As South Africa celebrates Youth Month, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) student wins R1 million in funding through the prestigious Mr Price Foundation Bindzu Youth Fund Competition. Kamogelo Selepe a Final Year BCom Information Systems student at UJ was the entrepreneur who won this life changing seed funding.
Her remarkable achievement is a testament to the power of youth innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership. She currently serves as the President of the UJ Student Women Economic Empowerment Programme (SWEEP) Chapter and is a member of the 2026 Unipod Cohort at the University of Johannesburg Technology Transfer Office (UJ TTO), where she continues to develop her entrepreneurial and leadership capabilities. Through both platforms, she has built a profile as a leader committed to advancing youth and women’s participation in entrepreneurship and innovation.
A passionate entrepreneur and changemaker, Selepe is the CEO and Founder of Arcane Edge, a digital marketplace platform currently in development. The platform aims to create opportunities within the digital economy by connecting users to accessible and innovative marketplace solutions. She is also the Founder of Becoming Her, a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering women through programmes that support their financial, physical, and emotional well-being.
A Journey of Growth and Achievement
Kamogelo’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2025 when she joined the UJ TTO Incubation Programme as part of the 2025 cohort. She engaged fully with the ecosystem, drawing on mentorship, training, networking and business development support made available through the programme.
An early highlight came when she entered the Gauteng round of the Mr Price Foundation Bindzu Youth Fund Competition and emerged victorious, securing R90,000 to develop her venture further. The win provided both funding and confidence to continue building.
Later that year, she competed in the UJ TTO Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, where she and her team won first prize for their business concept. The result validated her entrepreneurial approach and set the tone for what followed.
In 2026, Selepe took on the role of President of the UJ SWEEP Chapter, leading initiatives focused on women’s entrepreneurship, leadership development and economic participation. She was also awarded the Hult Prize South Africa National Campus Director of the Year award, recognising her leadership in driving student involvement in the Hult Prize programme through the UJ TTO and her work in creating platforms for student entrepreneurs to develop and present solutions.
Her journey reached its latest milestone with a national victory in the Mr Price Foundation Bindzu Youth Fund Competition, where she secured the top prize of R1 million.
Celebrating Youth Innovation
The Mr Price Foundation Bindzu Youth Fund Competition identifies and supports young entrepreneurs whose ventures have the potential for meaningful social and economic impact. Competing against some of the country’s brightest young innovators, Kamogelo emerged as the overall national winner.
The R1 million award will support the continued development of Arcane Edge, enabling the venture to accelerate product development, expand market reach and grow its impact.
Reflecting on her achievement, Selepe said she showed up for the competition even when it was challenging to do so.
“I showed up anyway, on 17 September 2025, I came home from the first day of the Bindzu bootcamp with an exam the next morning. My textbooks were open on one side of my desk. My pitch deck was open on the other. I was not going to choose between them,she said.
She added that everything that could go wrong with her process, did. From her email collapsing to her having to work under immense pressure to reach the deadline.
“I almost did not make it into the programme at all. My email stopped working and I rushed to complete everything hours before the deadline. Then I received a shortlist notification. The bootcamp landed on the same day as an exam. Brandon Elijah from the YIEDI team helped me attend both. I walked into a room where I was the youngest participant. We won first place in Gauteng and secured R90,000. During the programme, I launched Digital Doppelgänger, an AI-powered consumer behavioural simulation platform that is now live, trademarked, and patent-pending. I grew monthly revenue from R30,000 to R50,000, generated R596,091 in client contract value, served 15 clients, and created five permanent jobs,” she shared proudly.
Selepe said her win should show other young people in Gauteng and the country that being young and building a successful technology company, while juggling full time studies, is possible.
“Standing on stage as the national winner, receiving R1 million, was proof that a young Black woman from Gauteng, building a technology company while studying, belongs at the highest level. Discipline is showing up on the days when you feel nothing at all. Show up anyway. This is ArcaneEdge. We are building the future of predictive African consumer intelligence.”
The Role of Entrepreneurship Support
Selepe’s success points to the direct value of structured entrepreneurship support. Through programmes such as the UJ TTO Incubation Programme, Unipod, SWEEP, entrepreneurship bootcamps and innovation competitions, students gain the tools to develop solutions that address real challenges and contribute to economic growth and job creation.
As South Africa marks Youth Month, Selepe’s story stands as evidence of what young people achieve with the right ecosystem behind them. Her path from incubation participant in 2025 to national competition winner in 2026 reflects the outcomes of perseverance, focus and strong institutional support.
