The fourth annual SingularityU South Africa Summit took place on 14 and 15 October 2020 with over 125 speakers with global perspectives presenting keynotes, hosting discussions and running workshops, all intended to help future proof Africa. Moving seamlessly from its in-person event format to the online environment, the global business and government leaders, investors and entrepreneurs that attended had their expectations exceeded with the platform, presentation and content.
The online format made way for a greater variety of talks and workshops, which were shorter in duration to prevent screen fatigue and enable participants to derive maximum value with their time. The summit also featured an online expo area, where delegates could engage with the latest products and developments from exhibitors and make business happen.
Presentations that received a particularly good response included: Cathy Wood (CEO and CIO of ARK Invest): “Innovation is the next opportunity for growth”; Paolo Santana (Founder and CEO of Social Glass): Super-Intelligent Governments and Problem-Solving for the 99%; Vivienne Ming (Founder, Socos Labs): “AI makes better Humans”, Dr Mark Nasila, (Chief Analytics Officer: FNB Chief Risk Office) “Can AI transform the way we use Energy?”; and Jason Dunn (Co-founder Made in Space): “3D Printing, Off Planet - The future of manufacturing off planet earth.”
“We are thrilled at the response to this year’s SingularityU South Africa Summit and the way that delegates embraced the functionality of the online platform,” said Mic Mann, Co-CEO SingularityU South Africa. “It was hugely important for us to do something that retained the value of in-person but utilised the benefits of online so we could serve our community in the best way. We need to rise up past this pandemic and work together towards a more abundant future for all.”
Co-CEO SUSA Shayne Mann added: “The digital format enabled us to do so much. We enhanced the networking as this has been missing from online events as well as created various learning pathways for different topics and interests, ultimately broadening our audience and giving more value.”
People who attended the SUSA Summit 2020 are able to do watch any talks or workshops they missed on the SingularityU South Africa App for the next three weeks, including a thought-provoking welcome speech from Peter Diamandis, one of the founders of SingularityU, and speakers from over 44 countries.
The SingularityU South Africa Summit 2020 was hosted in collaboration with The Development Bank of Southern Africa, global partner Deloitte, and strategic partner MTN. To join the SingularityU community of changemakers, or to book, visit https://singularityusouthafricasummit.org/.
