Co-founder and CEO of Rikatec, Rivo Mhlari, is set to educate and inspire the youth at the sixth and final YouthX Live event on Friday, 10 September 2021. A tech and innovation guru in the making, Mhlari will host a masterclass sharing his journey as an entrepreneur and innovator, give tips on how to build a business from the ground up, and provide insights on how to identify opportunities that exist in tech. At 27 years old, Mhlari has been on both the Forbes 30-under-30 and Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans lists.
Having started his entrepreneurial journey in his first year of university, Mhlari has always been passionate about business.
‘I wanted to become an entrepreneur to make an impactful change in the country and continent through innovation, job creation and socioeconomic enhancement. I believe that even through adversity, there’s always an opportunity to create something unique. That is why I am so excited to share my journey and experience with the youth at the YouthX Live event on the 10th,’ said Mhlari. ‘There aren’t many technology companies or companies in general in our country that are led by young people. That is why the youth need to recognise these opportunities even though it might look gloomy at this moment in time. There’s a lot to learn and I encourage everyone who is interested in starting their own tech business or any business to join the masterclass,’ he said.
Launched in March 2021, YouthX is a programme designed to unlock the potential of young people by giving them the opportunity to learn from other young changemakers dominating their different industries, such as Mhlari, Theo Baloyi, Sho Madjozi, Rich Mnisi and others.
‘The unemployment rate in South Africa has increased and is now sitting at 34,4%, meaning that 7,8 million people are unemployed. This has been an ongoing challenge, especially among the youth of South Africa. That is why Nedbank created YouthX, a free 24/7 platform designed to connect passionate youth with likeminded individuals or changemakers such as Mhlari, who are entrepreneurs and know what it takes to succeed even in the most challenging economic times,’ said Nedbank’s Group Executive for Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Khensani Nobanda. ‘As we look forward to the final YouthX Live, we urge young people to register, join the movement and learn from Mhlari and other experts in the technology and innovation space,’ she said.
The live event will also have a panel discussion where Mhlari will be joined by Nedbank’s Executive of Emerging Innovation, Chipo Mushwana; Co-founder of Digconnect, Alexandria Procter; and well-renowned tech blogger and eSport gamer, Sam Wright.
Young people can register by clicking on this link: https://youthx.liveevent.co.za/login. Once registered, you will be taken to the YouthX webpage where you can watch the event live and interact by commenting and asking questions. The most interactive viewers stand a chance to win prizes, courtesy of Nedbank and partners.
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About Nedbank YouthX
YouthX has three pillars:
- YouthX Live, a series of virtual events hosted by changemakers and industry experts with the purpose of giving access to resources and inspiring the youth, and sharing financial education and insights based on each category.
- YouthX Change, an Unlocked.Me website where the youth can read blogs, watch video content, and enter the YouthX awards.
- YouthX Summit, a youth festival where the YouthX award winners will be announced. Award entries opened in July 2021 and entrants stand to win prize money, mentorship, creative learning experiences, networking opportunities and gadgets to the value of R2,2 million to kick-start their journeys to becoming future changemakers.
The changemakers are multidisciplinary, award-winning South African designer Rich Mnisi (Fashion and Beauty); activist, business owner, writer and TEDx speaker Candice Chirwa (Social Good and Sustainability); former Banyana Banyana captain Amanda Dlamini (Sports and Wellness); entrepreneur in the technology and innovation space Rivo Mhlari (Technology and Innovation); founder and CEO of Bathu Shoes, Theo Baloyi (Business and Finance); and the multitalented SAMA and BET award-winner Sho Madjozi (Arts and Entertainment).
YouthX forms part of the Unlocked.Me platform, a beyond-banking platform that aims to unlock youth potential. Since launching Unlocked.Me in 2019, Nedbank has supported youth with over 600 000 Smart CVs, with a professional CV typically costing R200. Some 617 100 users have saved over R123 million using this feature alone.
Through this initiative, Nedbank has helped South African youth complete over 180 000 courses to improve their employability, and helped over 73 000 learners with a combination of career guidance, and university, bursary and National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) applications. Nedbank was also one of the first companies to sign the CEO Pledge for the Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative.