We recently hosted the Tech Entrepreneurship Summit, an engaging session to inform and inspire our audience on some of the latest tech trends and how these trends are transforming how we do business today.
Our Tech Summit came at a time when a number of tech trends were making waves in the news. Our fantastic MC, Thabo Limema, highlighted just a couple of these newsmakers in March:
- This year’s International Women’s Day theme – DigitiALL: Information and Technology for Gender Equality. It was great to see so many ladies at the event engaging and networking with tech leaders and aspiring tech founders.
- The recent launch of Payshap, a real-time rapid payment platform aimed at increasing financial inclusion by offering safer and faster payment options for South Africans.
- Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse and a brief, slightly cheeky reminder (😆), from our MC Thabo on how South Africa’s banking systems are some of the best in the world.
Mustard Seed’s Tech Entrepreneurship Summit:
We were privileged to receive some great learnings and perspectives from our inspiring speakers. Interestingly enough each one of the companies represented at the summit has in one way or another been an industry pioneer:
Satrix is a pioneer in indexation, having launched the very first ETF (exchange-traded fund) in South Africa (SA), the flagship Satrix Top 40 ETF. The Satrix Top 40 ETF coincidentally is South Africa’s most loved ETF as it has consistently been awarded the People’s Choice Award by SALTA.
Mortgage Market is the first online marketplace for home loans to give customers direct access to the top 7 banks in SA, but also (get this) they provide up to R5000 in cash back to each customer for originating their home loans via the Mortgage Market platform.
Global tech giant Microsoft has pioneered many a technology, however, specific to SA they launched the first data centres in the country in 2019.
Each speaker shared their unique perspectives on how tech is shaping their industry and business model.
Satrix:
René let us into Satrix’s truly epic tech journey, giving us insight into how tech helped Satrix transform and scale their business as well as how their partnership with fintech, Easy Equities, led them to where they are today. She shared with us why they needed to modernise their business and she also took us through some pointers that are key for all aspiring businesses today. Check some of these out on our feed.
Did you know? Mustard Seed partnered with Satrix as of last year with the aim of bringing engaging investing, leadership and entrepreneurial content to entrepreneurs and professionals via our networking events and social media platforms. Be sure not to miss out by following us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook. 😊
We loved to hear this: Satrix’s passion for making sure that all South Africans have access to investing. You can begin your investing journey with as little as R10; financial inclusion at its best.
Mortgage Market:
Banking executive turned Fintech Founder, Tim Akinnusi, was a speaker at our very first Tech Summit back in 2020, only a few days before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was incredible to hear his inspiring and candid journey of growth, how he was forced to pivot during the pandemic and how Mortgage Market grew to become “the pretty girl in the room!” His lessons are too good not to share. Check out his 5 valuable lessons learned on his journey on our carousel here.
Did you know? Interesting fun fact – Mortgage Market held their very first board meeting on Zoom during the pandemic!
We loved to hear this: Mortgage Market’s staff grew from just three staff members in 2020 to a full-time office of 14 members and 9 partners in 2023.
Business tip:
“SA needs more founders… If you’re in corporate today and you know of a gap in your industry that you can earn 10X what you can make in the next 10 years in corporate, take a chance on YOU and start that business”
Microsoft:
Lionel shared some valuable learnings when it comes to accelerating startups and SMMEs. He also shared some current tech developments, particularly around AI and how AI is completely changing the tech landscape. We loved his comprehensive tools for success and tips on access to market, skills, funding and of course, technology.
Did you know? The Microsoft for Startup Founders Hub provides founders with free resources to help with overcoming some of the common challenges startups face.
And…
The Microsoft Africa Transformation Office was launched in 2021. One of its focus areas is to empower 10 million SMMEs through technology, infrastructure, skilling, and strategic partnerships. Read about what they’re doing here: https://www.microsoft.com/africa/ato/media
We loved to hear this: Lionel’s passion for startups and SMMEs! Lionel himself successfully founded a startup called Intervate which is now a thriving business and a leading Microsoft partner.
Business tip:
“Leverage ecosystems and partnerships. Build on that network. You will never be successful on your own. Someone with a completely different area of focus could find something that you’re doing critical to their success and vice versa”
Thanks again to Satrix and all our partners for helping us to make this event a huge success. We hope to see you at our next one!
About Mustard Seed
Mustard Seed is an organisation founded in Johannesburg, South Africa with the vision to connect, inspire, equip ambitious entrepreneurs and professionals across Africa. We are here to support you as you chase your dreams!
Connect with our community to kickstart or advance your investment portfolio, network with like-minded people, identify a mentor and get support from established entrepreneurs.
