Chivas Regal will be taking one South African social entrepreneur to Silicon Valley with four other global finalists with its "Win The Right Way" competition. Yesterday the company announced the first two finalists. Today we introduce you to three more. The winner will be provided with a share of $1 million in financial assistance, world-famous mentors and their work will be showcased on www.TheVenture.com.
The Third Finalist:
Raleshaba Moeng was part of the Graduate Program at IBM South Africa in the area of Software Support and fulfilled the role of a pre-sales consultant at EMC2 Technologies. He also has public sector experience with the Trans Calledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA), a division of the South African government’s Department of Water Affairs.
He has also been involved in entrepreneurial ventures including the founding of an online magazine. He has experience in broadcasting gained through the Y-Academy internship at YFM, a Gauteng-based commercial radio station.
Raleshaba is a founder of Inspiracion. He has a background in a broad range of sectors including:
- Information Technology – Programming and support, sales, consulting
- Public sector – Communication and procurement
- Media and entertainment – Content production, media sales and marketing
- Entrepreneurship – Founding member of an online magazine, responsible for content, advertising sales and overall business management
Inspiracion is a company that provides consulting services to agencies that fund small businesses and entrepreneurs. Over the last 12 months, it has collaborated with its incubator clients to develop an entrepreneur diagnostic tool and a training curriculum that addresses the gaps identified by the tool. Inspiracion would like to introduce this diagnostic tool and corresponding training as a stand-alone service that it will use to train and provide business opportunities for 240 emerging entrepreneurs.
The Fourth Finalist:
Susan Barnes hails from Durban. She is a devoted wife and mother of 18 year-old Shari and 16 year-old Laikin. Five years ago, upon discovering that the rural girls are missing a quarter of their education as they do not have access to sanitary pads, she knew that something had to be done to help them. These girls are being robbed of their basic education which, when missed, can never by caught up. Susan designed and developed the Subz Washable Pads and Panties. The pad with wings easily clips onto the panties and is held securely in place to eliminate accidents. Subz holds a patent, an SABS absorbency approval and has been endorsed by a gynaecologist and pharmacist.
To date, more than 38 000 packs have been distributed.
Subz Punts and Pads: There are 7 000 000 girls in SA between 10 and 19 that miss three months of school education per year as they cannot afford sanitary pads or do not have access to them. Barnes has designed, developed and patented a sustainable washable sanitary pad that will last these young women for five years, to keep them in school. Barnes distributes the pads to the girls free with a full educational on female reproductive organs as many are not educated in this area.
The Fifth Finalist:
Dr Marco Lotz is the Sustainability Carbon Specialist for Nedbank Group. Previously he worked for two consultancies focused on reducing pollution while increasing profit. He has a BIng and a MSc in engineering from the University of Stellenbosch and a PhD in engineering from the University of Pretoria. His PhD focused on the project management and risk management of greenhouse gas emission reduction projects.
Among his range of roles at Nedbank are the monitoring, management and reduction of the group’s carbon footprint, as well as obtaining carbon neutral status. Lotz also contributes to the development of the group’s policies on electricity, climate change, liquid fuels and diverse environmental matters. He also liaises with clients and external parties in the implementation of sustainability projects and acts as a centre of excellence and thought leadership in the climate change and green economy developments spaces.
Lotz’s most recent accomplishments include:
- Co-authoring of the Carbon Footprinting Guide that acts as a textbook for students at the University of Stellenbosch and Pretoria. The Guide was downloaded (for free) more than 53 000 times within six months of release.
- Awarded the South African Energy Association (SANEA) Education Award for 2014.
- Awarded the South African Energy Efficiency Convention (SAEEC) Energy Patron of the Year for 2014. This is an exceptional achievement as it is awarded for achievements and results over numerous years. For Lotz to be recognised as an influential player in the energy space in his mid-thirties emphasises how much he has achieved already.
Carbon Disclosure South Africa: As a company, CDSA focuses on profit-driven projects that offer substantial environmental and social benefits while being profitable. This is also the background of the founder. The idea for this entry is a micro combustion engine that is driven by existing fuels used by low income groups, like candles, to provide very small scale electricity supply for a cell phone charger and lighting. The equipment can be modularly expanded to generate and provide more electricity to more household appliances.
