I joined SmartXchange in 2015 as Centre Manager at the newly established branch in Port Shepstone. This was indeed a game-changer for the organization as it expanded its reach away from an urban area to a small town. The Port Shepstone incubator has grown beyond expectations and exceeded its 3-year targets within the first year. The incubator has received local recognition by winning the Port Shepstone Mayoral Award twice since inception and contributed to the overall recognition of SmartXchange as a provincial and national leader in the incubation ecosystem. The success at Port Shepstone has served as a stimulus for the Board of SmartXchange to establish a township Digital Hub in Kwa Mashu with further replication plans to expand in Kokstad. The introduction of the vertical of the Ocean Economy has brought about the new exciting dimension of creating start-ups in an economy that has been largely unexplored by the organization thus far.

Working at SmartXchange and being part of the entrepreneurial and innovative journey, supporting and contributing towards the success of a small business or the development of an innovation has rewards that are far beyond any expectation. This is an ecosystem that is constantly evolving, providing opportunities to interact with people and communities and ultimately supporting new developments that will lead to the growth and sustainability of previously marginalized sectors of society. I get super excited as I see the growth and development of our StartUps during each of our coaching, mentoring and business development sessions and am anticipating an exciting journey with the ocean economy.