News Test

Fellows tend to lead busy lives, often juggling a combination of work, side-hustles, passion projects and hobbies. During the most recent Association Book Club meeting, we explored a book called “The Power of Fun” by Catherine Price, and a major theme that emerged was the…

The aim for this meet is calling all women-led business ecosystem enablers to learn more about the impacts of Accessing Finance through an informative and interactive morning at the AMI Impact Meet-up focused on supporting Women SMEs to access finance. We will also look at…

  Written by Thabang Mahlafunya    A little while back, one of the cupboard doors in my kitchen came loose. It was the door to the cupboard housing our precious snacks, and I jokingly told my wife that it would help us build summer bodies…

Written by Christopher Young CA (SA)    In the modern business landscape, personal branding has become more than a buzzword; it’s a vital aspect of professional development and career growth. While personal branding is often associated with self-promotion and individual success, its alignment with company…

Every day, new headlines warn of yet more failings that point to the forthcoming collapse of South Africa. But just how imminent is this collapse? Is it possible to rebuild our country? And if so, what role do young people (and entrepreneurs in particular) play…

We would love to congratulate the following fellows Ludwick Marishane – A co-founder of Excel at Uni which has been accepted into the 2023 Google for Startups Black Founders Fund: Read more.   Thato Schermer – A founder of Zoie Health which recently closed the…

    It’s with great pleasure to announce the joining of Tshwarelo Sikwane to the Association Team in the role of Association Community Manager, effective 1 August 2023. Tshwarelo joined the Foundation in 2021 as the Mentorship and Coaching officer. She came into the programme…

Dr. Nontobeko Mabizela named as the new Chief Executive Officer for the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation   It is with utmost pleasure and excitement that I share the announcement of our new Chief Executive Officer for the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation. After an extensive and…

Legal support for AGOF start-ups   Workshop 17 We have partnered with Workshop 17 again giving you an opportunity to get a 20% for use of their working space. To get the discount you must type AGOF2022 when checking out! This offer is available until…

In a world brimming with imagination and untold tales, writers and readers alike yearn for a platform that nurtures creativity, fosters connections, and offers opportunities to share and appreciate literary works. Enter Visionary Writings, a dynamic online platform that invites writers to showcase their talent,…

On the 24th of  May 2023, the Association held its first Dialogue Session for the year. The theme of the event was Fellow Conversations: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and it was facilitated by social justice advocate and scholar, Asanda Ngoasheng. This event took place in…

We are delighted to about these amazing achievements: Xabiso Lombo has recently joined Akosha  for a one-year internship and on-the-job training on social entrepreneurship. Xabiso Lombo Matthew Piper together with his partner Karidas Tshintsholo for completing a minority equity deal with ABSA Group in their…

On the 19th of May to the 22nd of May, the Association programme recently hosted its annual Founder’s Retreat for the 2023 cohort of Fellows participating in the Entrepreneurship Academy. A highlight on the Association’s calendar, it was hosted at the 26 Degrees South Hotel,…

Dear Fellows, I am thrilled to address you as the newly appointed Director of the Alumni Programme at the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation. It is an honor to step into this role and continue the legacy of empowering young African leaders like yourselves. I look…

The Foundation is pleased to announce that Wande Madikane has been appointed as the Programme Director for the Association programme. Wande joined the Foundation in April 2012 as a Programme Officer in the Scholarship Programme and then as a Programme Officer in the Fellowship Programme before progressing to the Association…

Dear Fellows, The Postgraduate Application process is now open. If you are considering studying further, please read through the details below to see if this is for you. Please find application HERE. The Closing Date is 30th June 2023. Categories We Fund Below are the two…

Announcements Family Day and the Wellness events have been put on hold. 11 March Induction CPT 11 Fellows showed up at The Lord Charles Hotel in Cape Town to host an association session for the year experience candidate Fellows. We shared on the impact of…

We are delighted to about these amazing achievements: Maurice S. Madiba for recently becoming the new Head of Primary Markets at the JSE!  https://bit.ly/3SDkcHS   Keitumetse Pule’s company, Legal Standpoint has been accepted into the LAW FOR ALL LegalTech Accelerator Fund! https://bit.ly/3IGny8t   Akosua Koranteng…

On the 8th of March 2023, International Women’s Day, the Association of Allan Gray Fellows hosted Women’s Pitch Night, an event featuring several women who pitched their business ideas. The keynote speaker, Kirsty Everett, talked about the topic “Are Part-Time Entrepreneurs Job Creators?” During her…

In this instalment we e-interviewed some Fellows that took various opportunities outside of South Africa. Here are some of their amazing updates: Daniel Tate Which part of the world are you in? I’m currently based in Oxford, in the United Kingdom. 2. What are you…

On the 16th of February 2023, the Association team hosted an information session to share with the community what the programme offers and what to look out for this year! In case you missed the session, here is the link to the recording and the…

    Jacqui-Anne Watson I’m a passionate problem solver who uses service design thinking to find solutions to complex developing world problems. My primary focus is working with governments, NGOs and social impact organisations across Africa to design and build national-scale digital health services.  …

Applications for IVC support for 2023 are open. Please find all application details and form in the link. IVC sign-ups don’t close but are open throughout 2023. Follow this link for more information!        

Food for thought: the following link may be useful to check out 😊         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m10TGie4hds&t=2s&ab_channel=IEInsights%3AKnowledge-DrivenContent            

Legal support for AGOF start-ups   Workshop 17 We have partnered with Workshop 17 again giving you an opportunity to get a 20% for use of their working space. To get the discount you must type AGOF2022 when checking out! This offer is available until…

By Simphiwe Mntambo Welcome to 2023! We hope everyone is coming back from the holiday rested and energized for 2023! We know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from us, but we’ve been busy behind the scenes working on some exciting initiatives that will…

  Jalal Ghiassi-Ravazi Jalal joined the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation in November 2018 as the Director of the Association Programme. He has been part of the Foundation’s initiatives since 2010 where he served as both a mentor and IVC business coach.   Jalal is passionate…

Make your story matter, sign up to be media profiled in 2023! Media profiling is one of the best ways to boost your business credentials as an entrepreneur, while improving awareness of your brand online. If you’re looking for an opportunity to promote your business,…

The Association Team seeks the support of a Full-time Fellows-in-Residence Intern from March 2023 – March 2024 to help drive the agenda of the Allan Gray Fellow Community through its 5 portfolios.    Please read through the attached Job Description on this link for more…

Click here        

Click here for more information. Signing up will also include our matching preferences. Sign-ups need to be done by 15 February 2022 Contact mentoring@allangrayorbis.org for any specific queries    

  We have launched a campaign called Amplify – Young Leaders Fireside Chats. On March 16, McK Johannesburg will host the first edition of the Amplify – Young Leaders Fireside Chats which will take place in Johannesburg. There will be 3 editions, each Fireside Chat…

Food for Thought Suppose you decided to use ChatGPT to create your next social media post.  Who owns the content?  You do! (Or your employer in certain situations) According to the OpenAI terms of use, OpenAI assigns to you all right, title and interest to the…

In 2022, AirStudent Travel had a successful year with several notable achievements. The company was part of the Rocking the Daisies festival and handled all the travel needs of the artists, staff, and festival-goers. This project allowed us to put our mission of breaking barriers…

Business Masterclasses Date: Ongoing, Topics below Who should attend: All Fellows with a business idea or who just need a little help to refine their concepts Details: The masterclass series hosted by the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and other industry experts, seeks to unpack and address business challenges…

By Simphiwe Mntambo Cultivating a winning mindset through our programmes A platform to help you get to the next level of your entrepreneurial journey The importance of encouraging entrepreneurial development in South Africa cannot be overstated. As it is, our country faces a record-high unemployment…

Keitumetse Pule we have seen you grow from strength to strength with your recent achievements. You have done well! Keep it up! http://bit.ly/3VG3TdC   Surely you are ready to take on the next big challenge to reach wherever you want. This is just the beginning…

EA and IVC applications for 2023  Applications for the Entrepreneurship Academy and IVC support for 2023 are open. Please find all application details and form in the link. EA applications close on 31 December 2022 and IVC sign ups don’t close but are open throughout…

This is your newsletter – Take control! Please share your ideas and thoughts about what you would like to see in this newsletter going forward. To do this please email association@allangrayorbis.org. You can use the same email address to send us your updates because we…

[video src="http://associationnavigator.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/White-Starry-Sparkle-Happy-Holidays-New-Year-Animated-Instagram-Post-1.mp4" /]

By Simphiwe Mntambo Prioritising your Mental Health and Wellbeing With just over two months left of the year, it is a crucial time to push forward and take stock of where you have been, where you currently are and where you’d like to go.  As…

After two years of not being able to have an Association Imbizo, we are excited to share that this year we had a successful and fruitful one. Amid all we managed to “sneak” in some fun through a game’s night! Thank you to our Council…

Lesedi Kgaka, you have left no stone unturned over the past 10 years of your journey in the real estate space and we want you to know that we are proud of you. All the best in working towards your PhD. We are behind you!…

In this month’s issue, we are pleased to feature Glo’s Cookies by Marry Bogatsu! Glo’s Cookies is a business operating from Pretoria, proudly founded by a self-taught baker, Tshegofatso Bogatsu. The business name is personal to her and demonstrates her journey of learning how to…

Business Masterclasses Date: Ongoing, Topics below Who should attend: All Fellows with a business idea or who just need a little help to refine their concepts Details: The masterclass series hosted by the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and other industry experts, seeks to unpack and address business challenges…

Global Advisors, is a boutique strategy consulting firm in Joburg, boutique strategy consulting firm in Joburg, and the firm is currently recruiting for new talent (mainly ex-consultants who worked at 1st- and 2nd-tier consultancies, and fresh graduates {Master’s & PhD}). For more details, please refer…

Acting Director’s Foreword By Simphiwe Mntambo FELLOWS LEADING FROM THE FRONT “Great things in business are never done by one person. They are done by a team of people.” Steve Jobs. The power in networks lies in the value that individual members bring for the…

Our Fellow community is doing great in so many ways and here are some of their achievements: Tlotliso Sejojo https://bit.ly/3RY817z congratulations are in order for leading a successful outreach during this year’s LSSA National Wills Week! We can’t wait to hear all about your experience…

During Women’s month, we held a new frontiers event that focused on increasing women’s representation and action in entrepreneurship. This was a 2-day retreat aimed at getting closer to the women Fellows in the community and impacting their businesses through relevant networking, mentoring, and market…

Acting Director’s Foreword By Simphiwe Mntambo CELEBRATING WOMEN AND BUILDING RESILIENCE THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY August presents an opportunity to celebrate women as we commemorate Women’s Month, a key period in the national calendar. At the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation (AGOF), more than 56% of our…

Congratulations to the Following Fellows for their extraordinary recent achievements:  Sanelisiwe Njobe – for being a part of the FURTHER community of entrepreneurs. Sanelisiwe Njobe is the CEO and Co-Founder at OURS. OURS Space aims to democratise access to information, space and eCommerce through its hardware…

JAMBOREE 2022!   Business Masterclasses Date: Ongoing, Topics below Who should attend: All Fellows with a business idea or who just need a little help to refine their concepts Details: The masterclass series hosted by the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and other industry experts, seeks to unpack and…

A few Fellows met for some fun bowling to unwind and catch since the world is slowly going back to being “normal”. Here are some of the captured moments:                           Be on the…

In the past three weeks, the Association has held a series of Career Conversations with our newer Fellows. The series was facilitated by Career Coach and Personal Brand Specialist Pam Cherry. We would like to make the recordings available to any Fellow that may have…

2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship Applications OPEN Applications for the 2023 Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF) have opened, and the application deadline is September 13, 2022. We are looking for demonstrated leaders between the ages of 25-35 years old, who are doing innovative work in the areas…

Sitting down with a good book provides an escape — and the opportunity to consider concepts that would not have occurred to you had you not picked the book up in the first place. While reading a new book alone might be a relaxing experience,…

This is your newsletter – Take control! Please share your ideas and thoughts about what you would like to see in this newsletter going forward. To do this, please email association@allangrayorbis.org.    

You are invited to join the movement to develop 1,000 ideas by 1 October 2022! There are three activities to participate in the lead up to InnovaJam: 72 hour Innovation Challenge (link) InnovaPitch (link) E2 Fellowship Founder’s Pitch (link) All Fellows are welcome to participate….

JAMBOREE DATE ANNOUNCED FOR OCTOBER! AND IT’S IN PERSON!   We couldn’t be more excited to co-create an in-person Jamboree again this year! We are entering planning and would like your help with certain information, like your location, preferred method of attendance, vaccination status, interest…

Acting Director’s Foreword By Simphiwe Mntambo Reflecting on the first half of this year, the dominant theme on all fronts seems to have been resilience and recovery. We have continued to collectively push through challenges that have impacted the business landscape, both domestically and globally,…

Congratulations to the Following Fellows for their extraordinary recent achievements:  Congratulations to Edward Nkululeko Lambani and team for being one of the five impact – driven Irish Tech Challenge South Africa winners – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6946014233360752641/   Well done to Thato Schermer, Sanelisiwe Njobe, Khanya Papu and Kurhula Baloyi for winning…

And for more great news! Announcement!!! Co-working space is here! Fellows get an additional 3% discount, over and above the standard commitment discount on memberships. A discount code will be generated and shared with Programme Participants who have indicated interest in the survey shared. To…

Introducing ‘Office Hours’ The professional work environment can be extremely challenging – from fraught team dynamics to insecurities about your performance, even the most talented individuals are tested in the workplace. For this reason, the Careers Portfolio will be introducing weekly drop-in sessions where a…

Half the year has passed already! It has been great meeting some of you in person. We kicked off these in-person session through the Admission Ceremony Regional Connect Sessions in May and June this year. We want to encourage the Fellows in those regions to…

Business Masterclasses Date: Ongoing, Topics below Who should attend: All Fellows with a business idea or who just need a little help to refine their concepts Details: The masterclass series hosted by the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and other industry experts, seeks to unpack and address business challenges…

Fellow Investments and Financial Management You are all invited to a Fellow specific Finance session hosted by Allan Gray. The session will specifically look at Fellow Investment opportunity that exists that you all have been aware of since being part of the Foundation. The session…

Sitting down with a good book provides an escape — and the opportunity to consider concepts that would not have occurred to you had you not picked the book up in the first place. While reading a new book alone might be a relaxing experience,…

This is your newsletter – Take control! Please share your ideas and thoughts about what you would like to see in this newsletter going forward. To do this, please email association@allangrayorbis.org.    

Acting Director’s Foreword By Simphiwe Mntambo The seemingly insurmountable challenges that we face in the world, have the potential to become an inspiration for conceptualising and implementing world-changing ideas. The question is how might we, collectively, identify the main obstacles that stand in the way…

JAMBOREE DATE ANNOUNCED FOR OCTOBER! Look out for more communications and the call for Fellows to be part of the planning. Business Masterclasses Date: Ongoing, Topics below Who should attend: All Fellows with a business idea or who just need a little help to refine…

Thank you, Class of 2021! We would like to thank you for attending the regional sessions. We hope you had fun and added to your network. We look forward to engaging with you again soon!      

Ideation Bootcamp We hosted an ideation bootcamp in May. Thank you to all the Fellows who came through to test and validate their ideas and businesses with us. Here’s to many more! 2022-23 Foundry Fellowship The Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship at MIT is…

What is your age group?           19-25 years 59 26 – 35 years 64 35 – 45 years 2         What is your working arrangement currently?           Full-time working from home 36 I work…

Dear Students, McKinsey & Company is pleased to invite you to register for the Get to know McKinsey with Allan Gray Orbis Foundation event. We invite individuals who are passionate about consulting or just curious to learn more about it, to apply to join the…

And for more great news! Announcement!!! Co-working space is here! Fellows get an additional 3% discount, over and above the standard commitment discount on memberships. A discount code will be generated and shared with Programme Participants who have indicated interest in the survey shared. To…

Introducing ‘Office Hours’ The professional work environment can be extremely challenging – from fraught team dynamics to insecurities about your performance, even the most talented individuals are tested in the workplace. For this reason, the Careers Portfolio will be introducing weekly drop-in sessions where a…

Congratulations to the Following Fellows for their extraordinary recent achievements:  Lindiwe Nhlapo for landing the UX/UI Designer position at Absa!     

Sitting down with a good book provides an escape— and the opportunity to reflect on topics that you may not have considered beforehand. While reading a new book might be a relaxing experience, there are times when you just want to talk about what you…

THE ART OF STORYTELLING AND WHY IT MATTERS Have you ever been around people who has the ability to capture the attention of everyone around them? They speak and everyone listens, laughs, asks for more. It’s enviable. Luckily, it’s also a teachable skill. As far…

Dear Programme Participant, The Allan Gray Orbis Foundation is sad to inform you of the passing of our Founder and Patron, Dr. Allan Gray, this morning. He was a visionary, successful businessman, leader and philanthropist and these characteristics informed much of his work in securing…

Fellow Onkgopotse Khumalo co-founded The Pocket Couch: “affordable therapy, at your convenience.” They are bringing you an accessible way to find, connect with and consult with your therapist without having to leave the comfort of your home, office or wherever is convenient for you. They…

Karidas Tshinsholo and Matthew Piper are co-founders of Khula, an app connecting small scale farmers with consumers, disrupting the supply chain with the aim of alleviating unemployment and poverty. They have made it to the final round of the Chivas Global Venture competition.

With most organisations there comes a time where one has to reassess past progress in order to determine the journey ahead.  The Allan Gray Association of Fellows is no different and found itself in this exact position a few months ago whilst pondering on a…

Part of the new Associations strategy outlined in our Spotlight On of this month’s newsletter is the desire to increase engagement in the Fellow community.  Often, community engagement efforts are restricted and accessible to South African Fellows and not include the Fellow community abroad.  As…

Dear Fellows, I’ve received a very warm welcome to the foundation and have had the pleasure of meeting up with a few you over the past weeks. It’s a privilege to be working with the foundation and to be part of a community of current…

Loretta is originally born from eMalahleni in Mpumalanga and raised in Swaziland where she grew up and later moved to Johannesburg to start her university studies.  She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in BSc specialising in biochemistry, physiology and cellular…

The inaugural 16-week Validation Program has come to an end. It was a gruelling program but ultimately rewarding, with the graduates doing big things! Two Candidate fellow businesses, ISPANI and NISA got selected for the Alpha Code Accelerator and received R2,000,000 in grant funding and…

All around the country – once a month – different groups of Fellows meet over good food and drink to unravel life’s mysteries in ways only a fellow can. These informal meetings aren’t magical occurrences nor are they just a gathering to catch up but…

Rama Raphalalani is currently studying his Economics Honours degree at the University of Cape Town. He is on the dual-track program of the AGOF, working his way into the Association. The name of the business Rama entered into IVC is Free Minds Consulting. The business…

The success of the Association lies in how it advances community This week we encounter a Vintage Fellow who studied a Bachelor of Accounting at Rhodes and eight years later completed her Masters in Publishing Studies at Wits. She spends most of her time studying…

Lonwabo studied mechanical engineering at UCT. He is part of the 2017 graduating cohort. Lonwabo entered IVC for the first time this year. His reason for entering is a lack of structure in the process he was following in an attempt to start his business….

Daniel Ndima, MSc Biochemistry Nanoscience, AGOF fellow and serial entrepreneur. He was part of the graduating class of 2013. Since graduating into the fellowship, Daniel has worked relentlessly toward becoming a high impact entrepreneur. Daniel joined the IVC (ideation, validation and creation) program at the…

Melvyn is a 2011 Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellow who graduated from UCT with a Bsc in Actuarial Science and Statistics. Having studied abroad, co-founded Go1, featured in Destiny Magazine and won business awards since, we went out to find out more about Go1 and…

Encounters with Vintage The success of the Association lies in how it advances community Get ready to encounter to farriage! Yes, it is what you think…a fellow marriage! It has a nice ring to it don’t you think? Aldrin and Murlin Boraine are Fellows from…

The success of the Association lies in how it advances community When he is not taking the scenic route home by running home from work and stopping at Signal hill or Lion’s head to capture the sunset, this week’s Young Blood can be found making…

We’ll use this section of the website to publish news articles, starting soon.