NEXTGEN FOUNDERS

Annually we select about 24 NextGen Applicants to form part of the NextGen Founders programme. It is a communal learning experience for the curious / the dreamer / the go-getter / the side-hustler / the aspiring entrepreneur. This programme targets those who are ready to dig deeper into the wealth of knowledge the Triga Community offers, while leaning into God’s redemptive plan for society and the economy.

NextGen Founders is an six-month programme consisting of tailor-made, structured tasks and activities to meet participants’ practical needs. We connect weekly online and have an in-person weekend where founders and mentors connect, fellowship and learn.

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 2 SEPTEMBER

WHO IS IT FOR?

  • A founder or co-founder of a venture
  • Entrepreneurs running a small venture full / part-time
  • Deep interest in the work / faith integration and embodiment of the gospel
  • Want to build redemptive ventures that have a significant impact on our society and economy

WHAT WE LOOK FOR?

  • Entrepreneurs already building a redemptive venture and who plan to make it their full-time work
  • Ventures must be beyond the idea stage or ready to launch (you’ve already researched and tested your concept
  • Your venture should be solving a critical problem in our nation and continent
  • The venture can be a profit or non-profit.

COST

  • Through the generous support of our financial partners, we will cover most of the cost of the programme and only charge the participants a once-off fee of R 6600, or monthly fee of R 1100 (for 6 months). Partial scholarships are available to deserving candidates.
  • Triga does not take equity in your venture.
  • Accommodation, meals and ground transport for the Founders weekend is included in the costs.
  • For Founders weekend the participants will cover their own flights.

NEXTGEN FOUNDERS

PREVIOUS MENTORS

FOLLOW TRIGA VENTURES

AJ MUNIAN

FOUNDER & CEO  |  SMART AGRI SOLUTIONS

AJ is an agricultural value chain specialist who holds a BSc (Agric) and an MBA from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. AJ’s professional qualifications in agriculture are further strengthened by 20 years of direct experience across each link in the entire agriculture value chain, ranging from agro-technical field production through supply chain to Fast Moving Consumer Goods Companies and retail, having worked for leading companies in each of these different sectors, including Capespan, Maersk Line and Woolworths. AJ’s fresh produce experience spans controlled environment farming, technical horticultural production, fresh produce export, reefer liner shipping, freight forwarding, cold chain management and international fresh produce trading, as well as in retail across Sub-Saharan Africa. AJ is passionate about the role which innovative technologies can play in building more inclusive and sustainable agricultural supply chains.

ANNELIZE KOTZE

CO-FOUNDER (MOVEPRETTY), BRAND STRATEGIST & ENTREPRENEUR

Annelize started out her career in the creative world of advertising and brand management, and has worked on a variety of brands in through-the-line agencies, on the client side and on a consultation basis. However, she’d always had a love for fashion and decided to continue her studies part-time to take a slight career turn into the world of fashion and at the same time pursue her entrepreneurial passions. After co-founding and running a women’s athleisure brand, MOVEPRETTY for 8 years, Annelize gained ever-valuable experience first-hand, seeing her startup grow – first as a part time hobby and later as a full-time business. Currently, Annelize is pursuing other startup business interests and consulting in her areas of expertise. She is passionate about women empowerment, finding balance in life and work as a mom and wife, and loving others as she loves Jesus.

CHRISTIAAN VAN DEN BERG

CO-FOUNDER & CO-CEO  |  JOBJACK

Christiaan, a people-passionate pioneer, is the co-founder and co-CEO of JOBJACK. He is a qualified CA (SA) – he came up with the idea of JOBJACK while completing his audit articles in 2017. Although he is stimulated by the business behind JOBJACK, he is driven by the people they are reaching, whether job-seekers, companies, employees or people simply inspired by what is happening. Christiaan wants to see God’s Kingdom come not only in his organisation, but in every company and person’s life.

HEINE BELLINGAN

CO-FOUNDER & CO-CEO  |  JOBJACK

Heine is a born leader and motivator of people. He is the co-Founder and co-CEO of JOBJACK. Heine is a qualified CA (SA) and embodies the role of a forefront founder by his unending dedication and innovation. It is Heine’s call to be a Kingdom financier, leading the business world in his favour and walk with God.

IVAN SWARTZ

CEO  |  VALCARE

“Fighting and building” is part of Ivan’s DNA and a role he has been in for as long as he can remember, serving his community on various levels. He has a degree in Communications, an Honors Degree in Industrial Psychology and an MBA. In 2014 he founded Labit, a small business incubator focused on developing entrepreneurs in rural communities. In 2017 he joined Valcare as CEO, establishing it as a social impact investment platform. He enjoys long-distance running and endurance races. Having convinced his wife, Lecia, to marry him eight years ago remains his personal, most impressive achievement.

JACOBUS KRIEL

FOUNDER & CEO  | FILMWORX

Jacobus is an untamed creative creator. The intriguing world of film and media content production became a natural outlet for this innate urge to move from ideation to production in a short period of time. With experience as a feature film director, he founded SA FilmWorx, a purpose-driven content production company that supports business growth with media content that speaks to the heart of viewers. With their first studios based in Somerset West, the business is a media powerhouse making a positive difference to everyone who becomes part of their journey!

LARA SCHOEMAN

CO-FOUNDER  |  BRAND TOGETHER

Lara is the Co-Founder of Brand Together: a marketing agency focused on offering support to businesses that want to grow strategic and operational capacity whilst reducing risk. She believes that good marketing happens when you connect someone with the right solution. It isn’t bells and whistles that sell best but a human-centred approach. She’s a strategic, creative thinker with branding, marketing and customer research background. She spent the bulk of her career at Allan Gray, then got the opportunity to work at a non-profit, an Ad agency, a big corporate and a startup. She is an entrepreneur at heart who gets her kicks from eradicating jargon and a well-chosen font.

LEÀNNE VIVIERS

CO-FOUNDER & CEO  |  MINTOR

A creative problem solver, passionate about youth development and social entrepreneurship (and dancing) – this is what makes Leànne thrive and she’s put it to action having co-founded Mintor to see millions of unemployed youth realise their potential. Leànne’s background comprises 15+ yrs in IT and Operations Consulting (UK, USA, Africa), including her former role as global SME development manager for IFC (World Bank Group). She holds a B.Eng (Industrial Electronics) from Stellenbosch University and an MBA in Social Entrepreneurship from Oxford University, however, her biggest learnings were from doing business and learning from others that do.

MARLI GOUSSARD

ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT & COLLABORATION MANAGER  |  RANYAKA

Marli is a social entrepreneur and NGO sector specialist with 18 years’ experience in business development, operations, social enterprise development and socio-economic programme development. She is the current Enterprise Development & Collaboration Manager of Ranyaka Community Transformation. Marli is using her invaluable experience in the NGO sector towards a shared and holistic developmental purpose. She works with non-profit organisations, academia, government and civil society networks to steer their focus towards the common agenda to make collective impact. She facilitates collaboration between these multiple sectors streamlining their focus and playing to their strength within the context of their geographical and thematic ecosystems. She is the current Chairperson of the Stellenbosch Civil Advocacy Network (SCAN), a non-executive Board Member of Fix Forward and also serves on the Stellenbosch University Institutional Forum. She graduated with a B-tech Degree in Public Relations Management from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 2003.

OWEN MUZAMBI

CO-FOUNDER & CEO  |  DRIVEN ADVISORY

Owen Muzambi is a Co-Founder and the Executive Director of Driven Advisory, a social enterprise and development advisory group. They focus on accelerating the economic and financial inclusion in South Africa and Africa by designing and implementing custom social change interventions. Owen is actively involved in creating and supplying innovative micro-enterprise solutions to improve sustainable entrepreneurial capabilities; alleviating poverty in low-income urban and rural communities.

PAUL KIM

CO-FOUNDER & CEO  |  REDEMPTIVE CAPITAL

Paul is a co-founder of Redemptive Capital, a small investment firm focusing on supporting companies that seek the flourishing of low-income South Africans and their families. He is an actuary by trade but has developed expertise in startups, behavioural economics, and redemptive design. Paul is an eternal learner and strives to connect his Christian faith practically to all spheres of life using the lens of biblical wisdom.

PIETER AVENANT

CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR  |  KAINOS PROJECTS

Pieter is a Kingdom-minded Chemical engineer with 12 years’ experience in design and turnkey projects in the industrial and municipal water sectors. He is an MBA graduate (Cum Laude, UCT, 2015), a co-founder and Director at Kainos Projects Africa. Pieter combines his technical experience with a big picture perspective in pursuing business development opportunities for the company, ensuring growth and strategic market penetration into Africa.

SAM VOS

FOUNDER & CEO  |  LUCEO SOLUTIONS

Sam Vos is the founder of Luceo Solutions, a consultancy to help organisations systematise how they create value. He is passionate about doing business in developmental ways that ensure inclusive growth. Upon graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering from Stellenbosch University, he moved to London and spent six years working as a project manager at Schroders Asset Management. At the end of 2004, Sam returned to South Africa with his wife and young family. In 2005 he joined U-turn Homeless Ministry. He built the organisation up from a soup kitchen with four staff to a multi-site, multi-business, industry-leading institution with more than 80 staff members. During his 15 years at U-turn, Sam founded a retail division in U-turn as a social enterprise that provides training and work opportunities and maintained an annual growth rate of 27% per annum. The retail division has continued to grow and flourish, now comprising multiple sorting facilities, over ten stores and a reputation as one of the best charity retail operations in Cape Town. Sam formally handed the organisation over in Apr 2021.

Sam is married to Jane, and together they have two boys.

SAMMY RABOLELE

CO-FOUNDER, CEO & PRODUCER  |  BEYOND THE EYES

Sammy grew up in a farming family in the North West, post-Bophutatswana. He was educated at Potchefstroom High School for Boys and the University of Pretoria. It was at university that he truly came to know Jesus as his Lord and Saviour and sensed the call of the Lord on his life. After completing his B.Com Investment Management degree, he joined a ministry called Campus Outreach as full-time staff for six years, sharing his faith on campus. The desire to tell stories finally drove him to realise his dream of capturing the African stories that often remain untold, co-founding Beyond the Eyes in 2014. He shares the journey with business partner Tebogo, as well as his wife Mpho and their daughter Aobakwe.

TIM VAN STORMBROEK

FOUNDER  |  PLAN BEE

Tim has pursued a career in occupational hygiene, food safety and, for the last 14 years, in environmental consulting. This has been overlapped with 24 years of experience in beekeeping and honey production as a sideline. Tim is passionate about grass roots development in Africa and seeing lives changed through sustainable rural beekeeping. He believes strongly that the agri-potential in southern Africa is still highly undervalued and is excited to help unlock this blessing.

VINCENT OMBAKA

CO-FOUNDER  |  OYAKE ENTERPRISE

Vincent is married to Lydiah and together they work in consumer products distribution in Nairobi, supporting micro and small enterprises by providing consumer products at wholesale terms. He also supports governments and non-profit organisations in public policy development and advocacy and is an aspiring legal philosopher.

WERNER CLOETE

FOUNDER & CEO  |  CALLING ACADEMY

Werner is a passionate and influential educator. He is the principal of Calling Academy and CEO of Calling Education. He previously taught at Paul Roos Gymnasium, where he headed up character development, Christian union, hockey and a boarding house. His other teaching experience includes Berkhamsted School and the Royal Grammar School (both UK). He is the author of First Class (a book for Christian teachers) and has spoken widely at staff development and education conferences. He is co-founder of Engage (promoting fatherhood in schools) and is a non-executive director of The World Needs a Father. He holds BSc(Ed) and BTh(Honours) degrees.