SANBA celebrates its female blockchain entrepreneurs
In celebration of National Women’s Day this year, the SA National Blockchain Alliance (SANBA) is subsidising the attendance of the European Blockchain Convention for two of the country’s up-and-coming female blockchain entrepreneurs.
Although technology is often seen as a male-dominated environment, this is luckily not necessarily the case here in South Africa. In particular, the blockchain space in the country has many strong and inspirational female leaders. Two female blockchain entrepreneurs that are set to help re-imagine, design and build the future we need are Pretty Kubyane and Nerushka Bowan.
Pretty Kubyane is set to disrupt the hair supply chain industry, not only in South Africa, but in the rest of Africa too. Her experience in the consulting world led her to co-found Coronet Blockchain with her husband in 2018. Coronet Blockchain is a supply chain management solution built on blockchain technology. The company’s aim is to create end-to-end supply chain transparency with ethical human hair products, vetted hair suppliers, sustainable salon businesses, verifiable and certified stylists skills and peace of mind for consumers. In Africa, hair is big business – in fact, it is currently a ZAR 100 billion per annum sector. SANBA is excited to support this uniquely African application of blockchain – built in Africa, by Africa, for Africa.
Nerushka Bowan has set her sights on the intersection of emerging technologies and the law. The traditional model of a law firm is in a state of disruption and the future law firm will be driven by leaders who understand technology, efficiency and innovation. Nerushka founded the LLIT Institute (Law. Innovation. Technology. Tomorrow.) in 2018 as a way to leverage her passion for spreading knowledge about the law, innovation, technology and the future. The Institute aims to be a catalyst for change in the legal industry both locally and globally. The world needs to ask the difficult legal and ethical questions brought about by emerging technologies, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and robotics – Nerushka is well positioned to help answer some of these questions. SANBA is happy to support her on this critical journey.
SANBA Official Launch
The South African National Blockchain Alliance (SANBA) will be officially launched on 3 April 2020, by the DG of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), Dr P Mjwara. The DSI will be supporting the SANBA ecosystem in terms of it’s national mandate as follows:
- By seed funding SANBA, it will act as a catalyst for blockchain research, development and innovation. This will support it’s role of strengthening partnerships between business, government, academia and civil society, by creating an enabling environment for science, technology and innovation.
- As a gateway to government, it aims to raise the profile of science, technology and innovation into cross-cutting government planning at the highest levels.
- As an investor in research, development and innovation opportunities, it will support blockchain solutions that have the potential for social benefit and fundamental economic transformation.