29 Oct From Sweden to South Africa: Michelle Kleu on Leading Innovation Post-Impact Pioneers Programme

Returning from an enriching journey with the SI Leadership Programmes‘ Impact Pioneers, Michelle Kleu, CEO of Innovation City Cape Town, brings new insights and a refined vision to Cape Town’s innovation landscape. In this interview, Michelle shares how the Impact Pioneers programme shaped her understanding of impact-driven entrepreneurship and what it means to foster a collaborative ecosystem. With a keen eye on applying global strategies locally, she dives into her experience in Sweden, highlighting lessons on sustainability, innovation, and the power of purposeful networking – all pivotal as she guides Innovation City towards creating lasting value and impact in South Africa.

Q: Michelle, welcome back! What initially motivated you to apply for the Impact Pioneers program in Sweden, and how did it align with your goals for Innovation City?

M: The Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI) in partnership with the Embassy of Sweden created an incredible leadership programme, Impact Pioneers, a programme which is focussed on nurturing and growing local ecosystems for impact entrepreneurship. We are developing our own unique ecosystem at Innovation City, however we’re still quite young and I was curious to learn how other more experienced countries operate and support their local communities. Widening my own knowledge on what “Impact Entrepreneurship” means was crucial, as this is an area where we should be driving growth.

Q: Can you share some highlights of your experience in Sweden? What moments or lessons from the programme stood out the most?

It was a jam packed week of “ah-ha” moments! We were exposed to the best of what Sweden has to offer in terms of what true entrepreneurial innovation looks like – including visits to Epicenter Stockholm, Norrsken, Eidra, TECHARENA Zero, and wrapping up with Sting.

Businesses in Sweden don’t create products or services for the 10 million people living in Sweden – their mindset is creating stuff for a global audience!

Collaboration is the order of the day. I admire how they position institutions and government under the ‘Team Sweden’ banner (rather than addressing each individually). Many companies freely share their information. Sessions that we attended illustrated that no question is too sensitive to ask or answer (within reason, of course). Knowledge sharing means we can all elevate our own standards and improve our products – should you wish to.

Q: The SI Leadership Programmes often focus on sustainability and social impact. How has this experience shaped or refined your vision for Innovation City’s role in Cape Town’s ecosystem?

M: My initial perception of sustainability and social impact was sadly ignorant and one of “it’s a non-profit kind of game”. I was definitely gravely mistaken! It’s rather a “how do we do things for the collective good and not do harm?” type of thing. Keep things ethical and uplift where we can. However, businesses need to have longevity and be profitable.

Q: Were there any specific skills or strategies that you learned during the program that you’re excited to bring back and implement at Innovation City?

M: We kicked off the week with a masterclass in networking! This cohort was made up of 63 participants from 22 countries from Africa, Asia and Europe. Stephanie Darvill and 👋 Shaena Harrison 🪽 🦸🏻♀️ from Tjena | Professional Wing People are consummate networking queens. They managed to seamlessly get our group talking and sharing in no time. Also equipping us with much needed networking know-how for the week ahead.

There were some specific frameworks that resonated with me that I would like to try within our ecosystem.

Q: What were some key differences you noticed between the innovation landscape in Sweden and South Africa, and how do you think Innovation City could benefit from these observations?

M: Think local and build global was a big one. Sweden is the Unicorn Factory of Europe because of this mindset.

Collaboration is the order of the day and this was best illustrated by how their startup ecosystem is underpinned by an envious support structure spanning public authorities, industry, academia and citizens,

At Innovation City, we are working to foster closer collaboration on all four fronts.

Q: Networking is a big part of international programmes like these. Who were some of the impactful connections you made, and how do you envision these relationships benefiting Innovation City’s community?

M: Within the programme I made meaningful connections with incredible people from Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, India, Lithuania, Moldova, Armenia, Estonia, Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, Thailand, Sweden and of course my 2 fellow South Africans, Noor Jehan Docrat and Odirile Mariri.

Q: Sweden has a strong emphasis on sustainability. Were there any approaches or technologies you saw that you believe could be adapted to Cape Town’s unique needs?

M: The reason these approaches and technologies work is because of the strong awareness and mindset of the Swedish people. For something like this to really work within Cape Town we would need to cultivate our own local mindset and buy-in into such initiatives. This lies in how we educate ourselves.

Q: What advice would you give to other South African leaders who are considering applying for the Impact Pioneers programme or similar international leadership programs?

If you have the opportunity to apply for their next cohort – go for it. Filippa Malmegård and her team from the Swedish Institute curated an amazing 8 week programme that culminated into a weeklong site visit to Stockholm, where we were able to meet and connect with industry leaders. It’s truly a unique and eye opening experience.

Q: Looking forward, what are your immediate next steps as CEO of Innovation City following your return, and what can the Innovation City community expect as a result of your journey with the Impact Pioneers programme?

This experience has inspired and energised me and has allowed me to see a number of opportunities. Our team has already started working on a few of these and we should see the results within the next few months.