The South African venture leaders are in town

A team of the most promising South African entrepreneurs are in Switzerland for a 10 days training program, organized by venturelab. Meet two of them :

Prevent pest epidemic thanks to Flypot

Flypot, an innovative and cost effective product, has been created by Amelia Rampersad, bio researcher in South Africa. The innovation is in the patented flytrap that produces an attractant to lure the flies and capture them before the contamination goes on.
Amelia Rampersad explains : “it is important to detect as soon as possible the pest to avoid an epidemic and collateral damages for farmers. Thanks to Flypot, we attract the flies and stop any further contamination on animals…”

Flypot is already distributed in South Africa and reveals a modern and safety way of preventing pest epidemic from its origin, the flies. The potential customers of this product are the agricultural field, food manufacturing, meat processing and environmental sectors, such as sewage works.

Amelia, actually in Switzerland for the South African venturelab program, wants to benefit from the Swiss network and expand her product in the European market, specifically in the countryside.
She enjoys a lot her first day in Switzerland and defines Switzerland as “a lovely place to live”. She expects to receive all the agreements for Flypot soon and distribute her product in Europe quickly.
 

Interview of Ludwick Marishane, founder of Headboy Industries

Ludwick Marishane is a commerce student in the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He won the “Global Student Entrepreneurs Awards” in 2011 and “sweats” entrepreneurial skills since his young age. He founded Headboy Industries and became the youngest patent-holder in South Africa after inventing DryBath, a new way to stay clean without using water.

Present in the “South African Venturelab Program” in PSE in Lausanne, we asked him a few questions to know better his product and expectations.

M.M: “Could you please explain us what is Drybath and how did you think about it?”

L.M.: “Drybath provides a hygiene solution to the poor while providing a bathing-alternative to more affluent households.
It is a long story…(laughs) The story began in my hometown with my best friend. We were lying in the sunlight and my best friend told me : “Hey, why don’t we have something to put on our bodies and clean without water?” We were lazy men. (laughs) From this, I began to search on Internet a way to do it and I realized that 2.5 billion people don’t have access to water and a disease was killing people who cannot clean themselves. At this moment, I decide to find a solution to this problem, not only for me, but to save all these people. I found a “recipe” and I tried it. 4 years after, Drybath was created and I became the youngest patent-holder of my country.”
 
 
M.M: “What do you expect  from the Venturelab program in Switzerland?”

L.M: “I am looking for a professional feedback and seeking new business customers, such as CFF (Swiss railway) or the airline company “SWISS”. Then I am thinking about retail distribution also, but first of all I want to develop my business with any travel company or army that needs a product like Drybath. ”

M.M: “What is your first impression of Switzerland and what do you want to tell your future Swiss business customers?”

L.M: “Switzerland is the most advanced country I visited. I was in Singapore last week and there is no comparison. Unfortunately I stay here only a week, but I want to come back. I don’t know European weather, but I hope to see a little bit the sun before I come back home.
The message I want to transfer to my future Swiss business customers is : “Contact me and let’s do business together !”