25 Apr Innovation City Awards 2025 Celebrates Standout Achievers in South African Tech

Posted at 11:06h in Awards by

Innovation City Cape Town hosted its much-anticipated Innovation City Awards Night on Thursday, 24 April,  an invite-only celebration of the founders, funders, and ecosystem leaders building the future of South African technology.

The evening honoured outstanding individuals and organisations across six major categories, spotlighting excellence in entrepreneurship, innovation, impact, and investment.

2025 Award Winners Announced

  • Cape Town Impact Award: Amazon – accepted by Robert Koen
    For sustained investment and local job creation through their African HQ in Cape Town.
  • Entrepreneur of the Year: Kimberley Taylor (Loop)
     For pioneering logistics innovation and leading one of South Africa’s most promising scale-ups.
  • Honorary Award: Pieter de Villiers (Clickatell)
     For global leadership in mobile messaging and enduring influence on African innovation.
  • E-Commerce Award: Dineplan (Greg Whitfield)
     For transforming the dining experience through a seamless, tech-driven reservation platform.
  • VC of the Year: Knife Capital (Keet van Zyl)
     For consistent support of high-growth ventures and long-term ecosystem building.
  • Startup of the Year 2025: Botlhale AI (Thapelo Nthite & Xolisani Nkwentsha)
     For leading the charge in African language AI, enabling real-time transcription and multilingual tech solutions across the continent.

 

A Celebration of Community and Momentum

The evening followed an electrifying Pitch Night, where the Top 10 Startup of the Year finalists battled it out on stage. Judges Catherine Young, Renier Kriel, Chipo Mushwana, and Roger Norton assessed each startup using a robust scoring system, leading to the final selection of Botlhale AI as 2025’s standout.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the Innovation City Advisory Board: Gerhard Visser, Michael Joubert, Stephan Ekbergh, Kieno Kammies, and Tramayne Monaghan, for their invaluable guidance and leadership.

Special appreciation to Patrick Mesterton for delivering a powerful reminder about the role of happiness in business, and to Gerhard Visser for moderating the post-awards panel featuring this year’s winners.

Special thanks to our Startup of the Year prize sponsors: Now Boarding, PG Tops and The Open Letter for offering strategic, design, coaching, and operational support valued at over R370,000. These partnerships ensure our winners gain not just recognition, but resources to grow. The winner will also enjoy a year’s free membership to Innovation City!

Quotes

Michelle Kleu, CEO of Innovation City:
 “This year’s winners represent the energy, creativity, and drive that make South Africa such a powerful innovation hub. It’s an honour to recognise them and support their journey.”

Kieno Kammies, Co-Founder of Innovation City:
 “The awards aren’t just about celebrating success, they’re about fuelling momentum and reminding founders that their work matters, now more than ever.”

About Innovation City

Innovation City is Cape Town’s premier tech and startup hub. A vibrant space designed to connect founders, funders, corporates, and creatives in one ecosystem of innovation. Through curated events, strategic partnerships, and an ever-expanding community, Innovation City is helping to shape the future of African business.

Download images of the night here.