Heavy Chef and Discovery launch The Inspire Sessions

Heavy Chef, in partnership with Discovery Insure, is launching a series of events pitched at enriching the ecosystem of activities and learning experiences for South African entrepreneurs, deepening intellectual support to this critically important community.

The series details

The series kicks off on 6 August 2019, with two of South Africa’s most lauded entrepreneurs, Discovery co-founders Adrian Gore and Barry Swartzberg. Gore and Swartzberg will share their experiences of starting a business, the associated trials and tribulations, and their personal views on what it takes to succeed. 

Discovery Insure CEO Anton Ossip said Discovery’s support for the Inspire sessions was indicative of the business’s commitment to supporting the country’s small and medium enterprises.

“We firmly believe that supporting small and medium businesses, and building networks of entrepreneurs is key in the fight to reduce unemployment, increase economic growth and close the gap of inequality,” Ossip said.

Discovery Insure cemented its long-term support for small and medium enterprises by launching Discovery Business Insurance in 2018.

“These sessions, in partnership with Heavy Chef, are yet another way we are supporting the amazing entrepreneurs we have in South Africa,” Ossip added.

Fred Roed, CEO of Heavy Chef, added: “This country has untapped potential in terms of its entrepreneur sector. Jack Ma recently said to President Cyril Ramaphosa that an emerging economy should invest in three things: education, entrepreneurs, and good governance. The Inspire event series focuses on education and entrepreneurs, and hopefully will play a part in drawing interest in this sector.”

Louis Janse van Rensburg is the Chairman of the Heavy Chef Foundation. An NPO that raises funds for research around entrepreneur education.

Van Rensburg commented, “This partnership is particularly exciting for us, given that Discovery is one of South Africa’s most celebrated entrepreneur success stories. Adrian and Barry are two of South Africa’s finest entrepreneurs.”

Despite having a quirky name, Heavy Chef has nothing to do with cooking and is all to do with entrepreneurial empowerment. The organization was officially launched in February 2017 but initially began as a side-project of digital marketing agency World Wide Creative, of which Roed and Van Rensburg are shareholders.

The platform has since hosted former-President Thabo Mbeki, singing superstar Imogen Heap, Zolani Mahola, Sam Paddock, Gareth Cliff, ex-surfing world champion Shaun Tomson, Masechaba Ndlovu, Sbusiso Leope and a host of technologists, leaders, and creatives.

The Heavy Chef Foundation recently collaborated with Yoco to create South Africa’s largest-ever entrepreneur-focused survey,  the results of the study are due to be released at an upcoming Inspire event.

Cape Town series

In September, the Inspire series will move to Cape Town. Heavy Chef and the Discovery team will take a deep dive into the world of Influencers, with Mo Flava, Gill Strawberry and DJ Fresh sharing their views on the roller-coaster ride of the social celebrity world.

“We also have some surprises in store,” says Roed. “Later in August, we are going to announce an event that will coincide with the Women’s Day festivities throughout August at Workshop17 at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.”

A Q&A session will follow gore and Swartzberg’s inaugural presentation. The event begins at 18:00, at 1 Discovery Place, Sandton.

Seats for both events are limited, and attendees can purchase tickets at www.heavychef.com or www.quicket.co.za.