Our Team
The Minds Behind The Mission.
Executive Board
Pieter de Villiers.
Chairman.
Pieter De Villiers is a South African-born entrepreneur, technology visionary, and the Co-Founder and CEO of Clickatell. In 2013, Pieter launched the SiMODiSA initiative, focused on accelerating high-growth startup success and creating a more supportive environment for South African entrepreneurs.
He is the Founder and Chairman of SiMODiSA, an industry-led public-benefit organisation dedicated to strengthening South Africa’s high-growth startup ecosystem, supporting technology entrepreneurship, and helping bridge the country’s digital skills gap. With a strong background in technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, Pieter continues to champion initiatives that connect the private sector, government and entrepreneurs to create a stronger and more globally competitive South African high-growth startup ecosystem.
Executive Board
Matsi Modise.
Vice Chairperson.
Matsi is also the Africa Lead for the World Climate Foundation, where she works to advance Africa’s role in climate innovation, sustainable development and climate investment. A strong advocate for climate tech and green and blue entrepreneurship, she focuses on connecting African entrepreneurs and businesses to capital, markets and opportunities that can accelerate sustainable growth
Executive Board
Keet van Zyl.
Treasurer.
Keet van Zyl is a Venture Catalyst with extensive experience in high-growth investing. He co-founded Knife Capital, a growth equity fund manager established to continue the active management of HBD’s South African investment portfolio and raise third-party capital for growth equity investments.
Keet has also co-founded several initiatives supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, including AngelHub, Grindstone Accelerator, and KNF Ventures. His work spans venture capital, entrepreneurship, business growth and the development of South Africa’s high-growth startup ecosystem.
Executive Board
Aalia Manie.
Chairperson of the SA Startup Act Movement.
Executive Board
Shelley Lotz.
Policy Specialist.
Shelley Lotz is a private equity and policy specialist with extensive experience across investment, financial services, regulation and the high-growth startup ecosystem. She is a Principal at Horizon Equity Partners and a Lead Policy Expert for the SA Startup Act Movement, leading work on IP, Exchange Control and CGT policy reform. Shelley previously held a senior regulatory role at SAVCA, engaging with key institutions including National Treasury, SARS and the South African Reserve Bank. She brings valuable expertise in capital markets, investment and policy advocacy, supporting efforts to create a more enabling environment for South African high-growth startups.
Board of Advisory Team
Alison Collier.
Managing Director, Endeavor South Africa.
Alison is the Managing Director of Endeavor South Africa, bringing close to 20 years of experience in strategy and business development across Africa, Europe and Asia.
She has first-hand experience establishing global offices for multinational companies, supporting South African high-growth startups to expand into international markets, and raising capital to finance growth. Her experience gives her a strong understanding of what it takes to help ambitious businesses scale and compete globally.
Board of Advisory Team
Anusha Naidu.
CEO, SAVCA.
She has led significant fundraising and M&A transactions and holds an Executive Leadership qualification from Oxford Saïd Business School. Anusha is also passionate about advancing women in finance and contributes as a guest lecturer at the University of Cape Town.
Board of Advisory Team
Jason Goldberg.
Co-founder, Edge Growth.
With a background in strategy consulting at Bain & Company, Jason brings deep expertise in entrepreneurship, investment, business growth and job creation, with a strong focus on helping African ventures reach their full potential.
Operations Team
Bongulwazi Kunene.
Community Manager.
Bongulwazi Kunene is the Community Manager at SiMODiSA, having grown from an intern into a full-time team member over the past two years. He brings valuable experience in project coordination, stakeholder engagement and community building, with a strong understanding of social media, content creation and audience engagement.
Bongulwazi is recognised for his strong project management and leadership skills, and plays an important role in building relationships and strengthening SiMODiSA’s high-growth startup ecosystem community.
Operations Team
Mandisa Bhengu.
Marketing Coordinator.
As Marketing Coordinator at SiMODiSA, Mandisa supports the Operations team through marketing, communications and stakeholder engagement. She is responsible for managing digital content, campaigns, newsletters and ecosystem communications, while supporting events, reporting and key organisational initiatives.
Passionate about entrepreneurship and South Africa’s high-growth startup ecosystem, she helps amplify SiMODiSA’s work and strengthen engagement with founders, partners and ecosystem stakeholders.