Wendy Vesela-Ntimbani is the South African entrepreneur behind Matomani. Raised in a small Limpopo village, Mopani worms were an integral part of our founder’s childhood. She learned the art of harvesting as she accompanied her parents deep into the Mopani forests and the science and love that goes into preparing traditional Mopani-based meals. Inspired by her Tsonga roots, Wendy aims to establish a vigorous relationship between the Mopani worms and the cultivating communities with the environmental and health-conscious society around the world. And so Matomani was born, with traditional Tsonga Mopani worms at its core. Using skills passed through generations, Wendy aspires to work closely with local communities to allow them to continue their legacy with the skills of their forefathers. Follow Matomani; Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/matomani_za/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/matomani.co.za# Website - https://matomani.com/product
BIG DREAMERS EP 9 - Wendy Vesela-Ntimbani
Neo is an engineer-inventor turned entrepreneur by choice, chasing purpose, meaning and a pay-cheque. He is the founder of Technovera, a technology start-up developing smart solutions in the public healthcare space. He has a passion for nurturing the entrepreneurial culture and is invested in the development and adoption of smart technologies in the healthcare industry. Neo graduated from University of Cape Town with a BSc in Electrical Engineering and went on to join the steel manufacturing industry as an automation engineer. He later took up an operations management role working as a technical assistant to the COO of ArcelorMittal SA  while also completing a Master in Engineering (Industrial Engineering HH) at University of Witwatersrand  before venturing out into the technology startup scene in Johannesburg.   Over 4.5 million man-hours are lost per month due to patients spending hours in queues at primary healthcare facilities. To address this, Neo invented Pelebox, a solution that enables patients to collect repeat medication in seconds instead of waiting hours. Neo has a keen interest in inclusive technologies that improve access to healthcare services. This led him to gain a Master in Philosophy in Inclusive Innovation with a special interest in scaling impact through digital technologies, from the university of Cape Town. Follow Neo and Pelobox; Linkedin - https://za.linkedin.com/in/neohutiri Website - https://www.pelebox.com/
BIG DREAMERS EP 8 - Neo Hutiri
Lufuno Rasoesoe is the founder and CEO of TOSH Detergents, a successful manufacturing company based in Pretoria. It has not only thrived in a competitive market but also had a significant effect on the community. Among Lufuno’s roles are strategic planning, operations management, team leadership, overseeing the production process and managing financial performance. She believes in creating a positive work environment, encouraging innovation and ensuring the well-being of her employees. he company has overcome many hurdles, including stiff competition and having limited resources when it started. But Lufuno’s determination and planning abilities helped to overcome them and the company has developed a high-quality product that is sold in leading retail stores. In this conversation, Lufuno and Miles discuss topics such as, finding your purpose, pursuing your passions and making huge career pivots. Follow Lufuno & Tosh Detergents: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tosh_detergents/ Linkedin - https://za.linkedin.com/in/lufuno-rasoesoe-9743a1252 Website - https://toshdetergents.co.za/
BIG DREAMERS EP 7 - Lufuno Rasoesoe
Conza’s Biscuits owes its humble beginnings to the indomitable spirit of Constance Chauke, whose love for baking and family inspired her to turn her kitchen into a bustling hub of creativity and scrumptiousness. Born from treasured family recipes, Constance’s biscuits quickly gained popularity among friends and neighbours, and it wasn’t long before word of mouth spread like wildfire, setting the stage for a delightful family enterprise. Following in the footsteps of their visionary mother, Rhandzu and Rhulani Chauke, the daughters of Constance, now carry forward the legacy of Conza's Biscuits. In this conversation, Rhulani and Miles discuss topics such as, the benefits of starting out in corporate, the courage of leaving corporate and working towards building a world-class business. Follow Rhulani and Conzas: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/biscuits_insoweto/ Linkedin - https://za.linkedin.com/in/rhulani-chauke TikTok- https://www.tiktok.com/@conzas_in?_t=8k2GcbMYxrJ&_r=1 Website - https://conzasbiscuits.co.za/about/
BIG DREAMERS EP 6 - Rhulani Chauke
Simon Mokgotlhoa and Lesego Ndlovu, born and bred in Pimville created a web base platform called Ball Talent, for professional community sports clubs to recruit young people across sporting codes. They came up with the idea when they saw many young talented footballers in their neighbourhood but observed, that none of them got discovered and drafted into pro-leagues. Thinking that this could change if they gave their neigborhood talent more exposure, they set out to create BallTalent. Ball Talent is a platform that aims to showcase local talent to international scouts. It opens the channels to undiscovered talent from the township. This advanced software is designed for sports clubs, scouts and players to connect professional institutions to young sporting talent. In this conversation,Lethabo and Miles discuss topics such as, starting a business in unchartered territories, taking risks and the future plans of ball talent. Follow Lesego and Ball Talent: Linkedin - https://za.linkedin.com/company/balltalent Linkedin (Lesego) -https://za.linkedin.com/in/lesego-ndlovu-56029212b Website - https://balltalent.co.za/index
BIG DREAMERS EP 5 - Lesego Ndlovu
Lethabo Mokoena is an entrepreneur who is playing a role in changing the unemployment situation in his home surroundings of Daveyton, Ekurhuleni. It was after he returned home from completing a degree in Corporate Communication at the University of Johannesburg in 2015 that he realised the importance of building at home first. “I came back and even though I had changed, things had stayed the same. My peers were jobless, and they would spend their days at street corners, young and going to waste. That’s when I decided to start the business and asked the people around me if they would join me.” WALK FRESH is a boutique sneaker cleaning and shoe-care service providing the best sneaker cleaning, suede/nubuck refurbishing and maintenance, shoe shining and Repairing services for all footwear brands, makes and materials. In this conversation, Lethabo and Miles discuss topics such as, scaling businesses, township dynamics and the role that founders play in ensuring that their businesses are in it for the long run. Follow Lethabo and Walk Fresh: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lethab_ofresh/?hl=en Linkedin - https://za.linkedin.com/in/lethabo-mpho-mokoena-a7b09430 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/lethabo.m.mokoena Website - https://walkfresh.co.za/?srsltid=AfmBOoo-1LfrrPiQbM8lBe3T_9ubU4-k7AvZljnKObvGa0bsO68p8qLk
BIG DREAMERS EP 4 - Lethabo Mokoena
Sibongile Mongadi is the visionary and founder of Uku’hamba Prosthetics and Orthotics (Pty) Ltd. Her entrepreneurial talents started from an personal experience after interacting with an amputee at a health facility in Johannesburg that provoked her to make a positive impact and improve the quality life of amputees by giving them back their independence, for the underprivileged using 3D printing technology to produce prosthetic limbs, splints and braces at low-cost with the use-age of affordable material. In nutshell Uku’hamba Prosthetics and Orthotics (Pty) Ltd produces light weight prosthetics to improve the conditions of amputees living with disabilities with a vision of giving them back their independence and confidence. Prosthetics are custom- made, durable, water-resistant and low- cost.  In this conversation, Sibongile and Miles discuss topics such as, the high cost of access to prosthetics for disabled persons in South Africa, innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit. Follow Sibongile: Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/ukuhambaprosthetics/ Linkedin - https://za.linkedin.com/in/sibongile-mongadi-795b8213a
BIG DREAMERS EP 3 - Sibongile Mongadi
Iman Ganijee is an entrepreneur committed to sustainable fashion and social progress, co-leads the brand Sari for Change with her mother, her mentor and role model. Together they pioneered a circular economy model by repurposing saris into unique pieces, while addressing societal concerns. Central to Sari for Change’s ethos is Iman’s commitment to waste reduction. She is the business developer and creative director of Sari for Change while also running her agency — The Alternative — which mentors youth in digital skills and entrepreneurship. In this conversation, Iman and Miles discuss topics such as, sustainable fashion, empowering women to become self-sufficient and cultures. Follow Iman: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/imanii_gigsh=MTIyNjR0dGh6bWM1ZQ== Instagram (Sari for Change) - https://www.instagram.com/sariforchange_?igsh=eTN1enZ2ZGcxbWow Website - https://www.sariforchange.co.za/
BIG DREAMERS EP 2 - Iman Ganijee
Simangele Mphahlele is a dynamic leader and co-founder of Ejoobi. Ejoobi is a tech platform that allows job seekers in rural areas, without internet access, to send their CVs to recruiters via SMS or USSD. Job seekers also receive cloud storage, alerts and job adverts via the platform. The system further enables employers to access and connect with off-line candidates, publish jobs via SMS and USSD, conduct surveys, gain market insights and create job seekers database. With a diverse educational background she holds an honours applied psychology, an advanced diploma in teaching, and a higher certificate in marketing. She also has over 12 years of corporate experience working for blue-chip organisations like Microsoft, MTN, and Dimension Data. In this conversation, Simanegele and Miles discuss topics such as, youth unemployment in South Africa, the benefits of starting out in corporate and how family and backgrounds shape entrepreneurs. Follow Simangele: Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/simangelemphahlele/?hl=en Linkedin - https://za.linkedin.com/in/simangele-mphahlele-5720a64b Website - https://www.ejoobi.com/
BIG DREAMERS EP 1 - Simangele Mphahlele
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