Tamala Manda joined E Squared as Venture Analyst in our investment team March 2023.

Tamala has 4 years of experience working for investment companies with a keen investment interest in technology, pharmaceutical and education.

Previously, Tamala worked for Hlayisani Capital, a Venture Capital firm as an Investment Analyst, which sparked her interest in the South African entrepreneurship space and also developed her qualitative and quantitative research skills that include financial analysis, due diligence and asset pricing.

Tamala is a University of the Witwatersrand alumni with a BSc (Honours) in Quantity Surveying and a Masters of Management in Finance and Investment.

Tamala is passionate about teaching and mentorship, social upliftment and using entrepreneurship to close the financial gap in South Africa. She is a passionate Sunday school teacher, with an interest in financial inclusion and community upliftment programmes and hopes to further contribute towards upliftment in South Africa.

Tim Page joined E Squared in February 2023. 

Tim is a seasoned economic development practitioner with 10 years of experience in Local Economic Development, Entrepreneurship Development and Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD), with a B-Tech Degree in Management in Entrepreneurship (Cape Peninsula University of Technology), and a Certificate in Public Sector Monitoring and Evaluation  (Stellenbosch University).

Tim spent 4-years at Black Umbrellas in various business development and coaching, project, and regional management (incubation) roles.

Tim has also managed the implementation of ESD programmes for SOEs, government and corporates, and served as Managing Director for a business mentorship facilitation and management entity. During his 5-year tenure at the City of Cape Town’s (CoCT) Economic Development Department, he developed and managed the implementation of entrepreneurship development projects across the Cape Town metropole.

Tumisho joined E Squared in February 2023. She is a venture builder in the Search and Pipeline team with experience in the business incubation and Enterprise Supplier Development (ESD) space with a passion for inclusive growth, impact and business sustainability, making her a great asset to the E Squared team. Previously Tumisho worked for Black Umbrellas and has completed an MBA at GIBS Business School which sparked her interest in impact investing.

Obakeng joined E Squared in February 2023 as Venture Builder in our Search and Pipeline team.

Obakeng has experience in technology innovation and development, investment lifecycle management, due diligence assessments and commercialisation of intellectual property assets in the bioeconomy sector. Using his diverse skillset in Biotechnology and his experience of taking several university R&D ventures and start-ups through the investment lifecycle towards product registration and launch, he is able to create huge value in the early-stage start-up space.

Obakeng is qualified in management and leadership development, project and intellectual property management.

Thembisile Radebe joined E Squared in September 2021 as an Executive Assistant.

Thembi has over 15 years of experience in the secretarial field in law, finance and healthcare.  Prior to joining E Squared Thembi was employed as the Executive Assistant to the CEO and the Executive team members at Medu Capital Investments. She holds a certificate in Governance Risk and Compliance from Milpark and completed some studies towards an LLB at WSU in the Eastern Cape, before circumstances took her in another direction.

Thembisile is an integral part of the team, often working hard behind the scenes to keep us organised.

Danielle joined the E Squared team in July 2019 to assist in the design and implementation of their Post Investment Management solution for its investees, and is now a Value Creation Manager.  Previously Daniélle worked as a freelance strategy consultant, providing strategic, operational and analytical guidance and support to startups through growth and scaling, supporting corporates in developing and implementing enterprise development plans, and advising government on national industry strategy.  Daniélle has Bachelor’s Degrees in Arts and Commerce, with Majors in English Literature, French Literature, Mathematics, Economics, and Anthropology from Wits and Unisa.  She has Honours qualifications in Anthropology, Sociology, and English Literature from Unisa, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  She has two children and many pets and loves to sing and dance.

Shaun joined E Squared in September 2022 in the role of Investment Manager in our investment team.

Shaun has a legal and finance background. He is an admitted attorney and holds a B.Comm Law, LLB, Masters in Corporate Law, and has completed the CFA programme.

After leaving practice, Shaun spent time at Deloitte Legal in corporate and commercial advisory in Sub-Saharan followed by various roles in compliance, governance, and credit at Nedbank CIB. 

Shaun brings with him a wealth of experience in project finance and corporate lending in the telecommunications, water, and infrastructure sectors and is well-placed to invest in young South African entrepreneurs for long-term sustainability.

Gladwyn Leeuw joined E Squared as Chief Investment Officer in June 2022.

Gladwyn has multi-dimensional expertise and experience in investment, having served across various sectors (most notably ICT and finance) in senior leadership and executive positions within large corporates, multinationals and SMMEs at Kingson Capital, CCI South Africa, and Anglo American. He lectures occasionally on entrepreneurship at the University of Witwatersrand, is both a debt and equity investor, and is also a business founder of a peer-to-peer lending platform.

Gladwyn holds a Master of Management degree in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation, a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration Management, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economic Studies and International Relations.

Katleho Sithole joined E Squared as Programmes Administrator for the Search and Pipeline team in May 2022.

Katleho joins us from I AM AN ENTREPRENEUR where she was an Enterprise and Supplier Development Assistant working with SMMEs. Prior to that, she was at SAICA Enterprise Development.

Katleho is a haircare entrepreneur with a BCom degree in Entrepreneurship & Business Management and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education. She has also formed a non-profit organisation (NPO) which provides aspiring entrepreneurs with a platform to showcase their products and services.

With her passion for social impact and her experience in business and NPO's, she can play a pivotal role in supporting entrepreneurs for growth and impact at E Squared.

Tshilidzi Matlala joined E Squared as Chief Portfolio Officer in July 2022.

Tshilidzi has 13 years’ experience in the Venture Capital (VC) and Development Finance Sectors. Her engineering expertise coupled with her experience as an advisory committee and investment committee member of various VC Funds and as an entrepreneur in the retail and service space, provides her with a holistic perspective on supporting high-growth sustainable entrepreneurship at E Squared.

As an experienced transactor across multiple industries, who has managed numerous post-investment start-ups and provided strategic direction as a board member to ensure successful investments and profitable exits through various liquidity events, she brings pioneering and proficient problem-solving to the unique space of impact investing in responsible enterprises.

Tshilidzi holds a BSc Chemical Engineering Degree from the University of Witwatersrand and a VC Executive Programme certification from the University of California Berkley’s Haas School of Business. She is also a CFA Charterholder.

Ofentse is the Head of Finance and Operations at E Squared. Ofentse joined in 2016 and is responsible for developing and executing finance and operational processes.  These roles include finance, governance, treasury functions and portfolio valuations.  He was instrumental in developing the various processes within these functions for operationalisation and scale in anticipation of the organisation’s growth. 

Ofentse is a qualified Chartered Accountant (SA) and completed his articles at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ofentse obtained his BAccSci and HDipAcc from the University of the Witwatersrand and is a member of the Golden Key Honour Society.  Ofentse believes that his role at E Squared will contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty.  Within his own family he sees the impact on those where the cycle has been broken through new generations having received education and employment opportunities.

Lerato joined E Squared in March 2019 and is responsible for the execution of finance and accounting processes. Lerato has more than five years’ experience in the financial services sector, having worked previously as a Private Banking Specialist for 3 years at Investec, specialising in high-income earners and businesses. Lerato completed her articles at Papilsky Hurwitz Chartered Accountants in Johannesburg after obtaining her BAcc degree from the Midrand Graduate Institute and a HDipAcc post-graduate qualification from the University of South Africa. Lerato is passionate about the opportunity she has, through E Squared, to impact the lives of our youth, by supporting them through entrepreneurship.

Peter works as a Value Creation Manager providing post-investment support to the E Squared Ventures portfolio entrepreneurs.

Peter studied Economics and International Relations at Wits University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Business Administration) at the Wits Business School. He brings a wealth of experience having co-founded ventures and advised entrepreneurs in a variety of sectors including the mining, entertainment, beauty and personal care, tourism and digital marketing technology sectors. He is passionate about the role entrepreneurs can play in solving South Africa's challenges.

Audrey leads E Squared's stakeholder engagement activities and is responsible for developing and implementing communication strategies to ensure effective internal and external communication, fostering positive relationships with stakeholders and enhancing the organization's image and reputation.

A Chartered Public Relations Practitioner, Audrey, has for more than ten years, worked in stakeholder relations, event management, publicity, and income generation, primarily for NGOs and organisations with a mandate for social impact. She is passionate about the development of entrepreneurs and has worked in Enterprise Development for a number of years with a particular enthusiasm for helping businesses define their identity and develop their unique selling proposition.

Rita joined E Squared in February 2022 in a role designed to support our portfolio entrepreneurs operationally. Rita is an experienced business outcomes manager with over 20 years of management experience in retail, operations, and warehousing for companies like Barloworld, JD Group, and Cube Route Logistics.

Rita’s hands-on, outcomes-driven management advisory will assist in the implementation of positive change management, operational excellence, and cost-saving initiatives for our portfolio start-ups where needed. Rita has a passion for impacting and uplifting teams, believing that higher levels of performance, accountability, and responsibility lead to a better society; effected one person at a time.

Cheryl Jacob joined E Squared in 2019 and serves as the Head of Social Entrepreneurship. She is responsible for social impact investments in Public Benefit Organisations. She has over 15 years’ experience in International Development working with civil society organisations across the global south. Cheryl is a Certified leadership coach and trainer with the John Maxwell Team and has spent the past 5 years as a consultant, providing coaching, training, and capacity building initiatives for the Global Fund, Obama Foundation and Government amongst others. Cheryl brings her experience, passion, and energy to commit to E Squared’s vision to support social enterprises to build and scale social impact in South Africa.

Raees joined E Squared in 2021 as a Social Entrepreneurship Junior Analyst intern, but secured a permanent position in 2022 where he now serves as a Social Impact Officer. With our Head of Social Entrepreneurship, he assists with social impact investments in Public Benefit Organisations.

Raees holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from The Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) as well as a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology, Genetics and Psychology with a final year major in Pharmacology. He is currently studying towards a Chartered Financial Analyst qualification.

Raees has experience in sales and operations management and brings passion and a strong work ethic along with an open mind and fresh ideas to the team.

Siphelele Ndlovu joined E Squared’s Investment Team in 2019 and is responsible for investment activities and portfolio management. Siphelele is a BCom Finance and Economics graduate from the University of KwaZulu Natal and also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Project Management from the Management College of Southern Africa. He is passionate about enterprise development and empowerment and has over 10 years’ experience in deal-making, development finance, supplier development banking, business coaching, and mentorship.

Karabo joined E Squared in 2021 and has over 3 years of experience in operational support in Food Manufacturing and IT. Karabo holds a higher certificate in Business Sciences from Monash South Africa and is currently completing a BCom degree part-time.

Karabo is passionate about developing South Africa’s youth, demonstrated by the work she did together with her family in 2019,  to start a small fleet company aimed at supporting the young women and men in her area to achieve their full potential. She is energised by the opportunity of working in an organisation that aids the development of entrepreneurs, as well as the youth.

Thembisile Radebe joined E Squared as an Executive Assistant in 2021.

Thembi has over 15 years of experience in the secretarial field. Prior to this, she was employed as Executive Assistant to the CEO and the executive team members at Medu Capital Investments. She holds a certificate in Governance Risk and Compliance from Milpark and has partially completed an LLB degree.

Thembi ensures that things run smoothly in the organisation so that we can help entrepreneurs have maximum impact. When she's not at work, Thembi enjoys reading, interior design, and crafting beaded pieces.