Letter from the Editor

AFRICAN tech hubs are on the rise and their purpose is often clear: to help entrepreneur stake their first steps towards launching a viable company and to support a growing ecosystem.

I was lured to Cape Town many years ago by the glitter of it being a start-up heaven.

Beginning my own business journey it was ideal: access to international tech experts sitting across from me in coffeeshops... the supportive tech hubSilicon Cape was just taking off, and global start-ups relocating here too meant that it was a hub of creativity.

Today, this has extended to other South African cities andAfrica itself has over 600 tech hubs, ensuring that there is more than just one Silicon Valley in the world.

While California might have companies such as Google andApple making it synonymous with innovation, unicorns and high property prices, places such as Lisbon in Portugal,Addis Ababa in Ethiopia andShenzhen in China, with their booming hi-tech sectors, have created other silicon centres.

They have also shown how a tech boom can have an impact on property across the world, with a rise in new developments and the rejuvenation of run down buildings to turn them into co-working spaces and hubs for tech-related businesses.

We have certainly seen this in our own cities, where techhubs have been shown to aidthe economy and the propertymarket.Bonny Fourie’s story alongside delves deeper into thesubject.

Enjoy the read! Warm regards

Vivian Warby vivian.warby@inl.co.za