Dutch non-profit initiative Inspiring Fifty has announced its list of South Africa’s fifty most inspiring women in tech, with 25 entrepreneurs making the list.
Disrupt Africa reported in April the Netherlands-based initiative launched in South Africa, inviting nominations of the most inspiring women in South Africa’s technology and innovation spaces.
The Inspiring Fifty initiative seeks to showcase inspiring women role models, based on the belief that “if she can see it, she can be it”. So far the project has only hosted European editions, with South Africa the first Africa-based version of the list.
252 women in tech were nominated in South Africa; and the top 50 selected include 25 entrepreneurs, one venture capitalist, six academics, 10 corporate employees, six members of NGOs, and two journalists.
“We are excited about all these women who have been given the opportunity to create awareness of their roles in the technology and innovation sectors and encourage more women to join the force,” said Janneke Niessen, co-founder of Inspiring Fifty.
Among the entrepreneurs to make the list are Aisha Pandor, co-founder of on-demand cleaning platform SweepSouth; Barbara Mallinson, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of edu-tech startup Obami; Suzana Moreira, founder of cross-border trading app moWoza; and Boitumelo Menyatswe, founder of pet-sitting platform Minderz; to name a few.
