Despite the pandemic, SingularityU South Africa has announced its plans to host the SingularityU Exponential Finance Summit in 2021. As expected this wont be happening in person, but rather online, from 28 – 30 July 2021. Mic Mann, Co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa noted that one of the advantages of holding the event online is that it has enabled SingularityU SA to bring several noteworthy international thought leaders and speakers to a vast audience.

The summit aims to build and grow an African investment innovation ecosystem by connecting South Africa and Africa’s top entrepreneurs and innovative businesses with global venture capitalists, institutional funds, private investors and global thought leaders.

SingularityU is known for its  prowess in corporate education by showcasing bleeding edge speakers, ground breaking topics and thought provoking insights at its summits and programmes. Previous Summits bore this out, impressing us mightily with the quality of the insight offered - and some of the speakers from previous years will be returning this year as well, such as David Roberts.

However, each year's summmit is also unique. This year's Exponential Finance online summit responds to President Ramaphosa’s recent appeal at the South Africa Investment Conference for more investments into the country, by focussing on how to bring investment into South Africa and Africa so as to create an investment ecosystem in which to harness Africa’s true potential.

David Roberts

The  diverse range of topics that will be addressed at this year’s summit will include Leadership and Investment, Exponential Technology, Crypto/Blockchain, Future of Banking, Scaling, ESG, 5G, Cybersecurity, Social Impact, Inclusive Growth, NFT’s (nonfungible tokens), Gaming and DEFI (decentralized finance). SingularityU explained that "the goal is to empower delegates with the latest future focussed knowledge and potential solutions to solve the global challenges, such as water, energy, education, financial inclusion, the future of work, food security, governance and prosperity." Furthermore, the 2021 Exponential Finance summit will place specific focus on innovation that will drive scalable investment, digital business acceleration and stimulate deal flow.

Mann noted that while the Covid-19 pandemic has placed many industries under strain, it has also triggered new opportunities for innovation and growth, which will be explored at this online summit.

A host of local and international speakers will take to the stage to present the latest insights that will help propel exponential growth. The confirmed speakers to date include:

• Adam Valkin (Managing Director of General Catalyst)
• Alex Gladstein (Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation) speaking on financial freedom
• Wee Liang Chua (Cowin Capital) to address Asia Africa investing and lessons from investments in China
• Nathana Sharma (Lablebox AI) speaking on scalable start-ups
• Paula Santana (Founder of Social Glass, government procurement portal and Matternet, drone delivery company)
• Cathy Hackl (Bestselling author: The Augmented Workforce), to address funding the metaverse
• Hilda Liswani (We Bloom) speaking on funding for female entrepreneurs in Africa
• Sam Rad (Bitcoin Pizza) speaking on decentralised finance
• Tshilidzi Marwala (University of Johannesburg, 4IR) speaking on AI investing in Africa
• Anishran Pillay (Risk Insights) speaking on environmental sustainability and governance
• David Roberts (The world's leading expert on Exponential Leadership and a global thought leader on business disruption) speaking on global impact in leadership
• Will Weisman (Founder and managing director of Kitty Hawk Ventures, an early stage frontier technology venture capital firm) speaking on scaling 100x

Sam Rad

The presentation format will include compact talks making way for deeper engagement online with less screen fatigue and a greater variety of topics to be covered. Knowing how important it is to still be able to connect and network, the company explained that special provision has been made for facilitated matchmaking, online networking, and meeting rooms with dedicated time slots for this. The summit will also feature an online expo area, where delegates can engage with the latest products and developments from exhibitors and engage in business flow.

“We understand that capital is oxygen for any business and breathes life, sustainability and growth. This is why it is so important for us to develop and build an investment innovation ecosystem  in South Africa. In this way we can improve the quality of life for all South Africans through a booming, abundant economy, ” said Mann.

“As we continue SingularityU’s journey to future proof Africa, it is essential to harness the expertise that is available in our network to cultivate an economy that is advantageous for investors. The second annual SingularityU Exponential Finance Summit Online will empower entrepreneurs, business leaders and titans of industry alike with the newest insights regarding ground-breaking technologies and innovations that are available to take the continent forward,” added Shayne Mann, Co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa.

The SingularityU Exponential Finance Summit 2021 will be hosted in collaboration Deloitte and MTN. To join the SingularityU community of changemakers, or to book, visit https://www.exponentialfinance.co.za/

Ticket prices for attendance are as follows:

Early Bird: R5 000 incl vat. Book before 4 June 2021. 

Early Adopter: R6 250 incl vat. Book before 25 June 2021. 

Standard Ticket:- R8 500 incl vat. Book before 22 July 2021.

Late Mover Ticket - R10 625 incl vat. Registration closes 30 July 2021.