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Cape Town - You may be familiar with this scenario: you go to a function with the purpose to network, but everyone is busy on their smartphones. At the end of the evening you go home with a handful of business cards and you don't even remember who gave you the cards as there was no real connection that took place.
The Hookup Dinner founder Selebogo "DrLifesgud" Molefe, through his #Thud events, hosted across the country aims to change all this.
Fin24 caught up with him.
Tell us about The Hookup Dinner
The Hookup Dinner is a networking community of like-minded people all aspiring or already in the journey of entrepreneurship across Africa. It is a platform created for collaboration amongst start-ups with three core values: to connect, engage and contribute to each others's success.
We just happen to produce an interface and a pipeline of emerging entrepreneurs that policy-makers, capacity development practitioners and corporate organisations can engage with for their mandated programmes.
We thrive in challenging the status quo, hence the meet-ups on the first Friday monthly across the country.
This movement is fully owned by Lifesgud Global Investments (Pty) Ltd and serviced by a network of independent start-ups called #TeamHAVOC across East, West and Southern Africa.
When was it founded and what informed the concept?
It was founded in 2012. I was frustrated with the fact that I attended so many networking sessions and yet struggled to network, always returning with one or two useless contacts after an evening of pretending to network.
“@VDubese: #THUDcape people pic.twitter.com/jJyAo6iKKd”
— TheHookupDinner (@TheHookupDinner) March 6, 2015
How did you fund your business?
This is a self-funded initiative that only went commercial on its 1st year anniversary when we landed a two-year national contract with SABKickstart to be their footprint partner for reaching entrepreneurs across the country.
What did you learn the hard way as an entrepreneur?
Cash flow is king, teamwork is vital and compliance is a key business tool for growth.
What or who inspires you?
People around me, like my life-long friend and business partner, Phakiso Tsotetsi for the loyalty he’s shown; my wife and siblings for being my cheerleaders. My folks for prayers and Bishop Mosa Sono of Grace Bible Church for inspiring, visionary, servant leadership which has greatly influenced how I lead in business.
What’s been your success so far as a business?
Building a start-up movement that services just over 10 000 start-ups with a regular place on and offline to network and using that same platform to disburse close to a million rand of seed grant capital in partnership with our corporate partners is quiet a milestone for our team.
“@Raksha_TheBeat: Authentic sharing, I even hear applause ?? Networking mixer! @TheHookupDinner #THUDJozi pic.twitter.com/7kRbrtbUTV” YES!!!
— TheHookupDinner (@TheHookupDinner) March 6, 2015Our big hairy audacious goal:
To build a B2B network of a million African start-ups in Sub Saharan Africa by 2020 and helping to increase intra-African trade by 1% in the next 10 years which equates to more than $70bn.
Watch this YouTube video to learn more about The Hookup Dinner:
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