Born and raised in South Africa, he gained experience working for large organizations in his home country. The success of his company Whoosh Innovations is a testament to his entrepreneurial achievement.

Lebeko Mphelo (photo) is the founder and CEO of Whoosh Innovations, a South African company specializing in digital payment solutions. He graduated from the University of Pretoria in 2009 with a Bachelor's degree in Econometrics.

He founded Whoosh Innovations in 2014 with the ambition of a web and mobile platform offering customized solutions to merchants and enabling them to process transactions both online and offline. The company enables merchants to collect payments by credit card, e-wallet, and bank transfers.  It also provides consulting and project management services to ensure the optimal deployment of payment gateways.

In 2020, Whoosh Innovations was chosen as the official payment system provider for the presidential gala dinner of the ANC, South Africa's ruling party. This was an opportunity for Lebeko Mphelo and his team to demonstrate their ability to manage large transactions and deliver quality service to prestigious customers.

Lebeko Mphelo, the brain behind that innovation, gained professional experience working for large institutions. In 2009, he worked as a junior consultant for Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The following year, he joined financial services company Alexforbes as a trainee risk analyst, before successively holding the positions of assistant research analyst and member of the company's inaugural Junior Board. At the same time, between 2011 and 2019, he was the Director of Etico Capital, an investment company focused primarily on the agriculture, resources, and financial services sectors.

A former beneficiary of the Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program, Lebeko Mphelo is an example of entrepreneurial success and contribution to the economic and social development of his country.

Melchior Koba