Innovus – Making Innovation Matter

Innovus – making innovation matter

Since its establishment in 1999, Innovus – the division of Stellenbosch University responsible for technology transfer, entrepreneurial support and development, and innovation – has been in existence in various formats for the past two decades.

Innovus started as the office for the university’s intellectual property and has experienced substantial and impressive growth in its 23 years. What started with only a handful of employees has grown to a company of over 100 employees employed on a permanent basis. Innovus currently comprises out of five major divisions: Technology Transfer, Copyright, Trademark, and Short Courses, Strategic SU Projects, Finance, Admin, and Spin-out Company Support, and SUNCOM – division of Innovus aimed at generating a 5^th-stream revenue for Stellenbosch University. At the time of its institution, the work Innovus set out to do was visionary and over the years, Innovus has played an important role in maximising Stellenbosch University’s impact on South African society.

We spoke to the remarkable female entrepreneurs at Innovus who are on a mission to truly make innovation matter.

Anita Nel

Anita Nel joined the Innovus team in 2006 and is the current Chief Director of Innovation and Commercialisation at Stellenbosch University and Chief Executive Officer of US Enterprises (Pty) Ltd. Anita’s educational background is both diverse and impressive. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Chemistry from Stellenbosch University, as well as a Diploma in Higher Education specialising in Mathematics, Advanced Mathematics, and Science that she also obtained from the institution. She also holds an honours and a master’s degree in Psychology from the University.

Her secret to success? Anita believes her entrepreneurial superpower lies in her ability to see things through from idea all the way to delivery. Coupled to this, she possesses the ability to always hold things together and keep her pulse on the various projects that are on the go at any one time at Innovus.

When asked about her female role-models, Anita speaks with great admiration for both her grandmother and her daughters. She credits her grandmother with being a true rebel who challenged the accepted norms of society and showed her the value of hard work. Anita says she sees the same spirit in her daughters and is constantly inspired by the grace they continually show as they navigate growing up in modern times and their seemingly unlimited capacity to truly and actively care about those around them.

Anita believes there are several qualities that all entrepreneurs should master in order to succeed. In addition to being able to listen with intention and think open-mindedly, she stresses that while it is important to work hard, it is also important to have fun while doing it. She further elaborates that on your entrepreneurial journey, it is important to trust your gut: “your gut is the most complex algorithm on earth: when making a decision, it has the ability to consider everything you know, everything you feel, and everything you’ve ever done – trust it.”

Like so many women we have celebrated in this campaign, Anita believes the double lives we lead as women is the true gender gap that exists and one of the major barriers facing female entrepreneurs. Her advice for her younger self: “It’s important to pick your battles and don’t take yourself so seriously.”

Dr Madelein Kleyn

Dr Madelein Kleyn has an impressive CV and educational background. In addition to being a qualified chemical engineer, she is also an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa, a registered South African patent attorney, and has an LLM in tax law and a PhD in Mercantile Law: IP and Commercialisation Strategies – deals between Eastern and Western Cultures. She joined the Innovus team in 2018, in the position of Director: Technology Transfer.

Madelein believes her entrepreneurial superpower lies in her ability to always get the job done – no matter what it takes. Coupled to that, she believes another of her superpowers lies in her ability to multitask.

When asked about her biggest female role-models, Madelein mentions her mother – who she credits as being an amazing woman who taught so many important skills that have served her in good stead throughout her life.

Madelein believes the qualities every entrepreneur needs in their toolkit to succeed are to always believe in yourself and to never give up. She also stresses that while belief and perseverance are important, it is equally important to never burn bridges and to always be kind to people. Her advice to her younger self is simple: “listen more and talk less – you miss a lot of things when you don’t hear what others have to say.”

Nolene Singh

Nolene Singh holds an MTech in Biotechnology specialising in plant genetics. Following her training as a lab manager, Nolene spent the first portion of her career travelling around South Africa assisting in setting up plant tissue culture laboratories. She joined the Innovus team in 2016 in the Technology Transfer Office where she currently holds the position of Technology Transfer Manager.

Nolene cites her entrepreneurial superpower as her ability to ensure normalcy and maintain structure – even in the face of a crisis. She also believes that the most important qualities any entrepreneur should have is belief: belief in what you do, belief in yourself, and belief in your instincts.

Nolene credits her mother as being the greatest female role-model in her life. Nolene says that her mother, despite her cultural background, refused to conform and instead brought an element of equality into Nolene’s childhood home. As a result, she says she was raised to always want more from her education, her life, and the world around. Another of her role-models is Anita Nel, who Nolene says has had a profound impact on shaping her career through the exposure she has provided, and the sage advice she has offered throughout her time at Innovus.

Despite the progress made, Nolene believes some of the greatest barriers to entry facing women entrepreneurs are the societal expectations placed on women and the male dominated nature of the business world. Her advice to her younger self: “I would tell myself to not have so much self-doubt and to believe more in what I can do.”

Dr Ncebakazi Galada

Dr Ncebakazi Galada comes from an educational background in biotechnology – having obtained her PhD from the University of the Western Cape. She also obtained her MBA from Stellenbosch University in 2018 and recently joined the Technology Transfer Office at Innovus in March 2022 in the position of Technology Transfer Manager.

Ncebakazi believes that her entrepreneurial superpower lies in her ambition and her optimism, and her ability to always bring out those qualities in those around her. When it comes to business, Ncebakazi says her mother has always been her entrepreneurial role model, instilling in her from a young age the value of being a self-starter.

When asked about the qualities she believes are most important for entrepreneurial success, Ncebakazi cites the 3 ‘P’s – passion, patience, and persistence. She says that if passion is the fuel that starts the fire, then persistence and patience are the kindling required to keep it alight.

Ncebakazi believes that despite the progress made, women remain victims of a society that tends to favour men. She also believes that the traditional perceptions of what are considered more suitable roles for females, is part of the problem when it comes to the lack of representation of women in higher, more executive positions in business.

Ncebakazi says that knowing what she knows now, her advice to her younger self would be to find multiple streams of generating income from an early age: “in this day and age, having a qualification does not guarantee you a job – to be sustainable in life, it’s important to not put all your eggs in one basket.”

Thandiwe Maretlane

Thandiwe Maretlane holds an undergraduate degree in Metallurgical Engineering, as well as an honours degree in Technology Management, a postgraduate diploma in Intellectual Property Law, and a master’s in Science and Technology Studies. She joined the Innovus team in 2018 where she works as a Technology Transfer Officer.

Thandiwe believes the entrepreneurial superpowers she brings to the Innovus team are her authenticity, inspiration, creativity, and her dependability. She also believes the most important qualities every entrepreneur needs to succeed are a passion for problem-solving and an ability to build and foster meaningful business relationships.

When asked about the female role-models who have shaped her as a woman and a businesswoman, her list includes the likes of American businesswoman Mellody Hobson, actress Viola Davis, and Zozibini Tunzi – Miss Universe 2019.

Thandiwe believes that the perceived limitations of women is one the biggest factors hindering the professional success of women the world over. She goes on to elaborate that she feels society is still not ready for female leaders – whose abilities are often still questioned, even after they have shown they are worthy of a role they have been given.

Her advice she would offer her younger self: “Be more present – show up and give your best, but still take time to sit down and enjoy the simple things about life.”

Carol Kat

Carol Kat holds a BRad degree from the University of the Free State and pursued the WIPO-Unisa Specialisation Programme in Intellectual Property from 2007 to 2009. She began working for Stellenbosch University in 2003 and joined Innovus in 2004. Over the years, her current role at Innovus has grown to the title of Head: Copyright, Trademark, and Short Courses.

Carol believes her entrepreneurial superpower lies in her passion for policy, process, and procedure, and her deep sense of justice when it comes to the protection of intellectual creativity. She also believes the important qualities entrepreneurs should possess are to be strong and steadfast in their principles, to be open to learning, to maintain diplomacy in their actions, and to be creative in their approach to solving problems.

When asked about her female role-models, Carol jokes about giving away her age before she cites the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Estée Lauder – two women who were trailblazers in their respective fields at a time when women were still considerably marginalised.

As women, Carol believes we have two careers – our day job we go to every day and then our familial responsibilities we have at home. She believes that having to juggle the two is one of the persistent barriers to entry facing female entrepreneurs, along with the gender stereotyping of women as home executives. As for the advice she would offer her younger self: “spend less time worrying about what others think of you and more time focusing on being happy with the choices you have made for yourself.”

Doris Peters

Doris Peters is the current Operations Coordinator for Spin-out Companies and Project Development. She has been with Innovus for 22 years, after first having joined Stellenbosch University in 2000 as an administrative officer and secretary to the Director of the newly formed Office for Intellectual Property. As for her education, Doris has completed the WIPO-Unisa Specialisation Programme in Intellectual Property, the AUTM TOOLS course, and in 2021 she completed her Higher Certificate in Economics and Business Management at UNISA.

In her current role, Doris is responsible for providing crucial support to and looking after the entrepreneurs involved in Innovus’ spinouts. She believes the entrepreneurial superpower she brings to the Innovus time lies in her compassion and her ability to see the best in others. Coupled to this, she believes she has a human touch that feeds into her ability to connect and work with people.

When asked about the female role models who have had a profound influence on her, she mentions two of her colleagues – Anita Nel and Carol Kat – who she works alongside at Innovus. She credits Anita as one of the strongest influences on career – teaching her the value of self-belief and helping to create endless opportunities for her to realise her full potential. As for Carol, Doris emphasises that Carol taught her that hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed, and that when you do things correctly, they always have a way of working out. She credits both women as being strong leaders, confident decision-makers, and compassionate in their approach to working with people.

Doris says the advice she would give her younger self would be to stop trying to change herself to please others: “Focus on the things in life that fill you with joy, happiness, and purpose – you will see that you are exactly enough just the way you are.”