22 Apr Honouring the Innovators: Meet the Special Award Nominees Ahead of Innovation City’s Awards Night 2025

On Thursday, 24 April, a select group of founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders will gather for the invite-only Innovation City Awards Night, an evening dedicated to recognising those who are not only growing businesses, but shaping the future of South Africa’s tech and innovation landscape.

While the crowning of Startup of the Year 2025 will headline the night, a host of special award categories will celebrate the trailblazers behind some of the most transformative work happening across the ecosystem, from inclusive innovation and digital retail to high-growth venture funding and purpose-led entrepreneurship.

Cape Town Impact Award

Innovation doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it lives in the communities it uplifts. The Cape Town Impact Award recognises organisations making a meaningful difference in the Western Cape, whether through economic opportunity, social empowerment, or long-term environmental impact.

This year’s nominees reflect different paths to progress. Amazon, through its growing African HQ in Cape Town, has generated thousands of jobs and created new market access for small sellers. LaunchLab, rooted in Stellenbosch University, has consistently incubated early-stage founders, helping them transition from idea to investment with structured support.

RLabs *Reconstructed Living Lab, now operating in over 24 countries, started in Cape Town and continues to model how community-driven innovation can scale globally. And @UVU Africa is laying the groundwork for more inclusive tech ecosystems, championing access, enablement, and opportunity for underserved founders.

Each nominee is a powerful reminder that innovation, when done right, extends far beyond the boardroom.

Entrepreneur of the Year

The Entrepreneur of the Year award celebrates the founder who not only builds, but builds with purpose, resilience, and an unshakable belief in the vision.

Kimberley Taylor, founder of Loop, is rewriting the rules of logistics tech, bringing structure, speed, and visibility to a historically underserved industry, all while championing women in STEM. Melvyn Lubega, co-founder of Go1, helped turn a South African edtech platform into a global unicorn, and has since become one of the ecosystem’s most active mentors and angel investors.

Louis Buys, through The Delta, has created a full-stack venture ecosystem that’s helping validate ideas, build teams, and raise capital, at a speed few others can match. Each nominee represents a new wave of South African leadership: gritty, global-minded, and deeply committed to ecosystem growth.

VC of the Year

Behind every breakout founder is a team of early believers. The VC of the Year award recognises firms that do more than finance startups, they shape sectors, mentor relentlessly, and bring clarity when it’s needed most.

Knife Capital has long stood at the intersection of operational insight and high-growth potential, helping take local ventures global with smart capital and founder-first support. Basecapital.io, meanwhile, is carving a niche as a value-adding early-stage partner, one that gets into the trenches with founders across fintech, software, and platform plays.

Ventures 54 is helping shift the capital narrative across Africa connecting local talent with international investment corridors and supporting impact-led growth across the continent. These firms don’t just invest in ideas, they invest in the infrastructure of the ecosystem itself.

Honorary Award

The Innovation City Honorary Award is our highest individual recognition, awarded to those whose creativity, ingenuity, and long-term influence have left a permanent mark on the world of technology.

Pieter de Villiers, co-founder and CEO of Clickatell, was ahead of the curve on mobile messaging and commerce, building one of the most globally relevant tech platforms to come out of Africa. His work continues to shape how brands and customers connect across mobile.

Koos Bekker, chairman of Naspers, redefined not only a company, but an entire era of South African innovation. His bold bets, from M-Net to Tencent, shifted global perception and helped create the blueprint for Africa’s entry into the global tech economy.

Both nominees remind us that visionary thinking, paired with execution, can shape industries and legacies.

E-Commerce Award (New Category)

As consumer behaviour shifts rapidly toward digital, the E-Commerce Award recognises those at the forefront of online experience, growth, and scale.

Dineplan has become a household name in restaurant reservations, processing millions of bookings and helping diners across South Africa discover and book experiences with ease. Their platform has quietly become the backbone of modern hospitality logistics.

Sweepsouth has transformed the domestic services industry through an elegant, tech-first approach to dignity-driven work. Their platform connects thousands of service providers to real economic opportunity while delivering a seamless experience to customers, making them one of the continent’s most meaningful e-commerce success stories.

These businesses prove that great platforms do more than deliver convenience, they create new behaviours, new markets, and new standards.

Innovation City Startup of the Year 2025

At the heart of the evening is the Startup of the Year 2025 award, presented to one standout company showing traction, talent, and a bold vision for scale. Ten finalists are currently in the running, representing some of the most promising tech ventures on the continent.

The winning startup will receive a R370,000 prize package, including:

• A one-year Innovation City membership
• A full UX/UI Design Sprint with Now Boarding Digital
• Executive coaching and implementation of an accountability framework from PG Tops, including EOS methodology and a one-year Monday.com subscription
• Ecosystem benchmarking and publicity via The Open Letter

More than a title, it’s a launchpad for the next big story to come out of South Africa’s startup scene. Check out our TOP TEN FINALISTS here.

This is more than an awards night. It’s a moment to honour those who are pushing boundaries, rewriting norms, and building the future, from right here in Cape Town.

Good luck to all! 🍀