The People Building South Africa. Host Mashudu Modau sits down with the entrepreneurs, investors, operators and ecosystem builders shaping South Africa's future. Together, we go beyond the headlines, funding announcements and success stories to uncover the failures, pivots and defining decisions behind building in one of the world's most dynamic entrepreneurial landscapes. From township-born brands and independent African media companies to technology startups, manufacturers and…
Subscribe:.rss.atom.json.md.m3u.pls
Live Last read · last published · next check
Saves to your Listen queue, to pick up on another day or another device.
Few founders have reshaped South Africa’s beauty industry like Mathebe Ngwenya . What began as a digital platform connecting customers to beauty services has evolved into Beauty on TApp — a thriving online retailer and a growing network of four brick-and-mortar stores across the country. It’s a story of conviction, discipline, and belief in what’s possible when you build with purpose. The journey…
What does it really take to turn a pair of clippers and a dream into one of Africa’s most loved grooming brands? In this episode, we sit down with Sheldon Tatchell , the founder of Legends Barber , to trace the journey from cutting hair on a stoep in Eldorado Park at just 14 years old, to building a business with 70+ stores , 620 employees , and a footprint across the continent. Sheldon shares the…
When Tshegofatso Dludla started tutoring high school students in maths and science, she noticed something that stuck with her: it wasn’t just that learners were struggling—it was that they didn’t understand why these subjects mattered. For many, the learning felt abstract, boring, and disconnected from the world they lived in. That frustration became fuel. Together with her husband, Tshego created…
What if the key to transforming township economies isn’t outside investment—but collective buying power? In this episode, I sit down with Brian Makwaiba , founder of Vuleka , the multi-award-winning platform helping township spaza shops and informal businesses compete on equal footing. We unpack how Vuleka’s hybrid online-offline model makes bulk buying simple, builds credit profiles for unbanked…
What does it take to turn a deeply personal struggle into a Pan-African healthtech startup that’s reimagining how we access mental healthcare? In this episode, I sit down with Onkgopotse Khumalo , founder of Amari Health , to unpack her journey from the world of finance and consulting to building one of South Africa’s most intentional healthtech startups. After losing a close friend to suicide and…
Some brands are born to be more than just businesses—they become cultural icons. The Wing Republic , founded by Tlhompho Mokoena , has spent over a decade proving exactly that. What started in 2014 as a single pop-up stand has grown into one of Gauteng’s most recognized food brands. From the early hustle at festivals and food markets to a brick-and-mortar home in the heart of Braamfontein, The…
What does it take to build real power for Black founders in South Africa’s tech ecosystem — and create a future where professionals of colour have equitable access to knowledge, networks, and funding? In this episode, I sit down with Ntsako Mgiba , founder of Darkies in Tech — the country’s largest vetted community of Black founders, investors, and ecosystem builders — to unpack the journey from a…
In South Africa and across the continent, millions of women still face healthcare that is expensive, fragmented, and impersonal. For far too long, care has been treated as a service, not a relationship. And when the system fails, it’s community — not institutions — that women turn to for support. Zoie Health was born in that gap. Built from lived experience and guided by community insight, Zoie is…
This episode is a deep dive into what it really takes to build ventures that last — and why starting with the human being behind the idea is the most powerful form of entrepreneurship. Ian Calvert, co-founder of FURTHER and former Global Project Leader at Red Bull Amaphiko, joins us to explore why personal growth, resilience, and purpose should come before traction, funding, or scale. For nearly a…
What if the real power in Africa’s startup ecosystem isn’t capital — but control of the narrative? This episode is a reckoning with how stories are told, who gets to tell them, and what gets left out. Andile Masuku, co-founder of African Tech Roundup, joins us to unpack the tension between media, community, and innovation — and why reclaiming the narrative is essential if we’re serious about…
