Womenpreneur Pitch & Match 2025: Event Highlights, Winners, and Impact

On 21 August 2025, Access Bank South Africa in partnership with Regenesys School of Entrepreneurship hosted the highly anticipated Womenpreneur Pitch & Match Investment Event, a powerful platform dedicated to unlocking opportunities for women entrepreneurs in Africa.

The event celebrated the resilience and innovation of African startups, with finalists showcasing investment-ready business models that spanned agriculture, healthcare, retail, renewable energy, and sustainable fashion. Together, they reflected the bold vision of Access Bank’s long-running Womenpreneur initiative: to empower women-led businesses with access to funding, mentorship, and networks.

Spotlight on the Top 3 Winners

The judges selected three standout entrepreneurs whose pitches demonstrated clear scalability, measurable social impact, and strong commercial viability.

1st Place: Musabeni Sophy Litsani – Agriculture

• Business: Vhegies (Pty) Ltd
• Impact: Founded in 2017, Vhegies has grown from humble beginnings to a 14-hectare farm in Mapleton, Vosloorus, supplying fresh vegetables to retailers like Shoprite/Freshmark. With a vision of “ensuring that we eat what we grow,” the business now produces spinach, cucurbits, beans, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, while planning regional expansion into Limpopo. Sophy’s leadership also focuses on job creation, youth agricultural training, and sustainable farming practices. With the new funding, Vhegies will scale production, secure refrigerated transport, and build processing capacity to extend shelf life, transforming it into a future leader in South African agriculture.

2nd Place: Khabo Mnguni – Retail / Social Impact

• Business: Zibangwenya Supplies (ZS Uniforms)
• Impact: A finance and marketing professional turned social impact entrepreneur, Khabo has scaled ZS Uniforms from a single outlet into a manufacturing hub servicing more than 13 schools in Tembisa, achieving 2700% revenue growth since inception. Beyond business, she co-founded Threads for Ikasi Foundation, providing school uniforms and dignity packs to learners in underserved communities. With her blend of business acumen and social commitment, Khabo is building both a commercial success and a community legacy, proving that township enterprises can thrive at scale.

3rd Place: Hlobisile Yende – Agriculture

• Business: The Yende and Partners (Pty) Ltd
• Impact: A multi award-winning, third-generation farmer, Hlobisile leads a diversified agricultural enterprise specializing in livestock, grains, and crops. Her Farm-to-Fork model adds 100% value through beef and lamb processing, contributing to food security and job creation. Alongside her operational success, she co-founded AgriDuo Consulting, providing affordable compliance and mentorship support to emerging farmers. With accolades including Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans 2024 and Gauteng Smallholder Farmer of the Year 2024, Hlobisile is not only scaling her enterprise but also mentoring the next generation of female agri-leaders.

These Top 3 winners epitomise the mission of the Womenpreneur Pitch & Match: fueling women-led businesses with the resources needed to scale sustainably.

Celebrating the Other Finalists

Beyond the Top 3 winners, seven more finalists impressed adjudicators with polished, investment-ready pitches that demonstrated scale, impact, and sustainability:

• Velisa Nyamela – Healthcare | Wandimvelo Consulting
  Why Chosen: A clearly scalable healthcare business with proven track record, polished pitch, and sustainable growth potential.
• Andiswa Tsewana – Manufacturing | Imijelo yeAfrika (Pty) Ltd
  Why Chosen: Strong market positioning, readiness for growth, and structured expansion plans made this business highly scalable.
• Dr. Andile Molokomme – Healthcare | Holistic One-stop Care Centre
  Why Chosen: A focused, socially impactful healthcare model with a clear pathway to scale.
• Michelle Moswane – Energy | Mishies Company (Bio-Energy)
  Why Chosen: A green economy venture converting organic waste into clean energy with both environmental and social benefits.
• Bveledzani Pertunia Makhado – Waste Management | Vultures Waste
  Why Chosen: An innovative circular economy solution transforming hazardous waste into clean energy products, while creating jobs.
• Mosa Hope Mapheto – Energy | Greatfuel
  Why Chosen: A circular energy business producing biodiesel from waste oil, tackling unemployment, food insecurity, and waste.
• Mary Maphosa – Sustainable Fashion | Kidunia Swimwear (Kidunia Organics)
  Why Chosen: With 11,000+ units already distributed, this eco-fashion brand combats plastic waste while creating jobs and scaling sustainable textiles.

Together with the Top 3 winners, these finalists showcase the diverse strength of South Africa’s womenpreneurs, from healthcare and manufacturing to green energy, circular economy, and sustainable fashion. Each embodies the Womenpreneur vision of scalable, impactful enterprises shaping Africa’s economic future.

The Bigger Picture: Building Sustainable Futures

The 2025 Womenpreneur event highlighted more than individual success stories, it showed how collective innovation can transform communities. These businesses are not only profitable but also driving impact through:

• Job creation in local economies
• Sustainability in waste management, renewable energy, and eco-fashion
• Food security through scalable agriculture models
• Healthcare access in underserved areas

This aligns with Access Bank’s broader vision to equip women-led businesses with the right financial tools such as the Diamond Advantage Business Account and Wealth Diamond Account, empowering entrepreneurs to scale with confidence.

Looking Ahead

As the Womenpreneur campaign wraps up, focus turns to refreshing the Womenpreneur website in line with the brand’s CI and building digital assets that showcase the finalists. These steps ensure that the stories of these remarkable women continue to inspire future entrepreneurs.

For entrepreneurs ready to take the next step, Access Bank South Africa stands ready to provide financial solutions, mentorship, and networks that drive long-term success.

The 2025 Womenpreneur Pitch & Match event proved once again that the future of African startups is female, bold, resilient, and unstoppable.