I am a 32 year old father of 2. I grew up in Pretoria and moved to Joburg after Matric. I love giving back to the community and have been a Hatzolah volunteer responder for the last 9 years. I have a massive passion for the Bush and all things Nature. I studied an IT degree and went into the family business after that where I built their Takealot arm of the business into one of the biggest in the country. I was approached by Jesse Lemmer (a lifelong friend) to build a lodge in the Kruger, something that we are both extremely passionate about. And long story short, we did it. I am extremely grateful and fortunate to be doing what I love. 18 on the Hill is just the start, with many more lodge projects on the horizon.

Ariella is considered SA’s leading female auctioneer with Honours in Economics and an MBA (UCT GSB,SA – Class President & Columbia, USA). She has raised over R200 million for charity through auctions including gala events in NY, London and SA. Her Imibala Trust auction raised a record R14.25 million and she was awarded the SAIA Charity Auction of the Year Award in both 2025 & 2026. In 2025 she won the GSB WIB Entrepreneurship award. As 1 of 5 female global steel traders in 1996, Ariella spent 10 years with Macsteel International, where she ultimately ran their South American region. She returned to SA in 2005 and entered the Maritime & Mining auction sector where no women were easily found. Despite surviving 3 rounds of cancer, Ariella continues to dominate the maritime Judicial arrest auction sector with multibillion sales of oil tankers and vessels. Continually pushing boundaries, 2023 saw her as the 1st ever female auctioneer for Cricket South Africa’s Betway T20 auction of players. Ariella is regularly called upon by major banks for her advisory skills in the mining sector to help dispose of distressed assets as well as featuring as a keynote speaker for multiple business and leadership conferences.

Batsheva Phillips is the founder and driving force behind Let’s Nosh, a growing food and hospitality business built around her love of food, community and bringing people together. A passionate entrepreneur, Batsheva has turned her creativity, resilience and natural ability to connect with people into a thriving business offering catering, private dining, Shabbos experiences and beautifully curated food products. Beyond business, Batsheva is deeply involved in her community and is passionate about creating spaces where people feel welcomed, celebrated and connected. She regularly hosts and speaks at community events, sharing not only her love of food, but also her own personal journey, conversion and the lessons she has learned along the way. As a mother of four and business owner, Batsheva has built her career through determination, courage and an unwavering belief in herself, even during some of life’s most challenging chapters. For Batsheva, leadership is not simply about building a successful business. It is about creating opportunities, inspiring others, giving back and having the courage to start again when life demands it. Her journey is a testament to the power of resilience, purpose and turning passion into something that can make a meaningful impact.

Clinton Cohen is the CEO of iContact BPO, a South African business process outsourcing company he has led since its inception in 2015. An entrepreneur and business builder, Clinton’s career spans BPO, retail, hospitality and events. Before iContact BPO, he co-founded LiquidChefs, growing the business from start-up to international operation, and spent several years in senior management at Norman Goodfellows, where he developed a lasting focus on operational excellence, process optimisation and continuous improvement. At iContact BPO, Clinton is responsible for the strategic direction and sustainable growth of the business, alongside building and developing its senior management team. His leadership philosophy combines commercial discipline with a strong belief in people: hiring specialists in their fields, investing in their development and giving them the freedom and accountability to lead. He is particularly passionate about creating sustainable employment for young South Africans and giving them exposure to global customers, markets and standards, so that meaningful job creation is accompanied by meaningful career development. Clinton is an eternal optimist and an advocate of curiosity, adaptability and courageous conversations. He believes the strongest businesses combine profitability with purpose, creating opportunities for people while remaining commercially disciplined, resilient and ready for change.

I grew up in Johannesburg and was fortunate to go through the King David school system from Grade 1 to Matric – initially I excelled at sport over academics, but by the end of matric my academics had caught up. Through an ability and love for mathematics, I went on to study actuarial science at Wits through a bursary from Liberty Life. After graduating, I started my first and only corporate job at Liberty Life. I left the corporate world in 2012 to co-found Jaltech, an alternative investments business specialising in Solar PPAs and Private Debt. I currently serve as Managing Director, and as with most entrepreneurs I have gone through every job at Jaltech (whether formally or informally). On a personal note, my wife and I have been married for 5 years and we have a beautiful boy who just turned 3. Outside of work, I enjoy regular boxing training and am currently preparing for a trail run in Cape Town in November. In the past I have completed some long-distance races, including a half Ironman and the Comrades Marathon. I also enjoy watching rugby, cricket and football and travelling when possible.

I was born and raised in Johannesburg, a city whose energy and diversity would later become the driving inspiration behind my work. Growing up, I developed a deep passion for the people and planet around me — a value that has stayed with me ever since. I studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town before pursuing a Master’s degree in Advanced Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Imperial College London, building a technical foundation that would go on to shape my approach to craft distilling. I’m now the co-founder of Primal Spirits Distillery, where I’m channelling that scientific grounding into something more personal: a brand rooted in the spirit of the city. My mission is to build Primal Spirits into a global company — one that celebrates urban lifestyle and honours the cultures that shape who we are. For me, distilling isn’t just chemistry; it’s storytelling. I hope to build Primal into a vessel that helps shape and guide our communities and our planet, one bottle at a time.

Harry is the co-founder and CEO of Future Forex, South Africa’s largest foreign exchange intermediary and the continent’s largest Crypto Arbitrage provider. An actuary turned entrepreneur, self-confessed strategy enthusiast and believer that business should be a force for good, Harry has always been driven by solving problems and finding ways to create as much positive impact as possible in the lives of South Africans. After starting his career as an actuary and later moving into business development, Harry made a rather unconventional turn in 2020, co-founding Future Forex with Josh Kotlowitz. Together, they’ve challenged the status quo through their market-leading Crypto Arbitrage investment product and foreign exchange service, making complex financial services more accessible, transparent and genuinely client-first. Harry leads Future Forex’s strategy, commercial direction, partnerships and people. He combines strong commercial instinct with a genuine desire to create opportunities for others – developing his team, supporting his clients and advocating for a financial services industry built on greater transparency, education and trust. For Harry, success is measured less by conventional measures of growth and more by the people he helps succeed, the opportunities he creates, and the positive difference he can make through what he builds.

Ian Fuhr has been a serial entrepreneur since 1976. After successful start-ups in retailing, the music business and a race relations consultancy, he founded the Sorbet Group and the Hatch Institute. The Hatch Institute is a coaching and consulting business that focuses on “Cultureneering™, a concept created by Ian, that is designed for a new breed of culture-driven leaders who require specific skills to meet the complex demands of our volatile socio-political and economic landscape. This culture framework was behind the success that made Sorbet the largest beauty salon chain in Africa. He currently coaches and consults on leadership, people development, race relations, and building corporate cultures that are purpose driven and obsessive about customer service. Ian’s clients include, inter alia, Sanlam, Santam, Investec, Bidvest, Standard Bank, Windhoek City Council etc… In 2025, Ian joined a young couple to form a new chain of nail bars called Popsicle. This chain already has 6 outlets. for many corporates over the years.

Jack Halfon arrived in South Africa in 1978 with a total of R300 in his pocket. After previous ventures, he founded Atlas Finance in 1994, with a view of providing affordable credit to the mass market who’d been largely excluded from legitimate, formal financial services. Jack’s own family values have always been the guiding principles with which he’s run his business. Under his leadership, the business has expanded steadily to the extent that today Atlas Finance is over 310 outlets-strong and is the leading independent microfinancier in South Africa, having served over 3 million clients. Jack is a family man, valuing time with his family be it at week-day lunches, shabbat dinners, family holidays or around the boardroom table with his daughter, son and son-in-law who are in the business. He is an avid photographer and has traveled the world with his wife in pursuit of photographic opportunities, photographing the interesting people he has met along the way. His second coffee table book is due for publication this year. Far from considering his business journey complete, at 78, Jack’s focus remains to expand both in micro financing and other financial services, with his business moto being that the road to success is always under construction.

Entrepreneur & property developer with a background in architecture. Jacques has led Blok for 12 years, first as MD & now as Founder & CEO, building the company into an innovative force in urban residential development, expanding the business offering with business entities: Alt Co, Prop Co & Fluent. His career spans architecture, residential property investment & letting, & business leadership, combining design thinking with a fresh, metrics-driven approach to property.

Jake Pinkus is the founder and Managing Director of Vezo, a pioneer in African fintech and wearable technology. The vision for Vezo was born out of a personal frustration while traveling in Thailand, when the tide at a beach bar damaged Jake’s wallet and phone—sparking the idea for a battery-less, waterproof payment solution. Despite being told by industry experts that breaking into the banking sector was near-impossible, Jake’s background in product design and AI architecture drove him to build the ecosystem anyway, eventually bringing on co-founder Lawrence to help scale the vision. Today, Jake leads the product vision and technical strategy for Vezo, which has successfully integrated with three major South African banks and earned approval from both Visa and Mastercard. Parallel to his hardware leadership, he serves as the Fractional CEO of Zourvex, an autonomous AI procurement engine. Across all his ventures, Jake is defined by a commitment to ‘magic’ technology—lean, agentic systems that anticipate user needs and solve complex problems where others see only barriers.

Jared Molko is an ex-Googler and former member of Google’s founding team in South Africa. A two-time TEDx speaker with a focus on the impact of AI on human value creation, a technologist and educator, he now focuses his energy on helping young people develop the skills and confidence needed to thrive in the modern world of work. In 2019, Jared co-founded Yenza, an award-winning career-pathing platform serving more than 125,000 learners across Africa. He and the Yenza team have since launched Yenza Academy, an online college offering accessible, future-focused, and globally accredited qualifications with direct progression pathways into employment.

I am a passionate entrepreneur with a deep appreciation for business, tourism, and hospitality. Throughout my career, I have been driven by a belief that exceptional experiences are created by exceptional people. While I enjoy the strategic side of business and identifying opportunities for growth, my greatest passion lies in investing in people and helping them reach their full potential. At 18 On The Hill, my primary focus is building a culture where our team feels valued, supported, and inspired to grow both personally and professionally. I believe that when people are empowered with the right opportunities, encouragement, and leadership, they naturally deliver extraordinary service and create memorable guest experiences. We also consider it a privilege to give back to our community through 18 On The Hill. Supporting local organisations and initiatives that make a meaningful difference is something we value deeply, and we feel incredibly fortunate to be in a position where we can contribute to the growth and wellbeing of our community. The tourism and hospitality industries are built on genuine human connection, and I see every interaction as an opportunity to make a lasting impact. Whether welcoming guests, mentoring team members, or developing new business opportunities, I strive to lead with integrity, purpose, and a commitment to excellence. For me, success is never measured solely by financial results. It is measured by the people we develop, the relationships we build, and the positive legacy we leave behind. By placing people at the heart of every decision, I believe businesses can achieve sustainable growth while creating meaningful experiences for both employees and guests.

I grew up in a small town in the Free State (Parys) and later moved to Johannesburg to attend high school at King David. After school, I graduated with a BCom LLB from UJ and started my legal career at ENSafrica (Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs Inc.). I left law to join my business partners, and we have been building Jaltech together for more than a decade. I am one of the directors and shareholders of Jaltech, an alternative investment fund manager specialising in private debt and renewable energy funding. At Jaltech, I lead the firm’s growth strategy – identifying new business opportunities, raising capital for the asset management division, originating transactions, driving the firm’s marketing efforts, and cultivating strategic partnerships. On a personal note, I am very happily married to an incredible woman and together we have two wonderful boys (aged 4 and 8). I am very active and enjoy participating in endurance events. My biggest passion at the moment is being a well-behaved spectator at my son’s sporting events.

Josh is an engineer, entrepreneur and rocket scientist, with something of an obsession for improving the world through technology. He graduated top of his class from both the University of Cape Town and University College London, where he completed an MSc in Space Science and Engineering with distinction. His instinct to identify problems and build better solutions led Josh to co-found Future Forex with Harry Scherzer in 2020. Together, they’ve challenged the status quo through their market-leading Crypto Arbitrage investment and foreign exchange service, making complex financial services more accessible, transparent and genuinely client-first. Josh is the driving force behind Future Forex’s technology, having architected much of the infrastructure that underpins the company’s offerings while leading their Product, Engineering and IT teams. Deeply passionate about using technology to solve problems and make people’s lives easier, his focus is on removing friction and creating better experiences for clients, while giving his teams the ownership and freedom to challenge assumptions and find better ways of doing things. For Josh, entrepreneurship is ultimately about building something that is useful beyond yourself – solving problems that matter, creating opportunities for others, and leaving the world a little better than you found it.

Lawrence Baker is an entrepreneur and the co-founder of VezoPay, a South African fintech pioneering passive, contactless payment wearables like the Vezo Ring. Driven by a mission to simplify transactions and push the boundaries of tokenized payment technology, he has played a pivotal role in building seamless, secure wearable payment solutions. Over the course of his career, Lawrence has established a track record for delivering exceptional value, having twice brought investors 10x returns on their investments. Looking ahead, he remains focused on scaling high-impact innovations and achieving even greater milestones for stakeholders and users alike.

Mendel Medalie is the CEO and Co-Founder of Redcon Property Development, a Johannesburg buy-to-rent property company dedicated to the regeneration of the Jozi CBD. For over 19 years, Redcon has converted redundant and heritage-listed high-rise buildings — left vacant as the city declined — into quality residential apartments, holding and managing everything it builds rather than selling. Mendel’s journey began through his family’s own hard lessons in the CBD, most notably the President Street building, which nearly failed after losing its sole corporate tenant before becoming a thriving home to over 200 small businesses. Since taking the reins in 2010, Mendel has built Redcon’s portfolio to include landmark buildings such as the Dorchester, the Trust Bank Building and the old Anglo Vaal House, while treating property management — not development — as the true foundation of sustainable growth. Beyond property, he founded Asisebenze, supporting resident artists in the CBD with a working gallery. A father of five, Mendel is also a committed community figure, having served on the board of Torah Academy and continues to oversee its sports programme. His philosophy: find real demand, build real supply, and always stay present in the details.

We are Noah (23) and Yishai (24), co-founders of OrderUp!, a South African software startup transforming the way coffee is ordered and how coffee shops connect with customers. Friends for over a decade after meeting at Yeshiva College, we are both Electrical Engineering graduates pursuing Master’s degrees in Computer Science. Living with type I diabetes, Noah grew tired of waiting in coffee queues while trying to time his insulin correctly. A conversation between us sparked a simple question: if almost everything else can be ordered on demand, why not coffee? That question has grown into what we hope is the start of a coffee revolution. Having bootstrapped the business while still students, we have grown OrderUp! to 17 stores across Johannesburg and Cape Town. Our journey began within the Jewish community, whose support gave us the opportunity to prove our vision and build OrderUp!’s foundations. In just two months, the platform has served over 200 customers and processed over 1,000 orders, with brands including Motherland and coffee shops across the community embracing our vision. We aspire to equip every coffee shop with world-class technology enjoyed by international players like Starbucks, building products people genuinely love while creating lasting impact for South African businesses.

My first business started in grade 9. I pulled computer games apart and sold the in game currency to players around the world. At 16 I went into education technology. I wasn’t good at school, but I knew the space and the product I needed didn’t exist. I built it with R5000 from my dad and employees paid on a promise of future commission. It became CambriLearn, an online school with students in over 70 countries. My real education was building the company and now it gives students the same freedom – their day back for their passions instead of a classroom from 8 to 3 CambriLearn taught me my trade: taking a business from concept to revenue +. The secret was good people, who happened to be my friends. They let me start again in cosmetics, health technology and multi cancer detection. People call that serial entrepreneurship. Mine ran in parallel. The latest is Score Academy in the United States, online plus a physical school in Miami, where I live. My schools have taken 80 000 students through, and still get most of my energy.

I’ve always been entrepreneurial and commercially minded, but for me, business has never been only about building companies or creating financial success. It has always been about people, relationships and creating opportunities that have a lasting impact. Today, I live in the United States, where I focus on connecting exceptional South African talent with businesses around the world. I’m passionate about showcasing the incredible ability and potential of South Africans, helping global organisations grow while creating meaningful opportunities for people back home. Although my career has taken me across countries and cultures, South Africa remains the place I call home and a fundamental part of who I am. My journey has taught me the value of staying connected to your roots while thinking globally and of using success to open doors for others. I’m driven by building meaningful relationships, developing people, solving complex challenges and bringing opportunities to those who may not otherwise have access to them. I believe that success is most meaningful when it is shared — when the businesses we build, the relationships we develop and the opportunities we create leave a positive and lasting impact on the people and communities around us.

I’m Simonne Solarsh, founder and CEO of IntrinsiCurly Me. In 2017, at 46, I started a haircare company, with no background in haircare or formulating and no major funding. Before that, my career took me from retail into brand and systems roles at MTN in South Africa and Nigeria, then into running my own corporate gifting business. None of it was in haircare. I knew how to understand people, solve problems and join the dots. IntrinsiCurly Me broke almost every rule of brand building — the name, a play on “intrinsically me” that’s clever but hard to spell and pronounce. I was told a real brand needed a short name and a big budget. I had neither. What I did have was a problem I’d lived myself: I knew what it felt like to fight my own hair, and I wanted to change that for others. Today, IntrinsiCurly Me is a proudly South African, female-owned, salon-professional brand competing against multinationals and expanding internationally. IntrinsiCurly Me isn’t just a brand. It’s a movement. We don’t sell haircare. We sell self-love, confidence, acceptance. What drives me is the moment someone stops fighting their curls and finally sees their superpower.

Yehuda Lazarus is the Co-Founder, Managing Partner and CEO of Heya Solutions South Africa, where he is driven by a clear mission: creating sustainable careers for South African talent and building local excellence for the global stage. His entrepreneurial journey began approximately eight years ago when he founded a sewing academy focused on skills development. He later launched YL Virtual Assistance and YL Remote, which merged with Heya. Today, he leads a growing, fully office-based team serving more than 25 international clients. During COVID-19, Yehuda founded Fingertips of Africa. Together with the One Moment Foundation, where he serves as a board member, these initiatives have helped provide more than 15 million meals while supporting skills development and employment opportunities across South Africa. Born and raised in Cape Town, Yehuda credits his family and faith with instilling in him a lifelong commitment to dignity, service and community. He is a devoted single father to his two adopted children and has also opened his home to two foster children. He considers fatherhood his greatest responsibility and proudest achievement.

We are Yishai (24) and Noah (23), co-founders of OrderUp!, a South African software startup transforming the way coffee is ordered and how coffee shops connect with customers. Friends for over a decade after meeting at Yeshiva College, we are both Electrical Engineering graduates pursuing Master’s degrees in Computer Science. Living with type I diabetes, Noah grew tired of waiting in coffee queues while trying to time his insulin correctly. A conversation between us sparked a simple question: if almost everything else can be ordered on demand, why not coffee? That question has grown into what we hope is the start of a coffee revolution. Having bootstrapped the business while still students, we have grown OrderUp! to 17 stores across Johannesburg and Cape Town. Our journey began within the Jewish community, whose support gave us the opportunity to prove our vision and build OrderUp!’s foundations. In just two months, the platform has served over 200 customers and processed over 1,000 orders, with brands including Motherland and coffee shops across the community embracing our vision. We aspire to equip every coffee shop with world-class technology enjoyed by international players like Starbucks, building products people genuinely love while creating lasting impact for South African businesses.

Yvonne Shaff is a publishing executive and entrepreneur with more than 30 years’ experience at the forefront of South Africa’s magazine and media industry, working across some of the country’s most influential publications and leading international magazine brands. Yvonne began her professional career in architecture before moving into publishing at Reader’s Digest, where she won numerous sales awards, including two trips to its New York office in recognition of her achievements, and rose to Advertising Director. She subsequently joined Associated Media Publishing, then Associated Magazines, working across Cosmopolitan, House & Leisure, Marie Claire and Femina during the heyday of glossy magazine publishing, and was involved in the South African launch of O, The Oprah Magazine under renowned publisher Jane Raphaely. Yvonne later joined Media24, becoming General Manager of the commercial division across its magazine portfolio, before moving to Tiso Blackstar, now Arena Holdings, where she headed its luxury division, working across Business Day WANTED, Sunday Times Edit and the launch of the Sowetan’s S Mag. In 2022, Yvonne co-founded YourLuxury Africa. As MD, she leads the award-winning multi platform luxury media business she built from the ground up, spanning print, digital, social media, content and events.