Kato Mokabathebe, a creative entrepreneur building a one-stop digital agency in Botswana

January 15, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Kato Mokabathebe, founder and Creative Director, Colourbox Pty Ltd (Botswana)

Startup Story

In today’s highly competitive business world, it is essential to make your brand work for you in the digital marketplace. That’s where Kato Mokabathebe, founder and Creative Director at Colourbox Pty Ltd in Botswana, comes to the rescue. Her creative digital agency brands, digitizes, and markets corporate brands. She is an entrepreneur with a degree in Multimedia Design and a major in Media Innovation. She is passionate about business, creativity, and applying technology to connect people skills. The company started in 2018 and currently has three employees and one freelancer. When she is not at Colourbox, Kato enjoys doing voluntary community work, traveling, and spending time in nature because it fuels her creative spirit.

Lioness Launch / Organic Naturals Skincare in Botswana launches its new ‘one-stop’ toning serum for balanced skin tone

October 30, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

Organic Naturals Skincare, the Botswana-based business and brand founded by entrepreneur Didintle Leatile Moreki, is launching its new Niacinamide Brightening Botanical Serum in October 2022. The scientific potency of the Niacinamide Brightening Botanical Serum is proven to brighten and clear the skin by reducing hyperpigmentation; reduce fine lines by improving skin roughness, colour and elasticity by strengthening the skin barrier; reduce severe acne by fighting acne-causing bacteria and reducing sebum production; and hydrate the skin.

Lioness Launch / New motivational book launched in Botswana to inspire people in their daily lives

July 31, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

For those people who are looking for some daily motivation and inspiration in their lives, entrepreneur Gaolapelwe Badumedi Matsetse-Mpete, founder of Bonton Botswana (Pty) Ltd, is launching a new book which promises to deliver motivation a-plenty to readers. The book is titled, “In Her Own Voice”, and combines personal memoir with motivational quotes to live by each day.

Wada Kealotswe, an eco-friendly pencil manufacturer from Botswana creating jobs and positively impacting the planet

July 3, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Wada Kealotswe, founder & director Aiko Creations t/a Eco Zera (Botswana)

Startup Story

Wada Kealotswe is the founder and director of Aiko Creations t/a Eco Zera in Botswana, a company that manufactures eco graphite and colour pencils. The business has been running for 2 years and today has 3 permanent employees and 15 part time employees, mostly youth who have never worked before. Wada is a Development Economist from Botswana with over 10 years’ experience doing developmental work, and a graduate from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. The company was a 2021 runner-up for the Catalyst SEED award in the Waste Management category, and its stories have been featured on global platforms like Forbes and Xinhua.

Bonolo Simon and Kefilwe Matake, two entrepreneurs building a natural haircare brand in Botswana

December 12, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Bonolo Simon & Kefilwe Matake, founders, Fro’Niques (Botswana)

Startup Story

Natural haIr and beauty products are increasingly in demand, and in Botswana, entrepreneurs Bonolo Simon and Kefilwe Matake, founders of Fro’Niques, are building a natural haircare business to meet customer needs. The brand specializes in formulating homemade natural hair products for discerning customers who want to know they are using organic and plant-based ingredients.

Lioness Launch / Botswana’s agri-processing brand, Lemon & Vinegar, launches its new chutney product

December 5, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

Lemon & Vinegar Pty Ltd, founded by entrepreneur Thato Angelina Gabaitse, is an agricultural production and processing company launched in 2014, in Botswana. The business has built a reputation for generating value by leveraging the creativity of partnering with local suppliers in its processes. The company produces a variety of products including beef biltong, fruit jam, and conveniently dried and packaged trail mix snacks. The latest product to be launched is a new Green Tomato Chutney - a must have for the fine dining experience and a great addition for the cheese board!

Lioness Launch / Addisson & Western (Pty) Ltd in Botswana launches new KYC (Know Your Customer) web and mobile app solution

August 29, 2021 Melanie Hawken

One Oreeng, founder, Addison & Western (Botswana)

Lioness Launch

In Botswana, Addison & Western (Pty) Ltd, founded by One Oreeng, is a company known for providing marketing and project management services to its clients, It’s sister company, Certus, which provides technology-driven service as a software solution to ease the traditional KYC onboarding process, is now offering a KYC (Know Your Customer) solution that digitizes the AML compliance process. Certus is 100% citizen owned and woman led.

Vantage Properties in Botswana launches platform to give users tool to value their properties

August 22, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Sethebe Manake, founder, Vantage Properties (Botswana)

Lioness Launch

Vantage Properties is a Botswana-based PropTech startup founded by Sethebe Manake, and focused on real estate data analytics and automated property valuations. The company simplifies access to real estate expertise and information to drive informed decision making. Through its online platform, it gives the ordinary person power to extract value from their property assets. Vantage has developed the platform gosmartvalue.com that is set to change the real estate landscape forever by giving users the choice to automatically value their property or instruct a qualified and registered valuer to carry out a detailed valuation. Over and above valuations, gosmartvalue.com provides various market research reports covering various locations around the country that help guide real estate decision-making.

Tshegofatso Moatswi, an entrepreneur creating smart digital workplace solutions in Botswana

July 10, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Tshegofatso Moatswi, founder and Chief Executive Director, The Wire Media Agency (Botswana)

Startup Story

Tshegofatso Moatswi is the founder and Chief Executive Director of The Wire Media Agency, which is an Information and Technology Company in Botswana that offers workplace solutions. The Wire Media Agency was incorporated in 2013 and initially wanted to go the media route, hence the name, but as time went on moved towards the Information and Technology sector to offer disruptive and transformational technologies. The Wire Media Agency is a female and youth owned company in a male dominant industry and has 7 employees.

Mavis Nduchwa, a Botswana honey aggregator transforming communities

April 18, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Mavis Nduchwa, Founder and CEO, Kalahari Honey (Botswana)

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Kalahari Honey, changing the world sustainably, one bee at a time

Mavis Nduchwa is the Founder and CEO of Kalahari Honey, a honey aggregator from Botswana whose mission is to build sustainable communities using bees. Founded in 2015 the company uses beekeeping as a tool to mitigate human and wildlife conflict by training and supplying rural farmers with beehives. Kalahari Honey creates jobs for more than 500 families and counting. Mavis is a former BBC Food Chain 2019 Judge, UN SDG We Empower Awardee 2020, and a 2020 African Business Hero.

Michelle Adelman, a sustainable technology-led agriculture and food security champion

February 28, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Accite Holdings, delivering environmentally and socially responsible food security models to Africa

Accite Holdings LLC is a boutique business development and mission-driven investment firm focused on technology-led agriculture and food security projects in growth markets, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. Accite’s investment philosophy brings together proven technologies with a world-class team and localized business models to create pioneering businesses. For the past nine years, Accite has focused on developing socially responsible agriculture and food businesses including fresh produce and plant-based protein. Accite has operations in Botswana, South Africa, Mauritius and Kenya and continuing to grow into east and west Africa. By deploying technology and products that protect the environment and building businesses with local youth leaders at the forefront, Accite’s approach is anchored to 11 of the 17 Millennium Sustainable Development Goals.

Didintle Leatile Moreki, an organic skincare manufacturer celebrating nature’s ingredients in Botswana

February 21, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Organic Natural Skincare-Collage.png — Didintle Leatile Moreki, founder of Organic Natural Skincare (Botswana)

Startup Story

Many people battle acne in their youth and throughout their lives and it can be challenging to find a solution that is both effective and natural. This was a challenge that entrepreneur Didintle Leatile Moreki, founder of Organic Natural Skincare in Botswana, successfully took up in starting her business.

Chipo Aaron, an entrepreneur in Botswana building a cosmetic manufacturing brand and spa

February 13, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Chipo Aaron, founder of Cutikles (Botswana)

Startup Story

Frustrated by the uninspiring, chemical-intensive, highly synthetic formulas which have pervaded the skincare market for too long, entrepreneur Chipo Aaron, founder of Cutikles, decided to do something to change the situation. Today, her cosmetic manufacturing brand is creating high quality spa products that harness the healing power of Africa’s indigenous oils.

Lioness Launch / Botswana’s Naga Earth launches a new service importing fine quality natural cosmetics ingredients for local manufacturing

February 6, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Mishingo Aaron, founder of Naga Earth (Botswana)

Lioness Launch

The luxury handcrafted African luxury bodycare brand from Botswana, Naga Earth, founded by entrepreneur Mishingo Aaron, is on a mission to show the Africa it knows, by celebrating the continent’s rich diversity in natural resources through skin care. The company is launching a new service with the department name, NAGA NATURALS, which will see it importing fine quality natural cosmetics ingredients that can be used in the manufacturing of cosmetic products.

Infinite Foods wins Best Plant-Based Business at the World Plant-Based Food Awards

October 17, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Award Winner

Infinite Foods, Africa’s premier go-to-market platform for leading plant-based food brands, cofounded by entrepreneur Michelle Adelman, was awarded the “Best Plant-Based Business” Award at the FoodBev Media World Plant-Based Awards in association with Plant Based World on 2 October 2020. This award comes on the eve of Infinite Foods’ second anniversary and continued growth with several new international and local brands joining the portfolio. As the only African business to be included in the awards, this is an incredible recognition of the growth of the plant-based industry on the continent.

Meet Botswana's exciting women entrepreneur brand builders

September 20, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Spotlight / Botswana

When people think about Botswana and business, what might immediately come to mind is travel and tourism, diamonds, and agriculture, to name but a few. But there are many exciting businesses and brands being built in the country by women entrepreneurs who have other products and services to offer to both local and global consumers. These include fashion designers and textile manufacturers, legal and business services companies, aviation businesses, food processing companies, floral designers, beauty and wellness product manufacturing businesses, and so much more. Not only are they business success stories in their own right, but they are also inspiring a new generation of young women entrepreneurs who want to follow in their footsteps.

Nametso Matlhaga, a jewellery manufacturer in Botswana creating precious memories for clients

July 10, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Nametso Matlhaga, founder of Matthan Jewellery Collection (Botswana)

Startup Story

Those special occasions in life deserve a beautiful, custom made piece of jewellery, and in Botswana, entrepreneur Nametso Matlhaga, founder of Matthan Jewellery Collection, is making memories come true. Her team of craftsmen transform every client’s personal design ideas into bespoke and highly individual pieces of jewellery, making every piece memorable.

Cindy Matlapeng, an entrepreneur in Botswana making cleaning a breeze for her customers

February 21, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Cindy Matlapeng, founder of The Office Team Cleaning and Support Services (Botswana)

Startup Story

Anyone running a successful business or large home knows that keeping things clean and tidy is a must, but professional help is needed to achieve this state of domestic or corporate bliss. In Botswana, help is at hand from entrepreneur Cindy Matlapeng, founder of The Office Team Cleaning and Support Services, a business that makes light work of cleaning.

Theo Khumo, a creative entrepreneur creating opportunities for Botswana’s talented seamstresses

January 30, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Theo Khumo, founder of African Wax Prints BW, (Botswana)

Startup Story

In Botswana, there is a tradition of highly creative women turning their sewing skills into beautiful products, but getting steady business for those skills can be a challenge. For entrepreneur Theo Khumo, founder of African Wax Prints BW, this market access gap was one to be filled, and today her business employs talented local seamstresses who are creating beautiful and unique items of clothing for customers around the world.

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