Searching for Africa’s San Francisco

Introducing Cape Town to the world

It’s no surprise that lekker Cape Town is an epicenter of commerce. It’s been that way since the advent of ships and the Dutch East India Company began running trade routes along one of the busiest South African port cities hundreds of years ago.

More recently though, there’s something different. It’s a newfound technology industry in Cape Town. Startups are becoming more commonplace with entrepreneurs solving problems in ways that only a local would understand.

“I think it’s important to note that South Africa has unique issues that are best solved by local entrepreneurs and in close collaboration with local groups,” Aisha R Pandor, co-founder and CEO of SweepSouth, a Cape Town headquartered startup, explained to me.

“Most of the startups that are doing well here are solving issues that don’t exist (at least not to the same degree) in San Francisco or other developed markets.”