T.E.X 2022 Launches, Shaping the Future of Entrepreneurship for Africa

"This is the opportunity that technology presents. We don't need the world to tell us how to solve our problems. We have the potential to find our own solutions; solutions for Africa by Africans." Powerful words by the Innovator Trust's CEO, Tashline Jooste, set the tone for the launch event of the Tech Entrepreneurship Xperience (T.E.X) 2022, which took place on the 15^th September 2022 in the heart of Cape Town, South Africa.   

The Tech Entrepreneurship Xperience (T.E.X) was birthed on the understanding that as a sector, SMME’S and entrepreneurs are no longer waiting, but rather find themselves already in the throes of the 4th Industrial Revolution and technological disruption. Addressing attendees of this hybrid event, CEO’s, entrepreneurs, and captains of industry alike, Jooste reminded small business entrepreneurs that despite the challenges faced to "not become only fixated on the obstacles of today that we neglect the opportunities of tomorrow." Jooste furthered that the T.E.X event was purposed to serve as a catalyst that tells a new story, a story to be written and narrated by Africans for the future generation of entrepreneurs on the continent.

Thought provoking discussions

On an exciting day of enlightening and enriching conversations tackling several topics pertaining to the future of entrepreneurship, T.E.X connected entrepreneurs on the ground with some of the most avant-garde minds in South Africa with Jooste highlighting that, "When the right minds collide, at the right time and place, there is an energy exchange that happens. Something comes alive on the inside as a thought, an idea and a fresh fire. This is the opportunity that technology ignites." With these inspiring words setting the stage for the future, best-selling brand author and Behavioural Psychology Researcher Timothy Maurice-Webster, took to the stage to unpack a keynote address on “The Age of the Techpreneur.”

Timothy teaches that language and the ability to tell stories are the most powerful technology. Crafting his own story on stage. The address further delved into the power of names and how they shape the stories we tell about who we are. Connecting his talk to the need for familiarity and our human desire to gravitate toward the familiar, Timothy noted that this is the key that entrepreneurs should be utilitising when designing for the future consumer in mind. "Ask yourself, 'what are people yearning to express?' Start designing and creating for that."



An awe-inspiring address was swiftly followed by an engaging panel discussion focusing on the shift towards sustainable business. Amongst the panel was award-winning South African Designer David Tlale who when posed the question about dealing with a fast-moving world where everything changes quickly, simply stated: "Once you define who you are as an entrepreneur, you won't get caught up in what's happening around you."

Future thinking

Female Futurist of the Decade, Merle O'Brien, asked attendees to look to the future and imagine the entrepreneur 10 years from now. A gifted storyteller, with a PhD in Creative Intelligence, Merle O'Brien delivered a spell-binding keynote address, touching on the untapped wealth of Africa as a continent. O'Brien highlighted the core values and challenges of the African persona, bringing her creativity to the fore to ask the type of questions that lead to solutions. O'Brien pointed the room to the apparent truth; while the world is in search of building circular economies, the very history and culture of African people are rooted in Ubuntu, proposing that this be the model that circular economies be based on and serve as a foundation for the African entrepreneur of the future to build innovation from.

A Techified World

A star-studded panel discussion which included Musa Kalenga (CEO: The Brave Group), Timothy Maurice, Abed Tau (Executive Director, My Dough) and Nontando Mposo (Editor-in-Chief, Glamour Magazine), concluded a packed day. With sensational input from each panellist as they discussed “Creatives in a Techified World,” co-host of the T.E.X event, Melanie Bala, noted that the era of social media is indeed an equalizer in many instances. Tau touched on the value of exposure to what's happening worldwide as a motivator to innovate and provide solutions while Kalenga pointed to the art of commercialisation for creatives to reach across traditional barriers to innovate.

While the insights carried undeniable gravitas, the speakers were not only the embodiment of the zeitgeist of our time, but were also relatable, giving success an attainable persona for the audience of SMMEs and industry experts alike. This reverts to the purpose of the T.E.X event; to stimulate learning and challenge thinking among stakeholders in the SMME sector, while providing entrepreneurs with greater access to market knowledge and networking opportunities by connecting the entrepreneur with some of the brightest minds and decision makers in South Africa. In so doing, Jooste's understanding of the power of technology was realised, bringing together the right minds at the right time and place to collide for an unstoppable energy exchange, determined to change the trajectory of the continent and craft our own narrative through African innovation from tech-entrepreneurs, that solves the problems of today while shaping the future of tomorrow.

For photos of the event, please head over to ou Gallery.

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