South Africa cannot afford to have people wait 6 to 12 months to start a business. Firstly because of the cost of such programmes and secondly the desperation and frustration on the ground. South Africa needs people to start businesses now, create jobs for themselves and to create economic activity in their communities.

Start a business in 5 weeks

Such a programme has been developed in Africa, for Africa, helping Africa solve its own problems. The Rapid Job Creation Programme, created by The Human Entrepreneur, finds entrepreneurs, builds businesses and creates jobs in five weeks or less. Africa Tikkun Services currently use this programme to help their alumni to become profitable business owners, create a job for themselves and become financially sustainable. 

Case Study

 "For example, in November 2020 we took 50 people from Diepsloot and Orange Farm in Gauteng and gave them the task of building a business in 21 days. They had to make enough profit to sustain the business owner. "From that process, 30 business were created - from mechanics and internet cafes to school transport and many more - and three months later, 85% of them were still trading while an additional eight businesses were started to create extra revenue streams. No coaching, mentorship or support was provided in those three months - the tools for resilience and adaptability were provided during the programme's roll-out," says Gous. Six months later, 62% of the businesses created are still trading. 

South Africa has a locally developed solution that can help the nation address joblessness and hopelessness by creating business owners in weeks and assisting people to become financially self-sustainable. Visit http://www.TheHumanEntrepreneur.org for more information or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Pretoria - 30 July 2021. Virtuoso Digital Agency in partnership with the Global Entrepreneurship Network are proud to announce the launch of a free event for entrepreneurs, 'Startup Huddle' in the community of Atteridgeville. The Global Entrepreneurship Network operates an array of programs in 180 countries aimed at making it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business.

Startup Huddle is a program designed to help one entrepreneur at a time while strengthening the local ecosystem. Entrepreneurs discover solutions to the challenges they face through purposeful engagement with a broad array of voices from their local community.

This exciting and unifying event will take place monthly, online launching on Friday 13 August 2021. Entrepreneurs with businesses in the startup stage are encouraged to apply.

Apply here to present!

• Like minded community members will share and tackle business challenges together in a safe space.
• Interact with global entrepreneurs who are mentors, investors or sponsors who can assist with guidance, collaboration and more.
• Share ideas and discuss new business opportunities.

During the event, two entrepreneurs will be given 5 minutes each to introduce themselves to the community, explain what their business entails and what they seek to achieve in the event. This will be followed up by a 20 minute Q&A session where there will be discussions on the various areas where the business owners sought help.

Register here to join our Virtual Gathering

Through GEN's partnership, Virtuoso Digital Agency aims to develop, support and grow entrepreneurial ecosystems in townships to enable and increase economic opportunities led by young entrepreneurs in South African township and rural communities. Atteridgeville's Startup Huddle launch is supported by 22 On Sloane and GEN Africa.

Cape Town’s MindZu has made it into the finals of the Global Edtech Startup Awards. Over 3,000 companies from more than 80 countries entered the GESAwards competition, which provides an unmatched showcase for the most innovative companies from across the world.

Godfrey Parkin, co-founder of MindZu (www.mindzu.com), said, “Being selected for the finals is a huge endorsement for a company that has an ambitious mission. Through quality gamified maths education we improve the lives of millions in South Africa, and worldwide – irrespective of how dire or non-existent their school circumstances are.”

MindZu provides a full year of the highest quality maths education, via the learner’s own phone, for the price of a meal.

“The education system has failed the masses in South Africa and throughout the developing world,” says Parkin. “Most edtech operates within this failed system, so it too fails the masses.” MindZu is disrupting education by going direct to learners.

The company’s focus is on maths, particularly the final years of high school. To MindZu, learning maths is more than just being able to regurgitate Pythagoras or pass exams. “The early teenage brain is evolving faster than at any time other than the first years of life,” says Parkin. “The teen brain is ‘wiring’ itself to process complexity, and the quality of that wiring is determined by what stimulates or challenges it. Learning maths creates teenage minds which excel at creativity and complex problem-solving. It multiplies an individual's prosperity options. And as a consequence it collectively lifts the economy – not over decades but almost immediately.”

Learning maths - the most important developer of 21st century mental skills capacity in teens - should never be dumbed down in educational curricula, and the already disadvantaged should never be deprived of the upliftment benefits it brings. Yet our school system and our teachers struggle to teach the subject.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of youngsters aged 15-17 are not even in school, and this will get worse as migration levels grow. How do you get maths education to mobile, un-schooled or poorly schooled kids? The only way is to make it truly inexpensive, and deliver it via their mobile phone in a format which is compelling, exciting, and gamified. This is what MindZu does.

“We are solving not just a South African maths problem. We are solving a developing world prosperity problem. And we can do it profitably, which means we grow without depending on grants or donations,” says Parkin.

The GESAwards are a joint project of leading edtech organizations from across the world. In South Africa the awards are sponsored by the UK South Africa Tech Hub, a UK government initiative.

Cape Town startup MindZu (www.mindzu.com) has made it into the finals of the Global Edtech Startup Awards. Over 3,000 companies from more than 80 countries entered the GESAwards competition, which provides an unmatched showcase for the most innovative companies from across the world.

Godfrey Parkin, co-founder of MindZu, said, “Being selected for the finals is a huge endorsement for a company that has an ambitious mission. Through quality gamified maths education we improve the lives of millions in South Africa, and worldwide – irrespective of how dire or non-existent their school circumstances are.”

MindZu provides a full year of the highest quality maths education, via the learner’s own phone, for the price of a meal.

“The education system has failed the masses in South Africa and throughout the developing world,” says Parkin. “Most edtech operates within this failed system, so it too fails the masses.” MindZu is disrupting education by going direct to learners.

The company’s focus is on maths, particularly the final years of high school. To MindZu, learning maths is more than just being able to regurgitate Pythagoras or pass exams. “The early teenage brain is evolving faster than at any time other than the first years of life,” says Parkin. “The teen brain is ‘wiring’ itself to process complexity, and the quality of that wiring is determined by what stimulates or challenges it. Learning maths creates teenage minds which excel at creativity and complex problem-solving. It multiplies an individual's prosperity options. And as a consequence it collectively lifts the economy – not over decades but almost immediately.”

Learning maths - the most important developer of 21st century mental skills capacity in teens - should never be dumbed down in educational curricula, and the already disadvantaged should never be deprived of the upliftment benefits it brings. Yet our school system and our teachers struggle to teach the subject.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of youngsters aged 15-17 are not even in school, and this will get worse as migration levels grow. How do you get maths education to mobile, un-schooled or poorly schooled kids? The only way is to make it truly inexpensive, and deliver it via their mobile phone in a format which is compelling, exciting, and gamified. This is what MindZu does.

“We are solving not just a South African maths problem. We are solving a developing world prosperity problem. And we can do it profitably, which means we will be able to grow without depending on grants or donations,” says Parkin.

The GESAwards are a joint project of leading edtech organizations from across the world. In South Africa the awards are sponsored by the UK South Africa Tech Hub, a UK government initiative.

Cape Town’s MindZu has made it into the finals of the Global Edtech Startup Awards. Over 3,000 companies from more than 80 countries entered the GESAwards competition, which provides an unmatched showcase for the most innovative companies from across the world.

Godfrey Parkin, co-founder of MindZu, said, “Being selected for the finals is a huge endorsement for a company that has an ambitious mission. Through quality gamified maths education we improve the lives of millions in South Africa, and worldwide – irrespective of how dire or non-existent their school circumstances are.”

MindZu provides a full year of the highest quality maths education, via the learner’s own phone, for the price of a meal.

“The education system has failed the masses in South Africa and throughout the developing world,” says Parkin. “Most edtech operates within this failed system, so it too fails the masses.” MindZu is disrupting education by going direct to learners.

The company’s focus is on maths, particularly the final years of high school. To MindZu, learning maths is more than just being able to regurgitate Pythagoras or pass exams. “The early teenage brain is evolving faster than at any time other than the first years of life,” says Parkin. “The teen brain is ‘wiring’ itself to process complexity, and the quality of that wiring is determined by what stimulates or challenges it. Learning maths creates teenage minds which excel at creativity and complex problem-solving. It multiplies an individual's prosperity options. And as a consequence it collectively lifts the economy – not over decades but almost immediately.”

Learning maths - the most important developer of 21st century mental skills capacity in teens - should never be dumbed down in educational curricula, and the already disadvantaged should never be deprived of the upliftment benefits it brings. Yet our school system and our teachers struggle to teach the subject.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of youngsters aged 15-17 are not even in school, and this will get worse as migration levels grow. How do you get maths education to mobile, un-schooled or poorly schooled kids? The only way is to make it truly inexpensive, and deliver it via their mobile phone in a format which is compelling, exciting, and gamified. This is what MindZu does.

“We are solving not just a South African maths problem. We are solving a developing world prosperity problem. And we can do it profitably, which means we grow without depending on grants or donations,” says Parkin.

The GESAwards are a joint project of leading edtech organisations from across the world. In South Africa the awards are sponsored by the UK South Africa Tech Hub, a UK government initiative.

SEOPros web design is a division of the award winning SEOPros digital marketing agency that started out in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga with a small, but dedicated team with one united focus – to become the best website design and digital marketing agency in South Africa.

Since then the company has experienced phenomenal growth and yesterday, Founder and CEO of SEOPros, Louis Schoeman has announced the opening of a new website design office in Pretoria.

When asked what it is that SEOPros does different to set it apart from all the other companies that offer website design Pretoria services, Mr Schoeman replied  “ In today’s digital age, web design is a vital, if not the most important element of the overall online marketing success of any business. All marketing channels lead to a business’ website and studies and experience in web design have taught us that a website that does not convert is pointless.  Having a professional converting website is probably the biggest investment that any business owner can make. Our expert team of developers make sure that they create a website that specifically targets a customer’s industry and converts prospective visitors into clients. We serve all industries including B2B, B2C, Ecommerce, Enterprise, Education, Non-profit, Start-ups.”

He continued by saying that the website design team in Pretoria has a website portfolio of more than 150+ professionally designed websites that include mobile compatible optimizations. They have clients in almost every industry and over the years they have learned which website layouts convert the best. With their website design team in Pretoria’s critical approach to every industry, they make sure that they have every angle covered for a conversion friendly website. They make use of the available tools such as sitemaps and Google Analytics and they are very data-driven in their web design strategies. They also make sure that they stay on top of improvements on web design at all times. “Our website design team is passionate about what they do and over the years they have succeeded in growing our client’s businesses by 174%” 

Mr Schoeman concluded by saying that he and his website design team is looking forward to assist businesses, not only in Pretoria, but around the country with exceptional website design services –“ if a client’s business succeeds – so do we”. 

Cape Town, South Africa: Today WeSit, an online babysitting company connecting parents to professionally vetted babysitters, announced that they have signed up 1000 babysitters to service parents in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria.

The company is growing at breakneck pace, having only begun operations in March of this year. Of the rapid growth in operations, WeSit CEO and cofounder Nqobile Msibi said “Reaching 1000 babysitters is a noteworthy milestone and we think the market for our service is only really starting to take shape.

Everyone on the team is excited about it and we’re happy to finally be able to service multiple cities. Personally vetting each and every applicant to our platform is how I know we’re delivering the highest quality of service to busy parents.”

About WeSit: WeSit is an online on-demand babysitting startup based in Cape Town, South Africa. Operating since March of 2019 and now available in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Telling your mom you’re going to the CBD has an sinister new meaning from today (Friday 24 May 2019) after the latest victory in Dagga Wars... Cannabidiol (CBD), a compound extracted from cannabis that is found in everyday items such as skin creams, body oils and even beer, is suddenly the new buzzword in South Africa after the legal status of CBD got the green light on Friday.

The long and the short of it is that certain “medicinal” dagga products – Cannabidiol, or CBD, or dagga oil, to be exact – may now be sold without prescription. CBD is accepted as not being psychoactive. The oils containing this element are also NOT habit-forming and CBD does not pose any dangerous side-effect as long as the daily dose does not exceed 20 milligrams.

Also, the minister of health, Aaron Motsoaledi, announced that marketers are not allowed to claim their products Can cure or treat any medical condition. However, it is widely accepted that cannabidiol has an extremely positive affect on people suffering from anxiety and sleeplessness to chronic pain from arthritis. Apparently, it even helps with seizures.

CBD is immediately available from Vondel Premium (PTY) Ltd., an online concern based in Gauteng (see www.vondel.co.za). Vondel.co.za hosts an array of resources – from an intricate look into the medicinal benefits of CBD to the curing process of cannabis. “CBD products are notoriously expensive across the globe,” says co-founder Rian Kotze. “Vondel aims to limit margins in order to maintain pricing that is fair and more easily accessible to the general public. This is beneficial not only to the general public but might also seem appealing to interested investors looking to pair up with an early stage market disruptor.”

Products can be ordered online at www.vondel.co.za (payments are processed by PayPal) and delivery will take between 4 – 6 working days. This will soon reduce to 2-day deliveries as Vondel plans its own logistics solutions. According to co-founder and LGBT activist Jeandre Verster, Vondel is currently preparing for Series-A funding from potential Angel Investors. The company hopes to launch its first retail location by the end of the year, as well as develop their own range of CBD and related Cannabis Pharmaceuticals in preparation for full legalization coming 2020.

Interested investors can make contact via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Vondel also boasts a rather impressive Charity Policy, dedicating a staggering 20% of nett profit to Parkinson’s and Elder Relief organizations. ENDS Issued by www.vondel.co.za. Visit the website for more information.

Details regarding the speaker line-up and agenda for BigFive Summit have been announced. Cape Town will play host to the Summit from 13 – 15 May 2019 where pioneers in the provision of digital media and marketing technology solutions to the region’s SMEs will converge for three exciting days of knowledge-sharing, networking and debate. The overarching purpose is to explore how media, mobile and technology vendors, and their agencies, can work together to drive and promote technology adoption for literally millions of local businesses across Africa and the Middle East.

With an estimated 40 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa and the Middle East (AME), it should come as no surprise that our continent is supporting a vibrant and fast-growing ecosystem of media, telecoms, financial and software companies eager to bring these businesses into the digital age. 

Enter BigFive Summit, a first-of-its-kind for Africa, designed by and for companies engaged in the supply, sale and servicing of digital marketing and productivity solutions to SMEs across the Africa/Middle East region.

Hosted by BigFive Digital, one of the foremost thought-leadership enterprises connecting AME media and tech companies to SMEs, the event will assemble an exciting mix of media, tech and digital stakeholders, influential thought-leaders, and disruptive start-ups to address the five key elements fueling the rise and growth of the AME digital ecosystem – Search, Social, Mobile, Location, and Payments.

The event features a number of exciting and influential speakers, each of which is an experts or pioneer in their respective fields:

Katlego Maphai is the Co-Founder and CEO of revolutionary South African innovation Yoco. Maphai has overcome many hurdles to build a payments solution that today powers tens of thousands of small businesses in SA by providing an easily accessible and easy-to-use platform to help start, run and grow your business.

Louw Barnardt is the Co-Founder and MD of Outsourced CFO. In 2017, he was nominated as one of FastCompany’s Most Innovative Companies of the Year, and in 2018 received the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Outsourced CFO is disrupting traditional financing and accounting practices for SMEs providing cloud-based services, combining integrity and professional excellence.

Gustav Praekelt is the Founder and CEO of South African Praekelt Group. He is a passionate believer that mobile technology will transform Africa. While spearheading groundbreaking work in the digital arena, Gustav established the Praekelt Foundation, to develop scalable mobile solutions for social good, whose programmes have reached over 100 million people across 30 countries.

Brendan King is Co-Founder and CEO of Vendasta Technologies, a Saskatoon Canada-based multi-award-winning platform for the sales and fulfilment of digital solutions. Vendasta partners with almost every major digital brand, including Google and Facebook, and is the platform of choice for many of the leading marketing agencies in North America.

Nick Grubb is Chief Executive: Radio at Kagiso Media, one of South Africa’s largest media owners. Nick oversees radio operations at Kagiso, including two of the country’s largest independent stations, Jacaranda FM and East Coast Radio. A Bachelor in Journalism and Media Studies from Rhodes University, Nick’s entire career has been in media, and he is expertly placed to talk about the changing dynamics of media consumption across AME.O

ther confirmed speakers include:

Chantelle Bowyer, CEO, Metis Online (South Africa)

Cheryl Ingram, Digital Marketing Director, The Digital Media Collective (South Africa)

Adi Engel, CBDO, vCita (Israel)

Trevor Harries-Jones, CEO, Yola (South Africa & USA)

George Leith, CRO, Vendasta (Canada)

Sandy Lohr, CEO, Matchcraft (USA)

Lyndon Munetsi, CRO, Trudon (South Africa)

Trevor Nadeau, CEO, Local Knowledge (Dubai)

Sohail Nawaz MBE, Former CEO ACS Media (Bahrain)

Magnus Rademeyer, Managing Director, AfriGIS (South Africa)

Ezana Raswork, Founder and MD, Africa 118 (Kenya)

Lunga Siyo, CEO, Trudon (South Africa)

Daryl Van Arkel, CEO, BPS & Vicinity Media (South Africa)

The speaker list also features:

Thabo Seopa and Paul Plant, two of the Co-Founders of BigFive Digital, hosts of BigFive Summit.

BigFive Summit promises to be an informative event packed to the brim with topics highly relevant to any company selling or servicing technology solutions to the region’s SMEs, including:

Why Africa is Poised for a Small Business Revolution

How Industry Leaders View the AME Digital Opportunity (results of Exec Survey)

The Changing Face of Media & Solution Selling

The Local Customer Journey 2019

The Payments Revolution and the Transforming of Africa’s Small Business Ecosystem

Transforming Business Results with Location Insights

Time for Local Radio to Tune-In to the Digital Opportunity

Running a Digital Agency in an Automated Age

The Impact of Data/AI and Machine Learning on Local Commerce

Messaging Apps and Conversational Commerce

Unlocking the Location Data Opportunity

Can SEO Work for Very Small Businesses?

The Importance of Reputation Management

BigFive Start-up Showcase – A Peek at the Next Wave of Disruptors

The Unfiltered Truth – SMEs Talking Digital Transformation

The Service Imperative – Preventing Customer Churn

The Do’s and Don’ts of Search & Social Marketing

The Path to Ecommerce for Small Businesses

Details of the Event: BigFive Summit 2019

The Summit will take place from 13 - 15 May 2019 at Workshop 17 in the prestigious V&A Waterfront in Cape Town and will feature some of the finest digital practitioners sharing strategic insights, best practices, and practical guidance for success, through a series of engaging presentations, tactical sessions and networking forums. 

With two cocktail receptions, plus a networking dinner all included in the package, delegates will have an opportunity to engage with like-minded companies, eager to promote and sustain the local commerce landscape.

To register as a delegate, join our list of speakers or learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit: www.bigfivedigital.org/summit 

Executive Survey – Respondents will receive a Discount Code to attend BigFive Summit

BigFive Summit is currently running an Executive Survey to gauge how leaders inside companies who serve or sell to SMEs view the digital opportunity. The full findings of the survey will be presented at BigFive Summit. Anyone working in this space is encouraged to participate in the survey. The more responses we receive, the better.

All contributors to the survey will receive a discount code on tickets to the event.

Take the survey here: http://bit.ly/ExecutiveSurvey

ENDS 

For more information about BigFive Summit or this press release, please contact:

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

About BigFive Digital:

BigFive Digital was created to support digital media and technology solutions providers serving local SMEs throughout Africa & The Middle East. The Africa/Middle East region is enjoying a period of sustained economic growth. Every major indicator is predicted to perform above global averages for the next decade, with the region boasting six of the world’s ten fastest growing national economies*. Local digital commerce is widely recognized as a lead indicator of a healthy and growing modern economy.*Sources: The Economist; The UN; The World Bank; McKinsey & Co.BigFive Digital has been co-founded by four highly respected global media and digital commerce executives: Thabo Seopa, Paul Plant, Charles Laughlin, and Oscar Sousa Marques. Collectively, they have spent more than a century experiencing digital transformation, witnessing first-hand the impacts of disruptive innovations in local marketing and commerce in various countries all over the world.  

For more information about BigFive Digital, visit: https://bigfivedigital.org/ 

About BigFive Summit:

Hosted by BigFive Digital, BigFive Summit is a knowledge-sharing and networking event for companies that provide digital marketing and technology solutions to local businesses across Africa & The Middle East. The Summit is built around the five pillars that support local commerce, namely: Search, Social, Mobile, Location and Payments. It is these five sectors that are fueling the rapid rise and growth of digital and technology adoption across the region. Any company with a vested interest in this exciting ecosystem is invited to join us in Cape Town, from 13-15 May 2019.

For more information about the Summit, please visit: https://bigfivedigital.org/summit/

Cape Town edtech startup Angaza has today released its mobile maths educational service in South Africa. Delivered via an Android app, MindZu (www.mindzu.com) is an exquisitely crafted learning experience, whose gorgeous graphics and slick interface just make you want to explore. And it is currently available for free.

According to Godfrey Parkin, a co-founder of Angaza, “Maths education in South Africa is in need of a real game changer. Classroom learning is failing learners, leaving them among the worst in the world in maths competencies. Most attempts at digital learning simply replicate those classrooms, using dull teacher-videos or online textbooks. There’s no learning management system, and they often require school-issued hardware. So they are impractical, expensive and uninspiring. MindZu is infinitely scalable because it runs offline on the learner’s own smartphone. It delivers a captivating gamified learning experience which covers the entire Grade 11 curriculum. And, for those who register early, it’s free, saving R240.”

In MindZu, learning is mission-based – you must rescue your friends from Castle Meh, using maths as your super-power. The pedagogy is powerful and effective, using cycles of learn-practice-play to embed competencies. Lessons are animated, using colour, characters, fantasy and fun. Every second of the one-year curriculum is stimulating and motivating. Learners are in control of what they learn, and how fast they learn it. Performance systems let them know what they missed, where they need to focus, and where they are brilliant. Gamified challenges and rewards are woven into personalised learning journeys. And learners are not alone – they can connect with others in their class or around the world. MindZu runs on basic Android smartphones, online or offline. And, even if you don’t register fast enough to get it free, its normal fee is a fraction of the cost of conventional e-learning.

Angaza’s goal is to disrupt high school education by making superb learning experiences affordable and universally accessible. The company wants to make MindZu available free to every Grade 11 learner this year to have an impact on Matric 2020.

To achieve this they are talking to potential sponsors in the CSI and brand marketing space. “For a contribution per learner as low as R5, MindZu can be free for learners,” says Parkin. “For a small investment you achieve a huge, immediate impact for the nation.”  

MindZu is currently available in 43 countries. It is the culmination of years of work by a global team of educational writers, game developers, instructional designers, animators and user experience experts. Angaza’s founders are deeply experienced in education and technology. Khalaf Rashid was the resident partner and CEO of Macmillan Publishers in Tanzania. Karen Parkin is a UX expert with a history of computer games production and award winning digital projects in major European and US corporations. Kwang Lee is an artist, animator and creative director. Godfrey Parkin is a digital strategist, and was one of the original pioneers of e-learning in the US.

You can find out more about MindZu at www.mindzu.com.

Contact: Godfrey Parkin, CEO, at +27 21 794 7838 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.