ARTICLES ON Entrepreneurship & Innovation

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Entrepreneurship & Innovation

UCT GSB Entrepreneurship Conference positions Africa for global economic power shift

The University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business’ (UCT GSB) Entrepreneurship Club will host its 12th Annual Entrepreneurship Conference on 17 November 2022, and its theme – Africa’s Place in the New Economic World Order: Building for a Billion – is in keeping with the growing consensus that emerging markets are on course to grow faster than established markets over the coming years and decades.

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Posted on 16 November 2022 by UCT GSB Press Office
D-school by night 690x345
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Working at the d-school Afrika

The Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika recently opened its striking new building on the University of Cape Town’s middle campus after being at the GSB since 2016. The d.confestival, the first of its kind in Africa, was hosted in October 2022 and, as four of our alumni now work for d-school, we encourage you to read more about this innovative school.

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Posted on 10 November 2022 by UCT GSB Press Office
Francois Bonnici and Cynthia Rayner Systems Work
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

GSB adjunct faculty win book award

The Systems Work of Social Change, by social innovation researcher, writer and lecturer Cynthia Rayner and #SchwabFound Director Dr. François Bonnici, both adjunct faculty at the GSB, has been recognised by the Terry McAdam Book Award #TMAaward for “Changing the Way we Think” at the Alliance for Nonprofit Management conference #ANMConference2022.

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Posted on 10 November 2022 by UCT GSB Press Office
Solution Space demo day 690x345
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Solution Space e-Track programme update

Founded in 2014, the Solution Space at the UCT GSB is an ecosystem for high-impact early-stage start-ups and a research and development platform for corporates. Join us tomorrow, Friday 11 November for the second phase of the e-Track programme where entrepreneurs pitch their ventures for investment, development and collaboration.

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Posted on 10 November 2022 by UCT GSB Press Office
Tariq Sheikh PIN
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Building businesses in uncertainty

Resilience is a key leadership trait required when launching a new business. We interviewed Tariq Sheikh (MBA FT 2014) who harnessed his learnings to launch Postpay, a leading Buy Now Pay Later business in the Middle East.

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Posted on 15 September 2022 by UCT GSB Press Office
Raymond Ackerman PIN
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

The Raymond Ackerman Academy goes national

Innovative programme aimed to empower young people by developing their entrepreneurial mindsets moves from face-to-face lessons to an online programme.

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Posted on 1 September 2022 by UCT GSB Press Office
Shadi Lekgoathi
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Don’t let finances get in the way of your MBA dream

Attending business school can be an expensive and time-consuming undertaking, so you need to make sure it’s aligned with your purpose and your purse. Two recent UCT GSB graduates tell us how scholarship funding helped them.

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Posted on 27 July 2022 by UCT GSB Press Office
UCT GSB Solution Space and ayoba launch
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

UCT GSB Solution Space and ayoba launch next e-Track Programme aimed at supporting start-ups across the continent

Applications for the upcoming e-Track programme have just opened. During this three-phase venture acceleration programme participants are exposed to and mentored by seasoned entrepreneurs and professionals who have a wide range of experience working with start-ups.

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Posted on 12 April 2022 by UCT GSB Press Office
Sophia Campello
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

International alumnus remains hopeful for change in South Africa

Despite challenges, South Africa continues to be an innovation hub with the capacity to develop the next generation of change makers. The UCT GSB's MBA programme attracts students from all walks of life that want ‘in’ on this journey.

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Posted on 29 March 2022 by UCT GSB Press Office
Petra Pavlovic It’s all about relationships
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

It’s all about relationships, brew

According to one report, almost 43% of small businesses in South Africa were forced to shut down in 2020 due to COVID-19. But the story of one Cape Town artisanal coffee roastery offers a ray of hope to those wondering how to survive these troubled times.

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Posted on 3 December 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Francois Bonnici and Cynthia Rayner - langa
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Social change is messy and non-linear – we need approaches that speak to that

The thinking that created many of our deep-rooted social and environmental problems will not get us out of the mess we’re in. If there’s to be any hope of a brighter future for all, we need a new way of thinking about systems change.

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Posted on 17 November 2021 by Francois Bonnici
The hidden ‘systems work’ that is changing the wor
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

The hidden ‘systems work’ that is changing the world

Imagine a world where former gangsters and informal workers become social leaders and women living with HIV are pioneering healthcare workers. A new generation of social-change leaders are doing just this, showing us a new way to overcome systemic and structural barriers at scale.

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Posted on 16 November 2021 by Francois Bonnici
entrepreneurs engaged in alleviating period povert
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

The role of entrepreneurs engaged in alleviating period poverty

Nishana Bhogal is a PhD candidate at the UCT GSB who has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship to pursue her research work on the role of entrepreneurs engaged in alleviating period poverty. We spoke to her about her research and what she plans to achieve while she is in the USA.

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Posted on 26 October 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Silulo Ulutho Technologies..
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Youth unemployment must be looked at holistically

COVID-19 has worsened unemployment amongst South Africa’s young adults. Fixing this endemic problem won’t be easy, but a ‘systems thinking’ lens could at least point to the best places to start.

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Posted on 21 October 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Cynthia Rayner Systems Work
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

New book offers blueprint for systems change in a deeply divided world

As the world battles to shake off COVID-19, it appears increasingly stuck; inequality has widened, climate breakdown is accelerating, and many are suggesting that we may have missed the opportunities presented by the pandemic to build a more just and inclusive system. But a new book out this month shows us that a way forward is right under our noses – it just happens to be invisible to most people.

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Posted on 12 October 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Sabine Lehmann post-lockdown tourism article MEDIA
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Assets to leverage for post-lockdown tourism

As the wheels of South Africa’s tourism industry start turning again, it should leverage the free assets that are in short supply in many of its source markets.

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Posted on 2 September 2021 by Sabine Lehmann
BARRY PANULO SA’S NEW FINANCE MINISTER
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

SA’s new finance minister must emphasise green transition

Godongwana needs to take bold, visionary action to transition South Africa’s economy from gold to green. The same-old policy approaches will only continue to yield disappointment for the workforce.

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Posted on 25 August 2021 by Barry Panulo
MIKAEL SAMUELSSON - South Africa’s economy
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Caution in the face of promise: South Africa’s new green frontier

Amid the hype of cannabis deregulation, one South African company has methodically planned its entry into the commercial space of this so-called wonder plant. Their cautious approach should be heeded by others rushing to get into the market.

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Posted on 19 August 2021 by Mikael Samuelsson
Solving South Africas Problems Media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Solving South Africa's problems from the inside out

To change the world, social innovators have to first change themselves, argue academics from the UCT GSB

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Posted on 21 June 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Addis Ababa to Accra
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Only together can sparks of impact investing in Africa light the way forward

From Addis Ababa to Accra, Lagos to Lusaka, ground-breaking examples of impact investments are flourishing. The steady growth in this asset class, however, belies a fragmented playing-field.

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Posted on 25 May 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Siphosethu Komani Solution Space
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Q&A with Siphosethu Komani on the future of startups in Africa

The UCT GSB's Solution Space recently entered phase two of their annual E-Track Programme, in partnership with Ayoba. We spoke to Siphosethu Komani, about how the programme prepares its cohorts to be agile in the face of future shocks.

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Posted on 25 May 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Luvuyo Maseko
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

COVID-19 has nudged youth development towards 4IR, but gaps remain

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred organisations working in youth development to find new ways to reach their young audiences through technology, but without the basics in place, many of these solutions are doomed to remain isolated examples of excellence.

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Posted on 9 May 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Folu Okunade  - solution to Africa’s challenges
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Tractors may not be sexy but they offer a real solution to Africa’s challenges

As COO at Hello Tractor, a novel mobile platform that connects farmers to tractors as well as agricultural equipment, expertise and financial services, MBA alumnus Folu Okunade is working to connect under resourced farmers in emerging economies to the information age.

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Posted on 6 May 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Mutemwa Ushewokunze - UCT GSB graduate
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

UCT GSB graduate is banking on his country’s future

MCom alumnus, Mutemwa Ushewokunze, has returned to Zimbabwe after 20 years abroad, to help take the country’s banking sector to the next tech level.

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Posted on 6 May 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Mouna Akefli - Closing the digital divide and embr
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Taking the road less travelled is a choice we make

MBA alumna Mouna Akefli is not one to conform. Passionate about building a more diverse, inclusive and connected continent, she is determined to shake things up and her role as marketing manager for Ericsson in West Africa and Morocco is giving her new opportunities to do so.

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Posted on 6 May 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Jody - New business skills
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Rebuilding the SA economy more sustainably — and for greater impact

COVID-19 has devastated the economy, but it has also opened a window of opportunity for businesses to integrate smarter and more sustainable solutions into their day-to-day operations as they rebuild for the long-term.

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Posted on 20 April 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Impact Investing 2021
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

COVID-19: Impact investing’s inflection point

As South Africa marks the anniversary of its first lockdown we reflect on our journey toward a post-COVID economic recovery and how the systemic shift toward impact investing and other financial innovation may point the way to lasting change in the country.

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Posted on 1 April 2021 by Julia Woods Price
The backpack is too heavy - MEDIA
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

The backpack is too heavy: what schoolchildren are carrying into 2021

Many hope that the new year will bring new energy and stability to the education sector, but as the country finds itself still very much in the grip of COVID-19, there is much work that needs to be done to ensure that schools deal with the baggage of 2020.

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Posted on 28 January 2021 by Louise Albertyn
Ricardo Perez - media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Is design thinking an endangered species in the future of work?

With the loss of shared spaces due to the pandemic and a shift toward remote working, the practice of design thinking will need to adapt so that we can continue to harness its power to co-create and solve problems.

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Posted on 13 January 2021 by UCT GSB Press Office
Media_UCT GSB3
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

UCT GSB accelerator guides entrepreneurs through pandemic

Battered by COVID-19 lockdown, fledgeling entrepreneurs needed all the help they could get in 2020; the Solution Space at the UCT GSB quickly went online to make sure they were not left out in the cold.

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Posted on 15 December 2020 by Shiela Yabo
Cape Talk
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Power and privilege in the social justice sector

Social justice organisations play a vital role in addressing the many challenges South African citizens face. But what happens when the focus on external inequalities and injustices in society causes the same problems within these organisations to be overlooked? MBA alumni Ella Scheepers and Shamillah Wilson spoke to Kieno Kammies about their work in this sector.

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Posted on 7 December 2020 by UCT GSB Press Office
luvyo solange - media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Building a safety net for young people who drop out of school is everyone’s problem

Low attendance rates and lost school time are signalling a looming skills crisis for the country, as high numbers of young people are likely be lost to the education system and the economy across the next year. To solve this, we need to act together, and we need to do things differently.

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Posted on 3 December 2020 by Solange Rosa
Running a profitable - media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Giving initiative a chance to grow

Running a profitable and sustainable business while also making a worthwhile social impact makes things extra tough for social entrepreneurs. These enterprises urgently need more formal support to help them continue doing the good work that they do.

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Posted on 16 November 2020 by Mignon Reyneke
Sheila on entrepreneurship - media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Turning a tech innovation into a viable business

Why do so many tech startups fail? Shiela Yabo, Programme Manager at the UCT GSB’s Solution Space, recently gave a presentation at the Africa Tech Festival, where she addressed this and other questions around launching a successful tech startup, particularly as a woman.

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Posted on 16 November 2020 by Shiela Yabo
Cape Talk
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Bertha Centre partners with Build Peace 2020 Conference

Fergus Turner, Programme Manager at the Bertha Centre, spoke to Kieno Kammies about the Build Peace 2020 conference, hosted virtually in partnership with global non-profit, Build Up.

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Posted on 9 November 2020 by UCT GSB Press Office
peace image - MEDIA
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Calling all young South Africans who want to help build social justice and peace

The Bertha Centre at the UCT Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB), is calling on young South Africans to join a global community of peace makers at Build Peace 2020, a virtual international peace-building conference that gets underway this weekend.

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Posted on 3 November 2020 by UCT GSB Press Office
Shiela Yabo Future Tourism - MEDIA
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Reimagining the future of tourism

Having received a hammer blow from COVID-19, South Africa’ tourism sector needs to find innovative ways to bounce back.

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Posted on 22 October 2020 by Shiela Yabo
Bertha Scholarship 2020 - media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Scholarship programme to foster a more just, inclusive and sustainable Africa

The Bertha Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship aims to support a cohort of new leaders across the African continent with its scholarship programme, commencing in 2021.

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Posted on 20 October 2020 by UCT GSB Press Office
Funders are not seeing the big picture - Media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Funders are not seeing the big picture in South Africa

An award-winning case study on local digital animation filmmaker, Triggerfish, has highlighted the absurdity of lack of access to funding for SMEs operating in the creative space.

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Posted on 15 September 2020 by Mikael Samuelsson
Cape Talk
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Reimagining the future of tourism post-COVID-19

The UCT GSB’s Solution Space recently hosted a virtual Future of Tourism Bootcamp where participants were given the opportunity to develop innovative solutions to solve challenges amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic within the tourism industry.

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Posted on 15 September 2020 by UCT GSB Press Office
UCT GSB’S E-TRACK PROGRAMME - MEDIA
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

UCT GSB’s e-Track programme takes nine local start-ups to the next level

The latest e-Track programme, an initiative of the UCT GSB's Solution Space in partnership with the MTN Group, yields exceptional results as all participating teams progress to next phase.

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Posted on 7 September 2020 by UCT GSB Press Office
IS INVESTING FOR GOOD REACHING - MEDIA
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Is investing for good reaching its tipping point?

With sustainable investments increasingly outperforming traditional options, millennials - the recipients of the greatest wealth transfer in history — are queuing up to get on board.

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Posted on 28 August 2020 by Natasha Dinham
Young people can lead the response to COVID-19- ic
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Young people can lead the response to COVID-19

Youth Day reminds us of the role the young people have played in the past to drive change. In a world that is battling the COVID-19 pandemic, their vibrant energy and mobilising ability is needed more than ever — especially on the African continent.

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Posted on 15 June 2020 by UCT GSB Press Office
fennix
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Helping students bridge the digital divide in the time of COVID-19

Three MBA graduates from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB) are spearheading a campaign by Cape Town Education Technology fundraising start-up Feenix, to raise R6.6 million to get laptops, food vouchers and connectivity to final year and graduate students during COVID-19 — ultimately ensuring these students make it into the South African workforce.

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Posted on 8 June 2020 by UCT GSB Press Office
Cape Talk
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

The reality of emerging market challenges for entrepreneurs

Growbox is the subject of a teaching case study by the UCT GSB's case writing centre. Its focus is on the reality of emerging market challenges for entrepreneurs in Cape Town

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Posted on 1 June 2020 by UCT GSB Press Office
yuppechief - media video
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

SA company rises to the challenge of business evolution in the time of COVID-19

In 2019, online retailer Yuppiechef, made the unusual decision of opening physical shops; a move from clicks to bricks. This story, captured in a UCT GSB case study published last year, surfaced a business model that is supple in finding solutions and deeply customer-centric

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Posted on 20 May 2020 by Tim London
solange rosa rosa - media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

From uncertainty to lasting social value

While Covid-19 is wreaking havoc in our economy and our communities, it is simultaneously giving rise to compassion and innovation. Crisis has always been a driver of change, unlocking new ways of doing things, the question is can we sustain these into the future?

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Posted on 20 May 2020 by Solange Rosa
andrew smith - media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

UCT GSB teaching case study surfaces a business model of agility in action

The global pandemic is forcing businesses around the world to change the way they operate. One South African company, Yuppiechef, is demonstrating that the principles of customer centricity and agility are core to successful adaptation.

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Posted on 18 May 2020 by Mignon Reyneke
black child - media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Q&A with Dr Solange Rosa on social innovation and its role in building a better world

Dr Solange Rosa, Interim Director of the UCT GSB's Bertha Centre explains why social innovation is thriving amidst this pandemic, and what we can do to ensure that the benefits it is bringing can be sustained in the longer term.

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Posted on 15 May 2020 by Solange Rosa
NGOs today: Competing - Media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

NGOs today: competing for resources, power and agency

NGOs play a critical role in advancing social change and transformation, but their current funding model needs to be addressed for them make a sustainable impact in South Africa.

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Posted on 18 March 2020 by Ncedisa Nkonyeni
Innovation partnerships to tackle youth - Media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Innovation partnerships to tackle youth development

The Bertha Centre at the UCT GSB and youth development lab Lucha Lunako have teamed up to find practical and actionable ways to get young South Africans economically active.

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Posted on 13 March 2020 by UCT GSB Press Office
David Korten - Media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Q&A with Dr David Korten:

Our current economic system is driving us to extinction; that we need to change it is common sense says Dr David Korten, former professor at Harvard Business School, author and engaged citizen.

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Posted on 14 November 2019 by David Korten
Dutchess
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Debunking 4 common entrepreneurial myths

An award-winning teaching case by researchers from the UCT GSB shines a spotlight on what it takes for entrepreneurs to succeed in the competitive world of business.

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Posted on 1 October 2019 by Geoff Bick
AMINEXT HAS SHOWN MEDIA
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

#AMINEXT has shown us that gender-based violence must be on the agenda 365 days a year

The recent brutal and tragic deaths of several young women have shaken the nation and caused every woman in South Africa to wonder #AmINext?

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Posted on 19 September 2019 by Farhana Parker
The seeds of systems change are a
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

The seeds of systems change are all around us

In order to disrupt the systems that perpetuate outdated principles we must involve and connect the people who are most impacted by that change.

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Posted on 30 August 2019 by Ncedisa Nkonyeni
South Africa
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Four ways to give township entrepreneurs a much-needed boost

If township entrepreneurs are ever going to be the job creators that policymakers hope for, a major overhaul of mindsets and infrastructure will be necessary — and it will take a collaborative effort to bring this about.

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Posted on 20 August 2019 by Elvis Sekhaolelo
MEDIA-unlocking creative potential in africans
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Unlocking the creative potential in Africans - Dr Puleng Makhoalibe (PhD)

Dr Puleng Makhoalibe is one of 20 women globally, selected to participate in the 2019 Women Leaders for the World (WLW) programme - and has been recognised as a global leader in the fields of creativity and innovation. Hers is an inspirational story that began at the UCT GSB.

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Posted on 22 July 2019 by UCT GSB Press Office
grant horsfield media
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Selling the Cape Town lifestyle in China - Grant Horsfield (MBA)

UCT GSB alumnus Grant Horsfield has built a rapidly expanding business in China that aims to provide a better lived environment - both at work and at play — and deliver a more balanced, sustainable and enjoyable lifestyle.

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Posted on 13 August 2018 by UCT GSB Press Office