Origin Stories
Eight African founders tell the untold human stories behind their companies in an evening of short talks and networking in Cape Town.
African Origin StoriesEight African founders. Seven minutes each. The real story behind the company. One night in Cape Town. Eight handpicked founders take the stage in District Six and tell the story the pitch deck leaves out. Why this person. Why this problem. What they gave up. What broke. What they did next. Think 'TED talk for African entrepreneur meets PechaKucha'. Expect humour, emotion and a room full of people who want them to win.
What this is notThis is not a pitch event. Nobody is selling anything. No investor has to decide anything on the night. Some of last year's audience came expecting a pitch night. You get the human story behind the company and an evening of networking and good conversation with other curious and supportive Humans. What happened last timeIn November 2025 we sold 318 tickets and filled the theatre.
Nine founders from Cape Town, Johannesburg and Zimbabwe spoke about health tech, local language AI, salt farming, fintech and community development. Several had never been on a stage before. People cried. Strangers were still talking long after the lights came up. "One of the most special, real formats I've seen come alive in a long time." Marcus Zandhuis, founder, CapeTownMagazine.com "Super inspiring and exciting evening. An event so needed!"
Taryn "I found the stories very inspirational. A Great evening." Ian "A heartwarming experience listening to the stories of people who refused to give up and followed their dreams through hardships to success. Anyone who has an entrepreneurial spirit and needs encouragement needs to hear these stories." Anon "Well planned. Professional. Appreciate that they stick to time. MC was gracious and warm. Speakers were inspirational."
Anon Choose your seat Every seat is allocated, and you pick your own when you book. The Star Theatre seats 320 across three levels. Ground floor · R300. Rows A to L. Closest to the stage and level with the speakers. Wheelchair seating in row H.Level 1 · R250. Full central view over the room. Level 2 · R200. Full central view, further back. Side balcony · R150. Single seats on the sides of Levels 1 and 2. You'll hear every word and see most of the stage.
If you're coming as a group, book in one transaction so you sit in the same row. The interval is half the reason to come. Why Origin Stories? Early one Friday morning I was walking down Lion's Head with an African founder. On the way down it hit me that there was nowhere for more people to hear his inspiring stories, and nowhere for them to reach and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. African founders are raised humbly not to talk about themselves.
In Africa, failure carries a silent scar that is celebrated publicly in other markets. The usual investor 'pitch' format leaves no time to tell the real story about the people behind the companies. This origin story of the entrepreneur is the most powerful story that needs to be told so ecosystems can support their growth, buy from them, work for and…
