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At the upcoming SingularityU South Africa Summit Online 2020 on the 14^th and 15^th October, a host of global speakers and workshops will address the challenges and opportunities facing Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in particular. This is not by accident:  SMEs have been identified as productive drivers of inclusive economic growth and development across the African continent. While contributing significantly to the economy, SMEs foster diversification through their development of new and unsaturated sectors of the economy.

According to the organisers, the presentations that have been designed to be of particular relevance to the SME sector are vast and in-depth. Kyle Hermans, founder and CEO of Be Courageous, will talk on the Exponential mindset needed for the SME, sharing his actionable approach.

Several presentations will address current circumstances amidst the global pandemic. American Molly Pyle’s talk will address the topic of “Working from Home or Remotely 3.0”. LinkedIn’s Top Voice in Tech Cathy Hackl will explain the metaverse where synthetic humans are customers.

From a leadership perspective, SME’s have multiple options of impactful presentations to attend. Disruption and innovation expert David Roberts will discuss how to be a strategic, empathetic leader in the new world. Regenerative leadership specialist Mimi Nicklin will approach how empathy can aid in growing a business.

Dave Roberts

Workshops for SME’s have also been lined up. These include:

• Instagram stories & reels for SME’s - Hosted by Facebook
• Rewire your mind for high performance - by Gilan Gork
• The SME Mindset – by Kyle Hermans
• Moonshot Thinking: by Lisa Andrews and Christina Gerakiteys
• Smarten up your home with IOT (internet of things) - by Phathizwe Malinga​
• The Stress code – by author Richard Sutton
• Business Rescue by Cobra – by Maurice Crespi
• Getting off the grid, whichever plain you’re on - by Adriana Marais

Over 80 speakers have already been announced for the SingularityU South Africa Summit Online. In line with the summits theme #FutureProofAfrica, the summit will focus on teaching delegates about exponential technologies and their potential to solve the global grand challenges.

“We recognise the significant growth in contribution that SME’s make to the global economy,” commented Mic Mann, Co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa. “We believe that these talks and presentations will boost the SME sector in an impactful way,” added Shayne Mann, Co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa. 

Putting a new spin on a traditional format, several fireside chats have also been scheduled.  Ashley Anthony and Kelly Nuttal will host “AI in Action, a Tale of 2 countries”. The “Changing dynamics of the work environment” fireside chat will be done by between Valter Adao, Sophia Symeou and Mxolisi Mgojo. 

Now in its fourth year, the 2020 event will take place in a custom built online environment. The presentation format has been revised for the 2020 summit, with shorter talks making way for deeper engagement online with less screen fatigue and a greater variety of topics to be covered. The summit will also feature an online expo area, where delegates can engage with the latest products and developments from exhibitors and make business happen.

As was the case last year, the SingularityU South Africa Summit 2020 will be hosted in collaboration with The Development Bank of Southern Africa, global partner Deloitte, and strategic partner MTN. To join the SingularityU community of changemakers, or to book, visit https://singularityusouthafricasummit.org/.

Ticket prices, which are significantly more affordable this year, are below.

Early Adopter: R6 250 incl vat. Book by 24th September 2020 and save R 3 750 off your ticket 

Standard Ticket:- R8 000 incl vat. Book by 2nd October 2020 and save R2 000 off your ticket price

Late Mover Ticket - R10 000 incl vat. 13th October 2020 Registration closes 16 October 2020