Three Stellenbosch University (SU) students have made it through the Western Cape regional round of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Entrepreneurship Intervarsity 2024 competition.

Robyn Truter, founder of Report Buddy; Alexandra Lutz, founder of the online learning platform Milani Education and Chiedza Vushe, founder of photography business FineApplePixels, are among the four Western Cape students who will join finalists from other universities around the country in Johannesburg in November when the category winners, national Studentpreneur of the Year and winning university will be announced.

SU hosted the EDHE Regional Round recently for the first time, with some of the Western Cape's brightest young minds from the University of Cape Town, the University of the Western Cape, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and SU demonstrating their potential to influence South Africa's economic growth.

Now in its sixth year, the competition is funded by the University Capacity Development Programme and is held in partnership with the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation and SAB Foundation. The regional event was made possible through funding provided from Prof Stan du Plessis, SU's Chief Operating Officer of Finance and Operations and Prof Sibusiso Moyo, SU's Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies.

Opening the regional event, Professor Eugene Cloete, Chief Executive Officer of Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC) and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor at SU, emphasised the critical role of entrepreneurship in addressing societal challenges. With youth unemployment climbing to a 46.5 percent in 2024, enabling entrepreneurship among students is no longer a nice-to-have, it is essential. 

Keynote speakers Dr Wessel Myburgh, co-founder of Urobo Biotech, a SU spinout and Noku Katom, a serial entrepreneur and mentor at SU LaunchLab, shared insights from their entrepreneurial journeys, offering practical advice and inspiration to participants.

Prof Deresh Ramjugernath, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Learning and Teaching, praised participants for taking the opportunity to develop an entrepreneurial mindset. “The journey as an entrepreneur is not an easy one. You need resilience and a belief in yourself. Don't give up if your first idea does not work, continually strive even if you fail."

He added that competitions such as the EDHE play a vital role in preparing graduates for life after university. “Universities are not only here to produce graduates who will get jobs. Universities must also provide graduates who can create jobs. This is what we need to grow the economy."

SU's student entrepreneurs have been working closely with the SU LaunchLab team since April this year to develop their businesses. They were enrolled in the ResNova programme, an intensive six-week training session detailing critical early-stage startup needs.

Truter, who started Report Buddy four years ago when she was in Grade 11, says that winning the regionals affirms her belief that her company “really does have great potential". Report Buddy was born when Truter's mother, a neuropsychologist, complained about how long it takes to draft a neuropsychological report – at least 20 hours. And much of this report-writing is repetitive. “When I heard this, my ears pricked up and I asked a few more questions." She applied her then-beginner knowledge of coding to find a solution and Report Buddy – a time-saving programme that takes in patients' test scores, does calculations and compiles a report – was conceptualised.

Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is:  “Don't think of starting a business as a “big thing" in which you need to know exactly what you're doing, something that necessarily needs capital investment, or just a way to make money. Starting a business is as simple as solving a problem."  Knowing that you started a business to solve a problem and not just make money will ensure you have the “grit" needed to weather the challenging times, she adds.

Lutz also started her online learning platform while still at school. In Grade 9 during the pandemic, she realised that while her school was able to seamlessly transition to online learning, there were many learners who did not have the same access to digital educational tools. A few years later, Milani Education is a free online learning platform that provides educational content from the current curriculum for learners in grades 8 to 12 across South Africa. “The exposure (from this competition) that we will gain as a non-profit could be a game changer. I hope that through EDHE and our pitch, we can attract the attention of potential funders and partners which will allow us to expand our reach and impact," she says. “Forming new collaborations and networking with other initiatives in the social impact category also opens up doors to work together in helping make a difference in young people's lives and work towards bridge the educational divide in South Africa."

Vushe, who started her student-run photography and content creation business FineApple Pixels, in 2022, agrees. “This business, to me, was never just about making a profit. It was about proving that ideas can come to life—the ability to create, to grow, to become something more." The company was developed because of Vushe's personal experience of being unable to find a suitable or affordable photographer for a special occasion. Now it offers flexible part-time opportunities for student photographers to grow their talents and earn income while doing what they love. “Our goal is to become one of the biggest freelance platforms for creative services."

The data engineering student explains that she wanted to merge her technical skills with her creative spirit. “When my sister gave me her camera, which she no longer needed, I was determined. I learned everything from scratch—using YouTube and online resources. I started with free shoots for my friends, my residence during first-year welcoming week, and faculty events."

She describes being a finalist in the EDHE competition as a “milestone" on her entrepreneurial journey. “It's an opportunity to grow, learn, and connect with like-minded individuals, while also showing other students that achieving their dreams is possible."

*About SU LaunchLab

Stellenbosch University (SU) LaunchLab is part of the Innovation and Commercialisation division, which also includes the technology transfer office of Innovus, SUNCOM, Short Courses and Trademarks, and the Stellenbosch Network.

SU LaunchLab was named Africa's #1 university incubator by UBI Global for 2017-2020. This shows that we have a reputation for providing support to entrepreneurs that results in commercial success for their businesses and economic success for our region.

To find out more about what SU LaunchLab does, visit LaunchLab.co.za

Western Cape Regional Winners

• Existing Business (Tech): Report Buddy by Robyn Truter, SU
• Existing Business (Social Impact): Milani Education by Alexandra Lutz, SU
• Existing Business (General): FineApplePixels by Chiedza Vushe, SU
• Research-Based Business:  Cartell by Jordan Smith, UCT

 Caption:

From left to right Chiedza Vushe (SU), Jordan Parker (UCT), Robyn Truter (SU), and Alexandra Lutz (SU).

Credit: Ignus Dreyer

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