Build with Empathy

Building a product that solves a problem is not enough. To be truly successful, a good solution has to slide into the user’s world with near-zero friction - and that is where most fail. Caroline van der Merwe, co-founder of Jem HR, has learned some lessons about how to build for the unique constraints and needs of customers in emerging markets, a critical skill for anyone building scalable products in South Africa.

Join us for a discussion and Q&A on how empathetic product design has resulted in Jem HR being tagged by Google as one of the highest-potential startups in Africa in 2023, and how this works in practice.

About the speaker:
Caroline van der Merwe is the Co-Founder and COO of Jem, an HR Technology startup focused on digitising HR for frontline workers through WhatsApp. She is passionate about digital inclusion and using technology for impact. Before starting Jem, she spent eight years building employee engagement and behaviour-change programmes for businesses across sub-saharan Africa. At Jem, she leads the product development and operations teams, creating innovative products for HR teams. Caroline holds an MBA from UCT Graduate School of Business and a Masters in Management from Yale University.

Thanks to our sponsor: Next 176
Backed by Old Mutual, NEXT176 was founded to create significant impact in specific ecosystems that affect the future of emerging economies, by creating businesses that deliver disruptive and sustainable growth. NEXT176 has pulled together a team of experienced financiers, technologists and entrepreneurs to build, invest in and partner with startups and corporates to realise this founding purpose.

Venue sponsor: Allan Gray