South African women to take centre stage at upcoming future-focussed summit

Geci Karuri-Sebina

Kim Hulett

Rapelang Rabana

When the highly anticipated SingularityU South Africa Summit 2021 takes place online from 12-15 October, South Africa’s top female thought leaders across various industries are set to take centre stage. This future-focussed summit aims to equip South Africans and Africans with the latest insights regarding exponential technologies and innovation across a number of fields.

Topics to be addressed include leadership and investment, artificial intelligence, crypto/blockchain, biotechnology, future of banking, scaling, ESG, 5g, cybersecurity, scaling, social impact, food security, education, NFT’s (nonfungible tokens), gaming, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, 3D printing, space, digital marketing (SEO, Online Ads, Social) and DEFI (decentralised finance).

Rapelang Rabana, the acclaimed founder of Rekindle Learning & FFWD Innovation, who has been named Entrepreneur for the World by the World Entrepreneurship Forum will present a keynote sharing her unrivalled expertise on connectivity. Andrea Bohmart, who is a partner at of South African venture capital firm Knife Capital will share her plans to prove that South African founders and the companies they build can compete on a global level.

Kim Hulett, known widely as the founder and CEO of Next Biosciences, who is also a SingularityU South Africa faculty member will address the latest developments in reproductive biotechnology. Dr Tamara Pheiffer, an expert in biohacking, will address how the latest advances in medical biohacking can extend one’s longevity. Tanya Knowles, South Africa’s top thought leader regarding blockchain and cryptocurrencies will share the latest insights in this fast moving area of exponential technology. Geci Karuri-Sebina will share her insights regarding the potential that smart cities have to improve quality of life.

Independent strategy consultant, Anu Sing will address leadership in business, while Melanie Rieback, the CEO/co-founder of Radically Open Security, the world's first non-profit computer security consultancy company will tackle cybersecurity in business.

The dynamic Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp and Nastassia Arende are the hosts for various discussion panels and will MC the summit.

Various international female speakers will also take to the stage including Cathy Wood (founder and CEO Ark Invest), Paola Santana (founder Social Glass), Nathana Sharma (general counsel, Labelbox AI), Hilda Liswani (CEO and founder We Bloom Africa), Jaya Baloo (chief information security officer at Avast Software, SingularityU Faculty on Cybersecurity and Quantum Computing), Amy LaMeyer (managing partner of WXR Fund), Laila Pawlak (CEO, SingularityU Nordic), Merritt Moore (Forbes 30 under 30, Quantum Physicist), Beena Ammanath (executive director of Deloitte AI Institute), Alix Rübsaam (SingularityU Faculty – AI), Kadine James (CEO and founder, The Immersive Kind) and others.

“There has never been a more important time to embrace diversity and ensure that female voices are heard. It is essential that we not only close the gender gaps in trade and industry but also enable female leadership to take its rightful place in the workplace, if we are to create an abundant future” said Mic Mann, co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa. “The SingularityU South Africa Summit is one of the largest African thought leadership, innovation and technology events on the continent, focussed on driving positive change and exponential growth so that we can #futureproofAfrica,” he added.

“For us, it’s all about how do we educate, empower, and inspire our community with bleeding-edge knowledge from the world’s most sought after thinkers and doers, who share unrivalled acumen in the topics that they address” said Shayne Mann, co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa.

The SingularityU Exponential South Africa Summit 2021 will be hosted in collaboration Deloitte and MTN.

To join the SingularityU community of changemakers, or to book, visit: https://singularityusouthafricasummit.org/

Ticket prices:

Early Mover: R7,750. Book before 28 August 2021
Standard: R8,500. Book before 26 September 2021
Just In Time. R9,700. Book Before 7 October 2021
Late Mover: R10,625. Book before 15 October 2021

Payment dates cut off at midnight on the above dates.
All prices include VAT.