Innovation City Awards Night 2025 – The Ripple Effect
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.
Read the press release here.
2025 Winners
Startup of The Year
Botlhale AI for their pioneering work in African language technologies. Their real-time transcription and multilingual speech tools are breaking down language barriers across digital platforms, making AI more accessible and inclusive for millions of users on the continent.
Cape Town Impact Award
Amazon for their large-scale contribution to job creation, digital infrastructure, and marketplace access through their African HQ in Cape Town. Their presence is reshaping local opportunity and accelerating Cape Town’s position in the global tech economy.
Entrepreneur of the Year
Kimberley Taylor for her visionary leadership at Loop, the logistics platform revolutionising fleet management in South Africa. Her commitment to innovation, impact, and empowering women in tech continues to inspire the startup ecosystem.
Honorary Award
Pieter de Villiers for his legacy as a pioneer in mobile messaging and commerce through Clickatell. His long-standing contributions to African innovation have opened doors for countless entrepreneurs and helped shape the continent’s digital evolution.
E-Commerce Award
Dineplan for transforming the restaurant booking experience with their seamless reservations platform. By helping diners discover and book with ease, they’ve become an essential part of South Africa’s digital hospitality infrastructure.
VC of the Year
Knife Capital for their consistent track record of backing scalable, high-impact startups. With a founder-first approach and a sharp eye for growth, they continue to play a pivotal role in growing Africa’s most promising ventures.
Advisory Board
2024 Winners
Startup of The Year 2024
AI Diagnostics for their groundbreaking TB screening tool. The innovative solution, leveraging AI-enabled digital stethoscopes, enables early and cost-effective detection of Tuberculosis, showcasing the transformative potential of technology in healthcare.
Cape Town Impact Award 2024
Bitprop for their pioneering work in property entrepreneurship in townships. Bitprop’s innovative approach to housing solutions has significantly boosted economic development, empowered communities, and addressed housing crises, making them a deserving recipient of this prestigious accolade.
Entrepreneur of the Year 2024
The Entrepreneur of the Year Award was presented to the visionary founders of TymeBank, acknowledging their remarkable leadership and commitment to disrupting the traditional banking sector profitably, serving millions of people in South Africa and Southeast Asia.
Honorary Award 2024
The Honorary Award, celebrating exceptional creativity and ingenuity, was bestowed upon Shirley Maltz for her outstanding contributions to advancing technology, particularly in the fintech sector.
VC of the Year 2024
Norrsken22 was honoured with the VC of the Year Award for their transformative commitment to Africa’s tech sector, positioning themselves as trailblazers in driving technological and economic advancement on the continent.