SA Innovation Week

Boma Stage (Outside)

Day 1: 18 March 2026

10h00

March 18, 2026

PANEL: The Next Evolution of Growth in an AI Era

Why Digital Trust Is Foundational to Sustainable Innovation

Timothy Maurice Webster

Applied Neuroscience Practitioner, and Brand Psychology Expert

Mali Mothiba

Equate Group

11h30

March 18, 2026

CREATOR HUB: Innovation meets Influence

Botlhale Boikanyo

Botlhale Boikanyo Foundation

Michelle Expert

Resonate Communications (Pty) Ltd

Reggie Mohlabi

Content Creator and Creative Strategist

14h00

March 18, 2026

LIGHTNING TALK: From Research to Real-World Ventures

  1. Translating research into industry-ready pilots
  2. What Successful Founders Do Differently: Lessons from African Business Heroes
  3. Building Innovation in Hard Markets: Lessons from South Africa’s Mobility Economy

Zahra Baitie-Boateng

Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH)

Dr Andrew Bailey

University of Cape Town

Jamie Thurston Wyngaard

Loop

15h00

March 18, 2026

LIGHTNING TALKS: HealthTech, Fintech & SpaceTech

  1. HealthTech: How digital tools are transforming health systems
  2. FinTech Disruption: Startups improving financial access or transparency
  3. SpaceTech for Development: Satellites, earth observation, and local innovation

Kurhula Baloyi

Sum1 Investments

Nandi Mtethwa

RIIS

16h00

March 18, 2026

LIGHTNING TALKS: Innovation Momentum

  1. Africa’s continental innovation momentum

Rene Parker

RLabs: Co-Founder & Director

Day 2: 19 March 2026

09h00

March 19, 2026

CREATOR HUB: The Creator Tech Stack

10h00

March 19, 2026

PANEL: Venture Builders in Action

Designing Ventures for Scale from Day One

Gian-Marco Melfi

Partner: OneBio Venture Studio

Nick Allen

Savant Venture Fund

11h15

March 19, 2026

LIGHTNING TALKS: Digital Trust

  1. Cyber Alliance: Digital Trust as Economic Infrastructure
  2. GOOGLE Lightning Talk

12h00

March 19, 2026

LIGHTNING TALKS: Innovation for Inclusion

Building Opportunity Through Technology, Entrepreneurship and Impact Capital

  1. Digital Inclusion: Bridging the technology gap for underserved communities
  2. From Support to Scale: What Women Founders Actually Need
  3. From Grant to Growth: Funding Innovation that Delivers Social Impact

Candice Chirwa

QRATE

Jason Bygate

Capacitate Social Solutions

14h00

March 19, 2026

LIGHTNING TALKS: Public Value & Emerging Economies

  1. Innovation for Public Value
  2. Beyond Silicon Valley: How Emerging Economies Are Building World-Class Innovation Ecosystems

Klariska Moodley

UNICEF South Africa

15h00

March 19, 2026

Science Council Support for Innovators