Launchlab

02/09/2026

Cape HealthTech Connect 2026

Great health innovations need more than great ideas. They need entrepreneurs, researchers, industry, investors and the right connections to move them forward.

Cape HealthTech Connect is bringing that ecosystem together — and SU Launchlab is excited to be part of it!

Whether you’re building a HealthTech solution, exploring an idea or looking for the people who can help take innovation further, come join the conversation.

👉 Find out more and register: https://www.radi.co.za/events/cape-healthtech-connect-2026-c79ebec3

Stellenbosch Network | Innovus Technology Transfer

02/09/2026

🎙️ A new episode of LaunchPod is out!

Meet Tom Murray and Kyle Klopper, founders of Biotrac Systems, who are rethinking microbial monitoring through smarter, real-time approaches.

In conversation with host Brandon Paschal, they unpack the problem they are tackling, the thinking behind their technology and what their journey has been like building Biotrac Systems from Stellenbosch.

The episode is brought to you by SU LaunchLab, in partnership with Stellenbosch Network and supported by Stellenbosch Municipality.

🎧 Episode 12 is now available on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts.
- Spotify and Apple Podcasts: https://jmenon.podbean.com/
- YouTube: https://youtu.be/uo7sG0CVPpg

27/08/2026

Applications are now open for the 9-week GreenTech Countdown Programme, presented by SU LaunchLab in collaboration with the Western Cape Department of Economic Development & Tourism.

The programme will help participants validate their offering, better understand customer needs and build a stronger plan for taking their technology to market.

You’ll receive practical tools, weekly interactive sessions and dedicated one-on-one mentor support, with the programme culminating in a Demo Day where participants pitch to investors, entrepreneurs and mentors.

Starts: 15 September 2026
Applications close: 10 September 2026
Only 8 spots available!

Apply NOW: https://airtable.com/appXEB66YDqPk37pN/shrctFyLx6kt8rvlS

21/08/2026

💧 Imagine knowing what’s happening in your water when you need the information — rather than weeks later.

🎙️ Coming next week on SU LaunchLab’s LaunchPod, we meet BioTrac and discover how the team is rethinking microbial monitoring across water systems, agriculture and beyond.
But the conversation doesn’t stop there.

We also explore the potential of decentralised wastewater solutions and what they could mean for places where conventional infrastructure isn’t always practical or accessible.

How can smarter monitoring help us make faster, better-informed decisions? And could decentralised systems change the way we think about wastewater altogether?

🎧 Find out when the full episode drops Monday!

Hosted by SU LaunchLab, in partnership with Stellenbosch Network, and supported by Stellenbosch Municipality.

21/08/2026

Cape HealthTech Connect is BACK!

After an incredible first event in 2025, we’re doing it all again in 2026!

On 17 September, Stellenbosch Network in partnership with Launchlab, Innovus Technology Transfer, SWEAT Africa and CERI are bringing the Cape’s HealthTech ecosystem together at BMRI, Tygerberg for a day of ideas, connections, collaboration and opportunity.

If you’re passionate about advancing healthcare innovation, this is where you want to be.

Last year was just the beginning. Now, let’s keep the momentum going.

🎟️ Tickets are LIVE — secure your spot!
https://www.radi.co.za/events/cape-healthtech-connect-2026-c79ebec3

07/08/2026

⚽ Looking for a different way to grow your network?

Join SWEAT Africa Connect: Football Challenge, where founders, investors, researchers, students, and innovators come together for an afternoon of football, networking, and a braai.

Bring a team of six or join one on the day.
Winning team receives R2 000 cash.

🎟️ Tickets are R60 and include a boerewors roll:
https://www.quicket.co.za/events/389361-sweat-africa-connect-football-edition/ #/

Once you've bought your ticket, email Graeme Dor at [email protected] to confirm your team's participation.

Find out more:
https://sweat.africa/sweat-africa-connect-football-edition/
Come for the football. Stay for the conversations.

03/08/2026

SU LaunchLab is proud to partner with Stellenbosch Network for this inspiring Women in Business Breakfast with Minki van der Westhuizen.
Join us for a morning of valuable conversations, meaningful connections, and entrepreneurial inspiration.

A Founder's Journey with Minki van der Westhuizen 🌿

Success doesn't happen overnight—and no one knows that better than Minki van der Westhuizen.

Join Stellenbosch Network and SU Launchlab for an inspiring Women in Business Breakfast as Minki shares the honest story behind building the MINKI jewellery brand, from the decision to start to the challenges and lessons that shaped her entrepreneurial journey.

📍 Botanical Café, Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden
📅 Wednesday, 12 August 2026
⏰ Arrival: 09:00 | Event: 09:30–11:30
🎟️ R250 (includes a light breakfast, coffee/tea and juice)
Register now: https://ticketbee.co.za/events/213664743443931136

✨ Only 50 seats are available.

We look forward to seeing you there!

31/07/2026

📢 New LaunchPod episode!

What if a conversation with ChatGPT could become the starting point for your next startup?

Hear how Tumelo Mokoena, founder of SafeGuard Technologies (Pty) Ltd, transformed an idea inspired by a YouTube video into a business developing drone-enabled security solutions to address real-world challenges.

🎧 Watch or listen now on:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gPW3dbfQnUWJfPCH23b3f
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/su-launchpod/id1814844521

27/07/2026

🚀 AGOF NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN: First-Year Fellowship Opportunity for 2027!

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur with a vision to make a real impact? 💡🌐

The Allan Gray Orbis Foundation invites all eligible first-year students to apply for the First-Year Fellowship Programme recruitment process!

👉 What You Could Receive:
⭐ Full or Needs-Based Financial Support: Covers tuition, accommodation, meals, books, and allowances.
⭐ Mentorship & Guidance: Personal mentorship and tailored entrepreneurial support.
⭐ Learning & Community: Access to an online learning campus, exclusive invitations to workshops, seminars, and annual events, plus access to a network of high-impact entrepreneurs.

✅ Who Is Eligible?
You must meet the following criteria:
✔️ First-year student at a partner university.
✔️ 65%+ average after the first semester of 2026.
✔️ Degree Focus: Studying towards Humanities, Arts, Engineering, Law, Science, Commerce, or Health Science (excluding Medicine, Dentistry, or Veterinary Science).
✔️ Entrepreneurial Mindset: Running a venture (for-profit or non-profit), developing a viable idea, OR active in an entrepreneurship society (e.g., Enactus, MatiePreneurs).
✔️ Demographics: South African citizen, aged 22 or younger in 2026.

⏰ Closing Date: Friday, 7 August!

Ready to take the next step? Scan the QR code in the poster to register now, or reach out to Nadine Price at SU LaunchLab for details: 📧 [email protected] | 📞 021 808 9494

23/07/2026

What happens when a YouTube video, a conversation with ChatGPT, and a desire to make communities safer collide?

In the next episode of LaunchPod, Tumelo Mokoena shares the remarkable story behind Safeguard Technologies—from an idea sparked during a difficult time in Stellenbosch to building an innovative startup using drone technology for security.
It's a story of curiosity, resilience, and turning an idea into action.

🎧 Don't miss Episode 11 of LaunchPod, hosted by SU LaunchLab in partnership with Stellenbosch Network and supported by Stellenbosch Municipality.

Coming soon!