Innovus will again be the official home for Stellenbosch University LaunchLab, when it becomes a division of Innovus, with Brandon Paschal as the new Deputy Director to lead this entrepreneurial incubation hub from 1 July 2023 onwards.
Paschal will take over from Joshua Romisher, who joined the LaunchLab in 2020 as chief executive officer. With his new venture, Romisher will continue building on the success of SU LaunchLab's climate-focused investment and business-building platform, ClimateLab (www.launchlab.africa/climate-lab ).
"Helping to build SU LaunchLab has been an incredible experience. Working with many startups every year, inspiring annual attendees at our events, and achieving profitability were all major milestones for the organisation. SU LaunchLab moves from strength to strength within SU and under Innovus. We're excited and committed to its continued growth in the future," said Romisher
Paschal is no newcomer to the LaunchLab. He was instrumental in forming the SU LaunchLab from 2015 to 2021. He led the incubation programmes, overseeing the incubation of more than twenty companies, refining SU's incubation processes, engaging with investors, running innovation programmes for corporates, and keeping a bunch of high-demand startups happy. He also led the efforts in building the programmes and activities that saw SU LaunchLab receive global recognition from UBI Global as Africa's leading university incubator.
Paschal returned to the Innovus team in May after two years of consulting in the research spinout company space. Most recently, he has worked with various agricultural industry bodies and high-tech ventures to develop ecosystems for growth, product strategies, and fundraising.
"Moving the LaunchLab back to Innovus will align and integrate our Innovus technology transfer and incubation teams seamlessly, providing a much more streamlined process and better service for researchers and entrepreneurs from invention disclosure to incubation. It is also far more cost-effective than running the LaunchLab as a separate company," says Anita Nel, Chief Director Innovation and Commercialisation at SU's Innovus division.
Prof Stan du Plessis, SU's Chief Operating Officer, says integrating the LaunchLab back into Innovus demonstrates the University's commitment and investment in supporting our campus-based entrepreneurs and the broader business community. "It confirms Stellenbosch University as the benchmark for entrepreneurial universities on the African continent and a global leader in this field."
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Petro Mostert
petromostert@sun.ac.za
M 0823346193
