AI in Action

Join us for an insightful discussion where product leaders from African tech companies share their experiences in developing AI-powered products, the unique challenges they faced, and the practical lessons learned.

Speakers
Lize Monametsi
Lize Monametsi’s career has focused on the development of large scale education technology that delivers accessible learning experiences to students in under-resourced environments. As Chief Innovation and Technology Officer at Maskew Miller Learning, she led the creation of Maski, an AI assistant for teachers. She was a co-founder of Papadi Games, a STEM-focused mobile gaming system for entry level smartphones. Outside of education, Lize was CEO of Polymorph, a software development company where she developed and executed tech strategies in energy, healthcare, people development, finance and retail. With a Master’s in Educational Administration, Planning and Social Policy, Lize’s academic career has focused on the intersection of teacher development, policy and economics. She loves learning from and mentoring young women and innovators and hiking with her three daughters (for some balance).

Gao Maribe
Gao Maribe is an executive for Advanced Analytics & AI at Old Mutual, where he leads enterprise AI initiatives and steers the organization’s overarching AI strategy. With a proven track record in machine learning and AI product development, he has successfully guided cross-functional teams in delivering cutting-edge, AI-driven solutions. Drawing on a diverse background spanning academia, startups, and consulting at McKinsey, Gao offers a nuanced perspective on the unique challenges and opportunities of deploying AI across the African market.

Roger Norton
Roger is passionate about technology's potential to change Africa and focuses on startups as a vehicle for innovation. Currently the Chief Product Officer at OkHi, he was previously Head of Product at Founders Factory Africa. Prior to that he was the the co-founder and COO of Trixta after it acquired his startup studio Playlogix where as CEO they developed over 50 tech products in just 5 years. The experience taught him the importance of validating business models and prompted him to co-found Lean Iterator, an early-stage validation process to guide entrepreneurs and investors.
Roger's passion for empowering entrepreneurs led him to author 'Start Here,' a book on building startups, and write regularly on Medium about startups and Product. Highly optimistic about the burgeoning African, specifically his local Cape Town startup ecosystem, he's served as a mentor at various accelerators and incubators and made strategic angel investments.

Sponsors: Next 176, MoonPay, Allan Gray