In celebration of homegrown innovation and empowerment, the 13th annual SAB Foundation Social Innovation and the 8th annual Disability Empowerment Awards recognised the remarkable achievements of local entrepreneurs. Luvuyo Sume and Riaan Knight, founders of Prosthetic Engineering Technologies, clinched the top honour in the Disability Empowerment category. In the Social Innovation category, Bevlen Sudhu took home the first-place award with his groundbreaking solution, Re-Purpose. Each of the winning innovators was awarded R1.3 million in grant funding. Added to that, they also receive access to tailored coaching and the necessary support to help them on their journey.
The SAB Foundation awarded over R15 million in total to 17 entrepreneurs during the awards ceremony. These awards are a testament to the Foundation's prestigious flagship Social Innovation Awards programme and its unwavering commitment to fostering entrepreneurial development in South Africa. Key to this is the Foundation’s recognition of the value of a sense of community and belonging that fuels the capacity of social innovators to make a positive impact.
FURTHER has been the Coaching and Business Development Partner for the Social Innovation Awards and Disability Empowerment Awards programmes for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 cohorts. Our collaboration goes back to 2015, through our mutual support of many social innovators who were part of both the Social Innovation Awards and Red Bull Amaphiko programmes.To find out more about this year’s SAB Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards, visit their website.
Image: SAB Foundation