In the dynamic landscape of South African entrepreneurship, African Technopreneurs (African Techno), led by visionary founder Daliso Ngoma, stands as a powerful testament to entrepreneurial resilience. This young business didn’t just carve a niche in the exciting realm of Virtual and Extended Reality (VR/XR); it navigated significant hurdles by making smart tech and finance choices, ultimately achieving remarkable growth and embodying the very spirit of youth empowerment.
Daliso’s journey began in 2017 with a spark of inspiration: the profound potential of immersive computing for African creators. “Imagine African stories told through VR, workers safely trained in virtual environments, and products sold globally without the need for extensive physical infrastructure,” said Daliso.
His initial step—becoming a specialised distributor and solutions partner for VR/XR hardware and content—directly addressed a clear market gap.
Entrepreneurial resilience: Navigating the VR frontier
Building a pioneering business in a nascent market demanded true grit. Daliso faced the challenge of limited local VR awareness, which he addressed by proactively boosting demand by hosting free demo days at various locations, including NBA Africa, schools and universities.
“We also produced captivating local 360° videos, creatively showcasing practical applications from mining safety drills and tourism previews to thrilling bungee jumping experiences, effectively demonstrating the power of VR,” said Daliso.
Overcoming complex import logistics and duties was another challenge Daliso met head-on. He smartly cultivated relationships with freight forwarders, negotiating volume-based costing to mitigate high landed costs and long lead times.
Smart tech & finance choices: The Payfast and Easy Advance advantage
Among Daliso’s most impactful decisions were his smart tech and finance choices. Recognising the impact of a fragmented payments landscape and how much cart abandonment impacts sales, African Techno decided early on to adopt Payfast by Network as its payment gateway. This move provided their customers with a seamless, all-in-one checkout experience, significantly improving their sales conversion.
“The integration with our website was a key factor in selecting Payfast, as was their comprehensive support for every major payment method, including credit and debit cards, Instant EFT, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Mobicred and MoreTyme,” said Daliso.
“The convenience of the Immediate Payout function once funds clear has been particularly impactful, significantly enhancing cash flow management,” continued Daliso.
The persistent challenge of thin working capital was critically addressed by strategically layering short-term merchant finance through Easy Advance – Payfast’s business funding solution in partnership with TymeBank.
First appearing as a pre-approved offer in Daliso’s emails in 2021, he finally decided to try Easy Advance in early 2024. “The process was remarkably straightforward: little paperwork was required, there was no collateral because approval was tied to historic Payfast turnover and funds landed in our bank account within 24 hours,” said Daliso.
The advance was strategically used to acquire more stock a few months before Black Friday, ensuring they didn’t miss out on sales during a critical peak season. The repayment structure was equally beneficial – automatically deducted as a percentage of every Payfast transaction, avoiding fixed instalments that could strain cash flow during quieter periods.
“I would recommend Easy Advance to small ecommerce merchants who already process steady Payfast volumes and need fast, short-term working capital,” said Daliso.
Youth empowerment: Building world-class tech in Africa
For Daliso, being a young entrepreneur in South Africa is about more than just business growth; it’s a powerful statement of youth empowerment. “It’s about demonstrating that world-class tech businesses can be built in Africa and that youth unemployment can be tackled. I believe in solving local problems with global tools, while creating jobs for peers who might otherwise leave the country,” said Daliso.
Daliso’s advice to aspiring young entrepreneurs, particularly in tech and ecommerce, is as follows:
- Validate first, then build – sell one unit or land one client before you write code or import stock.
- Choose scalable infrastructure – ecommerce platforms like Shopify, cloud accounting solutions such as Xero, and a gateway like Payfast that grows with your business.
- Keep your cash moving – understand gross margin, landed cost and cash-conversion cycle from day one.
- Network horizontally – partner with peers for shared stock you plan on importing, provide cross-promotions and knowledge swaps as we can all learn from each other.
- Stay compliant – Not keeping yourself up to date with SARS and CIPC can kill momentum and potential business deals.
Looking ahead, African Techno aims to remain a leader in new technology solutions in South Africa, with aspirations to explore manufacturing and assembly.
Payfast is proud to support youth-led businesses like Daliso’s, providing the accessible financial solutions they need to thrive. Contact our Sales team to discover how Payfast can empower your business to reach its full potential.