SU LaunchPod

Stellenbosch University (SU) LaunchLab, in partnership with Stellenbosch Network and supported by Stellenbosch Municipality, brings you the fourth episode of LaunchPod for 2026. Hosted by Brandon Paschal, Head of the SU LaunchLab and Deputy Director: Spin-out Companies and Funds at SU, this episode features Tom Murray and Kyle Klopper, founders of Biotrac Systems. They share their journey of building Biotrac Systems and how they are rethinking microbial monitoring through smarter, real-time approaches—putting actionable information into people’s hands when they need it most. Tune in to hear about the problem they are tackling, the thinking behind their technology, and their journey as founders building an innovative solution from Stellenbosch.

Can a conversation with ChatGPT become the starting point for a startup? In this episode of LaunchPod, Tumelo Mokoena, founder of SafeGuard Technologies (Pty) Ltd, shares how an idea inspired by a YouTube video and the realities of rising crime in Stellenbosch evolved into a venture developing drone-enabled security solutions. Join us as we discuss entrepreneurship, innovation, and the journey from curiosity to building a business with real-world impact. 🎙️ This LaunchPod episode is powered by SU LaunchLab, in partnership with Stellenbosch Network, and supported by Stellenbosch Municipality.

Hosted by Brandon Paschal, Head of the SU LaunchLab and Deputy Director of Spin-outs and Funds at Stellenbosch University, the episode is hosted with Alexandra Lutz, Founder of Milani Education, where she opens up about her realisation that chasing scale was not the answer, instead, she needed to zoom in and create tangible, in-person impact for a smaller number of students. Milani Education partners with organisations that provide safe, facilitated learning spaces, ensuring that rather than chasing 10 000 users, it makes a deeply meaningful difference in the lives of the 1 600 learners already on its platform by knowing their names and their stories. The episode is hosted by Stellenbosch University (SU) LaunchLab in partnership with Stellenbosch Network and supported by Stellenbosch Municipality.

In this episode of the LaunchPod, Brandon Paschal sits down with Amohetsoe Shale, founder of NAVU Mobility. Amo takes us on a fascinating journey from identifying the profound gap in accessible prosthetics to building a low-cost, high-performance prosthetic knee that restores mobility and dignity to amputees across Africa. We unpack what truly affordable medtech looks like, why mobility should never be a privilege, and how NAVU uses smart engineering, local manufacturing, and user-centred design to create a prosthetic knee that is ten times cheaper than imported alternatives without compromising on functionality, safety, or a natural gait. Amo also shares her unconventional path from mechanical engineering and operations to founding the venture along with the origins of NAVU and the challenges of scaling affordable prosthetics across markets where public healthcare is underfunded and private options are out of reach for most. A must-listen for anyone interested in medtech innovation, inclusive design, health equity, deep-tech entrepreneurship, or the future of accessible healthcare in Africa.

In this episode of the LaunchPod, Brandon Paschal sits down with Prof. Adriaan van Niekerk, founder and CEO of GeoSmart and one of South Africa’s pioneers in geospatial science. Adriaan takes us on a fascinating journey from early Geographic Information System (GIS) research at Stellenbosch University to building nationally significant datasets that help predict real-world risks like flooding. We unpack what geospatial data really is, why understanding where things happen matters just as much as what happens, and how GeoSmart uses terrain, climate, and historical data to model flood risk, inform insurance pricing, guide land-use decisions, and ultimately help save lives. Adriaan also shares his unconventional path which took him from art and computer science to academia and entrepreneurship - along with the origins of GeoSmart, the creation of South Africa’s digital elevation model (SUDEM), and the challenges of scaling geospatial products across Africa where data availability is uneven. A must-listen for anyone interested in climate risk, data-driven decision-making, deep tech spinouts, or the intersection of academia and entrepreneurship.