Lubanzi Dube from Gauteng has emerged as the first black South African in 26 years to win the prestigious World Startup Forum Championship, held in Switzerland last weekend.
At 12, this was Lubanzi’s first innovation making shoe soles and shoes, and he was up against more than 400 young representatives from across the world.
Lubanzi’s groundbreaking innovation, SolEase, earned international recognition for its practical approach to addressing foot health challenges.
He said the work was influenced by his own struggle with flat feet, helping to improve mobility, reduce discomfort and enhance everyday well-being.
“I know how hard it is to find comfortable shoes for your feet as a flat-footed person. With this idea, I wanted to help other people like me. In the future, I want to make different varieties of shoes that offer comfort.”
Lubanzi’s mother, Nomtha Dube, told Sowetan they were still coming to terms with the news as they were overwhelmed with joy and still in disbelief.
Everything, she said, happened very fast.
“He was up against more than 400 representatives from all over the world. We really did not know he had it in him, especially when it comes to speaking in public. We don’t know him like that, but the confidence he had really shocked us. Initially, I enrolled him at Mini Boss International Business School, where they teach business in Sandton, and he started this year on how to start and handle businesses.
“They have about eight years to go, with eight courses. He is at a normal school from Monday to Friday. He attends the business school on Saturday; I enrolled him to keep him off the screen . He is also a curious mind and would constantly ask me questions because I am also in business, and he loves money. We had to teach him how to make it. A friend recommended the school.”
Dube said the school also hosts workshops in Johannesburg where investors are invited.
“That is where he got his first investor, who is in the pharmaceutical industry, before he went to compete in Switzerland,” she said
“His investor wants to put the product in pharmacies, but it’s not yet in stores. However, one can still purchase the 50 pairs and have more orders we are still attending to.
“What is so funny is that people are buying shoes more than the soles. Last week, we had 15 deliveries. At first, our idea was never to sell but rather to have samples, but there has been a demand. Everything is happening so fast; some of the challenges are the competition running on a school weekday. We have to find a balance; we did not anticipate this was going to be this big, but we are excited.”
She said they are working with a manufacturer as far as production is concerned, and their ultimate goal is to do the manufacturing themselves.
“We couldn’t manufacture ourselves because everything happened fast. The reason why we went on the startup forum is to ask for funding and get an investor so we can buy our own machines and manufacture. Right now we are preparing to go to China to meet some investors who want him on that side.”
She said Lubanzi also has an invitation to finish his studies in China.
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Sowetan
Michelle Banda
www.sowetan.co.za
