Webinar Series “Challenges of Growth” 2023 – 2024
On this page, you will find the announcement of our upcoming preparation webinars for the
AIT Swiss-Africa Alumni Meeting. Take a look at the intensive discussions in our community about experience sharing and see how they grow day by day.
Webinar 1
The 21st September will kick-off our webinar series with an input from Dr. Moses Kebalepile, researcher at the Wits School of Clinical Medicine (South Africa) and founder of a medtech company, Asthma Grid, a medical device warning of imminent asthma attacks. Dr Kebalepile will share with us the journey of the related tech development, the creation of first funding streams, challenges that he encountered on his company’s growth path and ways of addressing them.
Thursday 21st September 2023, 14:30 – 15:00 CEST
Moderator: Mr. Erich Thaler
Dr Moses’ advice to other entrepreneurs in a similar field:
The impact of running a startup on an entrepreneur’s mental health:
Speaker
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Dr. Moses M. Kebalepile A medical data scientist and research coordinator at the University of the Witwatersrand, in the School of Clinical Medicine. He is also the Founder of a MedTech startup called KTI. Dr Moses graduated with a PhD in Public Health specialising in Computational Epidemiology.His academic research used Artificial Intelligence paradigms (Deep learning, particularly Artificial Neural networks) to study and predict asthma outcomes due to air pollution in the cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane. It was the unique algorithm from this doctoral research that he soft computed into a patented medical device called the Asthma Grid. |
Webinar 2
On 5th of October, a webinar with MLaw Mr Stephan A. Hofer will follow and address the important topic of international visibility of companies. How to set up international business infrastructure and to operate from abroad will be the questions that Mr Hofer will address.
Thursday 5th of October 2023, 12:00 – 12:30 CEST
Moderator: Mr. Erich Thaler
Find out how the Double Tax Agreement works:
What is the Investment Protection Agreement?
Can non-EU entrepreneurs settle in Switzerland?
Speaker
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MLaw Mr. Stephan A. Hofer A lawyer from Switzerland, admitted to the Swiss and Bern Bar since 2013. Since his admission he worked as a legal practitioner for several companies in the financial sector in Geneva and Basel prior to joining business law firm GHR in 2016, where he was promoted to a partner in 2022. Mr. Hofer provides for legal advice in corporate law for Swiss and international SME’s and particularly focuses on restructurings. Furthermore, he is responsible for the privacy law division in the firm, providing legal advice for Swiss companies with special consideration of GDPR.Mr. Hofer heads the Africa Desk within the firm, wherein he cares to maintain cross-continental relationships with fellow lawyers all across Africa, as well as he is further responsible for relationships with Asian clients as well. Since this year, he is elected co-chair of the League of Lawyers, a network of independent law firms with the goal to connect legal practitioners from Asia and Europe. |
Webinar 3
On 26th of October the third webinar will take place. Mr. Mbuso Ngcongo will talk about his workbook that is entitled “In the Beginning: Literacy, Numeracy and Coding the World”.
Mr Mbuso will share insights in his entrepreneurial journey and engage with entrepreneurs present in feedback discussion on talk and suggestions of how to increase sales.
Thursday 26th of October2023, 13:00 – 13:30 CEST
Moderator: Mr. Erich Thaler
Speaker
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Mr. Mbuso Ngcongo
Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of South Africa (UNISA) Founder and CEO of the AIT Startup UMbalabala, an educational toolkit that uses pedagogical methods to advance learning for those at a foundational level of schooling. |
Webinar 4
The fourth webinar will be held on 16th of November. The topic of this webinar will be “How to get your business investor ready?”. Ms. Amne Suedi Kagasheki will give a presentation on this question.
Thursday 16th of November 2023, 13:00 – 13:30 CEST
Moderator: Mr. Erich Thaler
Speaker
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Ms. Amne Suedi Kagasheki
A Swiss and Tanzanian international lawyer turned entrepreneur who founded Shikana Group, a legal and investment advisory firm focusing on foreign investments in Africa. Her company, based in Switzerland and Tanzania, collaborates with entrepreneurs, international companies, and financial institutions investing in East Africa. In 2023, she founded BintiBiz, an education technology company supporting female entrepreneurs in Africa through online courses and mentoring. Ms. Suedi, fluent in French, English, and Kiswahili, has a background in finance and banking and has worked with notable companies, receiving awards like TOP 100 Executive List 2022 and TOP 50 Women in Management in Africa 2023. |
Webinar 5
The fifth webinar will be held on Friday 23th of February. The topic of this webinar will be „How to make your business resilient and how can digital tools help you with this task?“. Mr Dieter Puganigg will give a presentation on the topic “Resilience and Digitization”.
Friday 23th of February 2024, 12:30 – 13:30 CEST
Moderator: Mr. Erich Thaler
Speaker
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Mr Dieter Puganigg
Dieter Puganigg, MSc, is an Executive Consultant and Academic Lecturer specializing in Digital Transformation, Resilience, and Sustainability. He is the founder and CEO of Digiwise e.U. in Vienna, where he leverages 25 years of international corporate leadership experience, notably in IT at HPE, services at Microsoft Corporation, and FMCG at Nestlé Nespresso S.A., with a focus on B2B. In academia, Dieter serves as an Academic Lecturer covering Digital Transformation, E-Strategy, Customer Loyalty, Leadership, Resilience and Sustainability. He also heads a Diploma Program in E-Commerce Management. Dieter holds an MSc in Digital Business from the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Vienna and is committed to continuous learning in the dynamic digital landscape. He is a Certified Digital Consultant (ISO 17024), reflecting his dedication to industry excellence. |
Guidelines to develop a resilient organization
Organizational Resilience
Attributes from ISO 22316:
- Resilient leadership
- Knowledge and information
- Resources
- Organizational development
- Designing the future
- Business purpose
- Corporate environment
Business Resilience
Components of a strong business model:
- Market attractiveness
- Customer loyalty
- Scalability
- Cross-selling / Up-selling potential
- Profitability
- Xaas (“Anything” as a service)
- Entry barriers
What to do now for your own business? Describe, understand, measure and develop resilience!
Webinar 6
The sixth webinar will be held on 16th of May. The topic of this webinar will be “How to fund Swiss-African business collaboration”. Ms. Susanne Grossmann from SECO Start-up Fund will give a presentation on this interesting topic.
Thursday 16th May 2024, 12:00 – 13:00 CEST
Moderator: Mr. Erich Thaler
Speaker
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Ms. Susanne Grossmann
Susanne Grossmann brings a multi-year expertise in private sector finance in emerging markets with a focus on private equity and lending to small- and mid-sized businesses (SMEs). Before joining the SSF Susanne worked 10 years in Swiss development cooperation, followed by several years in the private sector, where she was involved in social projects and impact investing in emerging markets. From 2011-2023 Susanne served on the Board and IC of the Swiss Development Finance Institution SIFEM (Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets). She has also been active as jury and board member in the impact investing space. Susanne holds a Master’s Degree in History and Economics from the University of Zurich and a Post Graduate Degree in European Integration from the University of Basel. |
Webinar 7
Thursday 06th June 2024, 11:00 – 12:00 CEST
Moderator: Mr. Erich Thaler
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SWISS SOUTH AFRICA WEBINARHosted by: Swiss Academy of Sciences Switzerland (SCNAT) Co-Funding Success & Partnership – 10+ years of collaboration in research and |
AIT Alumni Webinars, moderated by Pauline Koelbl
With over 20 years in international affairs and venture philanthropy, Pauline Koelbl invests in African female-led businesses and connects African innovators with global markets. She has 11+ years of experience supporting SMEs and startups in Africa, focusing on innovation, entrepreneurship, and empowering youth and women.
AIT Alumni Webinar 1
Thursday 04th July 2024, 12:00 – 13:00 CEST
Moderator: Ms. Pauline Koelbl
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Next Webinar: Thursday, 04. June, 12h00 – 13h00
Topic: “Dos and Don’ts in Investor Relations”Pauline Koelbl, Founder and Managing Partner of ShEquity and CEO of AfriProspect, in talks with two eminent investors from Africa who are serial entrepreneurs themselves with a global exposure. Erick Yong, entrepreneur, investor, advisor and African carbon credit expert and Hema Vallabh, engineer, turned entrepreneur, turned investor. A unique opportunity to listen to investors and decision makers on what they are actually looking at while deciding on whom to invest! |
AIT Alumni Webinar 2
Thursday 29th August 2024, 12:00 – 13:00 CEST
Moderator: Ms. Pauline Koelbl
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Next Webinar: Thursday, 29. August, 12h00 – 13h00
Topic: “Team Building/ Handing over the CEO position”Pauline Koelbl, Founder and Managing Partner of ShEquity and CEO of AfriProspect, in talk with Nick Draeger, a scientist, engineer, financial expert, entrepreneur, and business leader with global experience. Skilled in building, financing, and leading projects in various sectors, especially healthcare and nutrition, with rapid learning and decisive action. Excited about creating innovative commercial opportunities across diverse businesses and geographies to achieve results. Nicholas holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Natal, a PhD in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge, and an MBA from the University of Warwick. |
AIT Alumni Webinar 3
Monday 30th September 2024, 12:00 – 13:00 CEST
Moderator: Ms. Pauline Koelbl
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Next Webinar: Monday, 30. September, 12h00 – 13h00
Topic: “Product – Market – Fit”Pauline Koelbl, Founder and Managing Partner of ShEquity and CEO of AfriProspect, in talks with Manuel Seiffe, an entrepreneur, renewable energy enthusiast and a dedicated professional with experience in impact investing. He has co-founded MPower Ventures AG, a Zurich based fintech and impact start-up, that partners with local entrepreneurs to finance and distribute clean energy to households and SMEs in emerging markets. |
All webinars are of 30 min. and are followed by a Q&A session.
A registration link will be sent out to all alumni companies in due time.