Rene Parker

I am a social impact entrepreneur with extensive experience in building social ventures at scale. I have played a leading role in transforming RLabs into an award-winning global social enterprise from the humble beginnings of a community project in Cape Town. RLabs is a global movement that has inspired replication of the model in 24 countries and has impacted more than 25 Million people since its inception.

I have been the driving force for RLabs Women, which serves as a support network for women-led businesses, and founded Junk.fund – an innovative crowdfunding platform that invests in female entrepreneurs.

My latest venture involves becoming an Angel investor and co-founding RLabs Angels, where we make investments in high-growth startups across Africa.

*2019 – 2023 Africa Business Hero Semi-Final Judge, a programme created by Jack Ma and run by the Jack Ma Foundation, which aims to support and showcase African Business Heroes.

*I serve on multiple boards in an executive, non-executive, and advisory capacity.

*Winner of the Inspiring Fifty South Africa 2019 Award, an initiative that aims to increase diversity in tech, by boosting the visibility of female role models in STEM.

I have a strong focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and empowering women through technology and enterprise development as well as a thought leader who provides a variety of consulting services in International Development and Community Innovation to both the private and public sectors. I am extremely passionate about our continent – Africa, its people, and all we will still become.