Vusi Thembekwayo
Vusi Thembekwayo is a South African entrepreneur, author and business speaker who hosts Ideas That Matter and shares conversations about leadership, building businesses and personal growth.
At 100 nudges, fangea sends Vusi’s team an official invite.
🔒 Star boosts open once Vusi claims this page.
Latest
Vusi’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus their backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Jonathan Ball Publishers
TafelbergOverview
- From
- Benoni, South Africa
- Work
- Entrepreneur, investor, author, speaker and podcast host
- Early milestone
- Won the South African public-speaking championship in 2002, aged 17
- On screen
- Dragon investor on Dragons’ Den South Africa
- Podcast
- Ideas That Matter
- Latest book
- Underdogs, with Michael Hinton, published in October 2026
Mini bio
How it started.
Vusi’s speaking journey began in Benoni. At 17, Vusi won the South African Championship in Public Speaking in 2002 and went to England for the ESU international competition. According to the official account, that trip brought a first flight and a first visit overseas.
Finding a bigger stage.
At 19, an invitation to speak at a Black Management Forum event put Vusi on a programme with then-president Thabo Mbeki. Business and speaking developed alongside each other, and in 2014 Vusi became one of the investors on Dragons’ Den South Africa, listening to founders pitch for backing.
From the stage to the page.
Vusi’s debut book, The Magna Carta of Exponentiality, launched in Barcelona in 2017. Tafelberg published Vusi: Business & Life Lessons from a Black Dragon in July 2018, sharing the journey into business and the lessons learned along the way.
What fans can follow now.
Ideas That Matter brings Vusi’s business and leadership conversations into audio, with a video companion called Ideas That Matter Plus. Alongside founding MyGrowthFund Venture Partners, Vusi continues writing: the 2026 book Underdogs, co-authored with Michael Hinton, draws on cases including Nando’s, Hyundai and Canva to explore how smaller players can grow.
Creditschronological, newest first
Books
- 2026Underdogs: How Small Players Can Become Business TitansCo-author with Michael Hinton
- 2018Vusi: Business & Life Lessons from a Black DragonAuthor
- 2017The Magna Carta of ExponentialityAuthor
Audio & video
- 2020–presentIdeas That MatterHost
- 2014Dragons’ Den South AfricaDragon investor
Awards
Quotes
The life skill to take into the future is that of empathy.Vusi Thembekwayo, GQ South Africa
Asked which essential life skill people need in business and life, in GQ’s July 2020 interview.
Trivia
- The trip to England for the ESU competition was Vusi’s first flight and first time overseas.
- Vusi’s official biography lists amateur motor racing among the offstage interests.
- Vusi collects historical African and Renaissance art.
- After losing a bet to a sales executive, Vusi wore a mohawk for three months, according to the official biography.
Find Vusi
Follow Vusi for new conversations, books and talks.
Are you Vusi Thembekwayo?
Fans built this page. Claim it to connect with them and unlock Star boosts, or request a takedown if you’d rather it not exist.