What began as an ordinary encounter with his grandmother became a profitable business idea for Thapelo Nthite, the winner of Momentum’s 2024 Big Success Pitch. When his grandmother asked for assistance to load airtime into her phone because she struggled with English, Nthite was intrigued by the opportunity this presented.
“I realized there are a lot of people like her all over the country and the continent who can’t use digital services due to language barriers,” said Nthite.
This spurred Nthite to start Botlhale AI – a company that aims to increase the application of artificial intelligence systems to eliminate language as a barrier to entry for basic digital services.
“Only 8% of South Africans speak English at home and only 30% are comfortable expressing themselves in English,” said Nthite.
He said businesses were losing out too because they didn’t have the tools to automate engagement with potential customers and were missing out on potential revenue and reach. Added Nthite: “This is where we come in – we help businesses engage with customers in a language they understand using AI powered natural language processing.”
Botlhale AI recently snagged the top prize of a R500 000 cash prize win after impressing judges with his elevator-style business pitch at Momentum’s Big Success Pitch. As part of the prize, he also walks away with the services and expertise of a financial adviser from the financial service provider.
Momentum’s Big Success Pitch is an annual entrepreneurship competition, now in its second year, that puts competing entrepreneurs in front of an expert panel of judges where they must pitch their business and convince the judges why they deserve their share of R1-million. This year, the competition drew over 11 000 entries whittled down to a competitive top 5.
Their journey to the Big Success Pitch is captured in a three-part series currently on YouTube and was hosted by popular broadcaster and musician Siyabulela ‘Supta’ Sithole.
“At Momentum we understand the mounted pressure on entrepreneurs to play a pivotal role in the growth of our country’s GDP – simply put we need entrepreneurs to succeed,” said Qhawekazi Mdikane, Executive Head of Momentum Brand Marketing. “Through this competition, we are empowering entrepreneurs who have the potential for scale and sustainability with not only a cash injection but also meaningful advice through business coaching with a financial adviser.”
Pitching to potential investors is an invaluable skill for entrepreneurs – and the Big Success Pitch helped the top five entrepreneurs to prepare for that final, nerve-wracking moment before an esteemed panel of judges. The panel consisted of Philani Mzila, an investment manager at Founders Factor Africa and Marcello Schermer, Head of International Expansion at payment solutions company Yoco. Also on the panel was Farah Fortune, the founder & director of African Star Communications and Nontokozo Madonsela, the Chief Marketing Officer for Momentum Group.
Shaking up the healthcare sector
Runner-up Phillip Mngadi, who won R300 000, was inspired to start his healthcare business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was in South Korea, and I saw people doing a COVID drive-thru test in a hospital’s parking lot and it was perfect timing because that’s how everything got started,” he said.
This gave birth to Zinacare, a business that produces at-home health tests that offer a convenient, comfortable and private method of testing, which according to Mngadi, is the first crucial step to healthcare. The company also offers a mobile nurse service for home or workplace visits to conduct tests. As Mngadi says, diagnostics are the beginning of health.
Mngadi admits that one of the attractive features of the competition for him was not only the potential for a cash injection for his business, but the additional expert mentorship and coaching received from an experienced financial adviser, which he said is exactly what his businesses needed to scale to the next level.
Motivated by passion and purpose to shake up the sanitary care sector, Zizipho Ntobongwana’s social enterprise Sheba Feminine was the second runner-up of the competition winning R200 000.
It was upon reading a box of tampons that Ntobongwana went down a rabbit hole of gaining understanding into the ingredients that are used in the manufacturing of sanitary products such as tampons and pads. She was shocked to discover that some of the chemicals used had the potential to not only be harmful to the users but also to the environment. True to who she is, instead of being despondent she saw it as an opportunity to bring change to the industry.
“I realized that I wanted to make a difference in this industry and as a person who menstruates I have the power and the ability to do so” she said. “We are about sustainability and ethics. We are a about a product line that is 100% sustainable made out of organic and bio-degradable cotton.”
Financial advice is essential for all entrepreneurs
Rounding out the top 5 of the competition was Nomso Kana, founder of Simsciex Technologies which provides broadband and energy solutions as well as Serisha Barrat who is the founder and chief executive of Lawyered Up. Lawyered Up uses artificial intelligence to make legal help accessible to small businesses.
“We are so happy and proud of the entrepreneurs who persevered and took home the win, but more than that we hope that the financial advice all the participants received helps their businesses,” said Mdikane. “Similarly, we hope that those who watch the show learn from the journey of our entrepreneurs because there are skills that are valuable to all entrepreneurs.”