The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry held its inaugural Academic Innovation Awards earlier this month to celebrate the innovators who are driving economic growth in the Western Cape.
The event, hosted by MTN South Africa, in partnership with the Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC), recognised 10 standout academic innovators for their significant progress in 2024. Serving as a testament to its thriving innovation ecosystem, Stellenbosch University (SU) entrepreneurs walked away with five awards, with all five winners being incubatees of the SU LaunchLab, where they continue to receive entrepreneurial support to scale their respective ventures.
Prof Eugene Cloete, CEO of CHEC, presented the awards to the SU students including Chiedza Vusche, Robin Truter and Alexandra Lutz, who received the University Student Innovation Award. The trio were also winners at the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education Regional Competition last year.
Two SU spinout companies, Nanosene and Terraclim, were named
University Spin Off Company of the Year, along with two other startups from different academic
institutions. The event serves as a precursor to the Chamber’s Industry Awards in June.
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