Nico Steyn, co-founder and CEO of Internet of Things (IoT) software company IoT.nxt, says his entire career spans three decades in the field of technology and innovation.
He has helped establish several different technology companies in South Africa, as well as spent several years at a hardware business that was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
"Corporate is different," he says. "Unequivocally, startup is the only way to go for me."
At one of the companies he co-founded, a customer presented a unique project with particular challenges, which made him and his partners realise there is an opportunity for something exceptional in the world of IoT technology. This led to the establishment of IoT.nxt
Steyn and his partners set out to create a platform for connecting a mixture of IP-based, analogue and industrial systems for analytics, and Raptor was born. It's a data-clearing platform that taps into the market for IoT solutions.
He says there are very few IoT platforms globally that allow businesses to be truly technology-agnostic and to leverage intelligence in the cloud, as well as close to the edge.
"It's been quite a beautiful journey," he says. From startup beginning with seven staff in early 2016, the company has grown to more than 100 staff members at its Pretoria head office; it branched out to Europe in 2017 with an office in The Hague, The Netherlands, and in September 2018 set up operations in the USA.
Steyn remains upbeat about SA. "South Africa, for me, is key. It's the birthplace of our business. I am super confident about the future; we have unbelievable talent here."
Other finalists
Brett St Clair: A non-traditional approach to technology
Charmaine Houvet: Harmonising and uplifting
James Grcic: Inspire, innovate, improve
Quintus Moolman: The art of the possible
Teddy Daka: Advancing humanity through technology
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