FORBES AFRICA is on the hunt for Africans under the age of 30, who are building brands, creating jobs and transforming the continent, to join our Under 30 community for 2020.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



JOHANNESBURG, 07 January 2020: Attention entrepreneurs,
creatives, sport stars and technology geeks — the 2020 FORBES AFRICA Under 30
nominations are now officially open. 



The
FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 list is the most-anticipated list of game-changers on
the continent and this year, we are on the hunt for 30 of Africa’s brightest
achievers under the age of 30 spanning these categories: Business, Technology,
Creatives and Sport.



Each
year, FORBES AFRICA looks for resilient self-starters, innovators,
entrepreneurs and disruptors who have the acumen to stay the course in their
chosen field, come what may.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="685" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Under-30-online-2020-1024x685.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42458" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Under-30-online-2020-1024x685.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Under-30-online-2020-300x201.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Under-30-online-2020-600x401.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Under-30-online-2020-768x514.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Under-30-online-2020-1536x1027.jpg 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Under-30-online-2020.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



Past honorees include Sho Madjozi, Bruce Diale, Karabo Poppy, Kwesta, Nomzamo Mbatha, Burna Boy, Nthabiseng Mosia, Busi Mkhumbuzi Pooe, Henrich Akomolafe, Davido, Yemi Alade, Vere Shaba, Nasty C and WizKid.



What’s different this year is that we have whittled down the list to just 30 finalists, making the competition stiff and the vetting process even more rigorous.&nbsp;



Says
FORBES AFRICA’s Managing Editor, Renuka Methil: “The start of a new decade
means the unraveling of fresh talent on the African continent. I can’t wait to
see the potential billionaires who will land up on our desks. Our coveted sixth
annual Under 30 list will herald some of the decade’s biggest names in business
and life.” 



If you think you have what it takes to be on this year’s list or know an entrepreneur, creative, technology entrepreneur or sports star under 30 with a proven track-record on the continent – introduce them to FORBES AFRICA by applying or submitting your nomination.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="724" height="1024" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/poster-1-724x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-42456" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/poster-1-724x1024.jpg 724w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/poster-1-300x424.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/poster-1-600x849.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/poster-1-212x300.jpg 212w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/poster-1-768x1087.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/poster-1-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/poster-1.jpg 1357w" sizes="(max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px" /></figure>



NOMINATIONS AND APPLICATIONS CRITERIA:



Business
and Technology categories



<ol><li>Must be an
 entrepreneur/founder aged 29 or younger on 31 March 2020</li><li>Should have a legitimate
 REGISTERED business on the continent</li><li>Business/businesses
 should be two years or older</li><li>Nominees must have risked
 own money and have a social impact</li><li>Must be profit generating</li><li>Must employ people in
 Africa</li><li>All applications must be
 in English</li><li>Should be available and
 prepared to participate in the Under 30 Meet-Up</li></ol>



Sports
category



<ol><li>Must be a sports person
 aged 29 or younger on 31 March 2020</li><li>Must be representing an
 African team</li><li>Should have a proven
 track record of no less than two years</li><li>Should be making
 significant earnings</li><li>Should have some
 endorsement deals</li><li>Entrepreneurship and
 social impact is a plus</li><li>All applications must be
 in English</li><li>Should be available and
 prepared to participate in the Under 30 Meet-Up</li></ol>



Creatives
category



<ol><li>Must be a creative aged 29
 or younger on 31 March 2020</li><li>Must be from or based in
 Africa</li><li>Should be making significant
 earnings</li><li>Should have a proven
 creative record of no less than two years</li><li>Must have social
 influence</li><li>Entrepreneurship and
 social impact is a plus</li><li>All applications must be
 in English</li><li>Should be available and
 prepared to participate in the Under 30 Meet-Up</li></ol>



Your
entry should include:



<ul><li>Country</li><li>Full Names</li><li>Company name/Team you are
 applying with</li><li>A short motivation on why
 you should be on the list</li><li>A short profile on self
 and company</li><li>Links to published
 material / news clippings about nominee </li><li>All social media handles</li><li>Contact information</li><li>High-res images of
 yourself</li></ul>



Applications and nominations must be sent via email to FORBES AFRICA journalist and curator of the list, Karen Mwendera, on <a href="mailto:Karen.Mwendera@abn360.com">Karen.Mwendera@abn360.com</a> 



Nominations
close on 3 February 2020.

poster 2-2

Nominations Open for FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 class of 2020

Under 30 alumni, born on the same day and with similar stories of entrepreneurship, are collaborating to disrupt industries and shape the future of Africa.

The road to entrepreneurship is cold, lonely and riddled with potholes. It helps if you are walking it with someone else.
Millennials Siya Beyile and Thato Kgatlhanye are doing just that.
Together, they are redefining business and shaping the future
of Africa.
“Entrepreneurs always talk about collaborations but we don’t do it enough. We want to resource Africa’s future. Resources go beyond natural resources, which is where the world has been focused. Our ideas, our people and the way we do things has value, so we must take advantage of it,” says Kgatlhanye.
Beyile and Kgatlhanye have big dreams, but a year ago, they were strangers, treading a path of hardship and pain.
At just 25 years old, Beyile has a resume most would envy.
In 2013, he founded The Threaded Man, a fashion blog for men, inspired by his mother, who often called him “umfana othungiweyo”, the ‘threaded man’ in isiXhosa.
He worked with major brands such as Adidas, Stuttafords, American Swiss, TITAN watches, H&amp;M, SAB, Hugo Boss and Pandora. He styled stars like Nomuzi Mabena, MsCosmo, Khuli Chana, AKA, DA LES, Amanda Black and Somizi Mhlongo.
At the age of 22, he was appointed Fashion Director of the South African Music Awards and MTV Africa Music Awards, he was named one of the seven leading voices of African men’s fashion by GQ and he graced the cover of GQ Style.
Beyile was adored by many, but beneath the stylish exterior was a story that was less flattering.
A slew of bad business decisions saw him lose money and his credibility, and the setbacks almost cost him his life.
“I had to shut the business down because of depression. I tried to commit suicide many times. I had made a lot of money but I had not touched it. It had gone to pay loans and also buy my company back. I never got to enjoy it. I shut down,” he says.
It took a toll on his confidence. He tonsured his head and spent six months in a rehabilitation facility, where he worked on rebuilding himself.
“I lost a lot of public value. People started unfollowing me [on social media] and just didn’t like me. People in the industry that I respected even turned on me. I would go to places and people would whisper around me and look at me with shame. It was embarrassing. I would go home and cry.”
He closed his business and moved back home to Cape Town to rethink and rejuvenate.
With a new attitude towards life, he relocated yet again to Johannesburg to start over. In February, he connected with Kgatlhanye, a FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 alumni and award-winning entrepreneur.
“When we met, we realized we had the same vision of disrupting. She was tired of being known as a bag entrepreneur and wanted to make sustainable luxury and wanted to get into fashion and I wanted my fashion to be sustainable and wanted to run a factory but didn’t know how. She had the experience of running a factory and I knew all things fashion,” says Beyile.
<div id="attachment_37746" style="width: 693px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37746" class="wp-image-37746 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-683x1024.jpg" alt="" width="683" height="1024" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712.jpg 1366w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" />Thato Kgatlhanye and Siya Beyile. Photo by Motlabana Monnakgotla.</div>
<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2016/02/01/ceo-rethaka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: CEO, Rethaka</a>
Kgatlhanye is the founder of Rethaka Group, which started in textile manufacturing and waste management. She became known for collecting and recycling plastic waste into solar-powered school bags for poor children.
“We started like that so we could get an understanding of the nuts and bolts of manufacturing. Most of the time we don’t own the value chain of products. Take clothes, for example, people just go somewhere to buy things but don’t know the suppliers of zips and buttons and you end up cutting into your margins by virtue of not understanding the value chain. So we collaborated to form a new company, where we bring in the ability to build and make things in a sustainable way and then sell them on our platforms,” says Kgatlhanye.
Beyile and Kgatlhanye founded 712 Group, which now houses both their brands. The company is named after their birthday; they were both born on December 7.
“We are building a global powerhouse with African brands. Those brands will be spread across technology, manufacturing, fashion and sustainability. Africa right now has become a focal point but a lot of the brands we consume on a daily basis are not African. We have a lot of talented people in these spaces but we don’t see them opening stores around the world and disrupting. We feel like our market has been hijacked. There is no corporate structure that supports our brands,” says Beyile.
The pair agree there is more power in collaborating than working in silos.
“Working together helps. We know our strengths and weaknesses. For example, I know that I can’t be CEO. In the last five years, I have been in business, I have learned I am not capable because there are certain things I don’t think about. However, I have also learned I am a visionary.  I am good at coming up with concepts and connecting people but I am not good at implementing. However, Thato is good at taking the idea and having it live in the world, which is a nice balance,” says Beyile.
Kgatlhanye concurs: “There were a lot of loopholes in our individual businesses that we were struggling with. It would have taken us longer to try togrow our businesses individually than it will take us now as a combined unit. I was a master in something he needed and he was a master in something I needed.”
Beyile says they have both learned not to rush, but rather to build a solid foundation, generate cash reserves and work on growth.
<blockquote>“A lot of businesses led by young people will ‘grow’ but when you look at their growth metrics, staff turnover and profitability, those things are not solid,” says Kgatlhanye.</blockquote>
Beyile agrees.
“The biggest lesson from my journey is that business is not a friendly sport. If you have ambitions to be a billionaire and to be on the cover of FORBES AFRICA magazine, to get there, you will suffer.”
Given the current market, Beyile says their business structure is different.
“When I look at media companies, their staff turnover is low. This is because young people are frustrated. They don’t want a nine-to-five. They want to build their own businesses and have their own lives. We can’t expect to hire young people full-time and expect them to be happy and to work for us for 20 years… Young people need to be put in positions of empowerment, so we work with freelancers and businesses owned by young people on a project-by-project basis.”
They say the additional benefit of collaborating is it helps them save money on office space, speeds up project turnaround times, ensures quality work and gives them faster and more effective growth and team results.
It is true: teamwork makes the dream work. The future is bright for these young entrepreneurs born on the same day in the same year and with the same vision for Africa.

Thato-n-Siya-733

Two’s Company; 30 Under 30 Alumni Collaborate

The 2018 FORBES AFRICA Under 30 is our authentic and most definitive list of Africa’s most promising young change-makers. This year is our fourth edition of the list and for the first time, inspired by the growing number of young men and women entrepreneurs, we have expanded it to bring you 30 game-changers, all under the age of 30, in each the three sectors – business, technology and creative. The 90 in total are challenging conventions and rewriting the rules for the next generation of entrepreneurs, creatives and tech gurus.
We put in months of rigorous research, sifting through over 600 nominations, vetting them for weeks, verifying and investigating them. We favored entrepreneurs with fresh ideas and took into account their business size, revenue, location, potential, struggles, social impact and resilience. A panel of judges then debated the final 90. You may not know many of their names now and they may not be richest people in Africa, but they could be the billionaires of tomorrow gracing our future covers. This compilation is exciting, inspiring and offers a sneak peek into Africa’s future. Meet the class of 2018. The list is in no particular order.
<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/30-under-30/2018/06/04/under-30-business/">Under 30 Business</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/30-under-30/2018/06/04/under-30-technology/">Under 3o Technology</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/30-under-30/2018/06/04/under-30-creatives/">Under 30 Creatives</a></li>
</ol>

Tag: Under 30

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Nominations Open for FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 class of 2020

Two’s Company; 30 Under 30 Alumni Collaborate

Under 30 2018

Under 30 Business