Lebo Gunguluza, FinTech & Ecommerce Pioneer, Digital Transformation Strategist, Inspirational Business Speaker and Dragon Investor on SA’s Dragons Den TV Show - known as the “The Breakthrough Entrepreneur”.
Mr. Lebo Gunguluza joined the professional speaking fraternity in August 2011 due to the high demand created by his inspirational story of overcoming tremendous odds to succeed. By December 2011 he was chosen as one of the Top 3 new motivational speakers in South Africa by a leading speaker bureau.
Mr. Gunguluza was also chosen among many to be a Dragon on South Africa’s first Dragon’s Den TV Show, an internationally acclaimed TV Show from the UK, which started broadcasting on DSTV’s Mzansi Magic from 23 September 2014, he has recently been selected to feature in the upcoming season of Shark Tank SouthAfrica
In 2017, he was the lead judge on the entrepreneurship development game show titled the GAME Plan, which aired every Thursday on SABC2. He is currently establishing a youth digital bank that will cater for all African youth and will launch on 12 December 2017.
At the age of 27, he became one of Africa’s youngest self-made black millionaires, without any funding or tenders from government and overcame tremendous odds in his entrepreneurial journey to build a multi-million rand empire over the years. He is one of the key founders and President of the South African Black Entrepreneurs Forum (SABEF), which addresses issues facing black entrepreneurs in South Africa, and currently the President of the South African Black Mining Association (SABMA), and the adjudicator of the renowned Village Boardroom Experience, with participation of over 200 entrepreneurs from all over Africa.
Mr. Gunguluza adopted the title of “’The Ultimate Breakthrough Entrepreneur” and was awarded with the “Africa Heritage Youth Entrepreneur”, became a resident millionaire youth entrepreneur on a youth TV programme called “Take 5”, where he guided, motivated and inspired aspiring entrepreneurs who are starting or running their own businesses. He was honored by the Millionaires Club with the African Leadership Award in May 2010 and later received the Bethesda Business Award for his contribution to the development of Entrepreneurship in South Africa. He was awarded KBN entrepreneur of the year 2018. Mr Gunguluza has been recently awarded the Best Business Speaker and Communicator at the South African Communications Awards.
He is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the Gem (Gunguluza
Enterprises and Media) Group of Companies, established in 2002,
as an integrated media and hospitality group with interests in
companies that serve in the media, communications, hospitality
and technology spheres.
Izani 12-12-12: Due to an overwhelming number of requests from
young entrepreneurs requesting mentorship from Mr. Gunguluza,
he decided to launch the Izani 12-12-12 mentorship programme,
which translates to a calling that says “I have heeded your call,
Come! (Izani), let us work together”. He launched this programme
on 12 December 2012, where he would recruit 12 young talented
entrepreneurs, every 12 months, to run 12 enterprises under his
guidance in order to learn business skills and receive resource
support to have a better chance of success.
Mr. Gunguluza’s GEM Group of Companies still has a huge interest in hospitality, with LUX Empire VIP becoming a leader in luxury lifestyle experiences and corporate hospitality in South Africa. The GEM Group has a travel division and interest in various hotels in South Africa and services both government and corporate sectors. The GEM Group`s media interest has become largely digital with the launch of various digital platforms and agency. In addition to the above, he continues to share his entrepreneurial successes and failures through radio and television interviews and special sessions that are meant to empower and motivate entrepreneurs and employees of big corporations.
Mr Gunguluza is considered as one of South Africa’s most celebrated entrepreneurs, a strategist and a motivational speaker – the ultimate breakthrough Entrepreneur, and when requesting Mr. Gunguluza’s keynote services, please feel free to suggest any of the topics below.
