When Mpumi Mahlangu arrived at Vodacom World for the 2025 Innovator Trust Enterprise Development Graduation, she expected to celebrate a milestone — the successful completion of a four-year journey through one of South Africa’s most rigorous incubation programmes. What she didn’t expect was to be called to the stage as a national top achiever.
As the Managing Director of Synergy Trading & Projects, Mpumi was awarded third place in the ED Top Achievers: Highest Actual Revenue for the 2023/2024 financial year. Alongside this honour, she received a R50,000 cash prize to further fuel her business’s growth. “I honestly thought I was just coming to graduate,” she said, smiling after the ceremony. “I didn’t know I’d be going home with something else.”
That “something else” is more than recognition. It is affirmation of a journey that began in 2020 with a dream, no formal financial statements, and a strong referral to the Innovator Trust. “A contact at Vodacom told me about the programme and shared the link to apply,” she recalled. “At the time, we were still starting out. I didn’t even have proper financials. I had to rush to get someone to help put together statements just so I could apply.”
Getting accepted into the Innovator Trust’s Hatch Incubator Programme marked a turning point — not just for her business, but for her as a leader. “What I appreciated most was that it wasn’t a one-size-fits-all model. They really looked at where we were and gave us the specific support we needed,” she said. “From training to mentorship, they covered the gaps we didn’t even know we had — marketing, HR, financial planning, the whole package. I don’t think we would have achieved the growth we’ve seen without them.”
That growth is not hypothetical. In just four years, Synergy Trading & Projects expanded to employ over 100 people — a figure Mpumi does not take lightly. “When things get tough, and they do, I think of the team. I can’t stop now. It’s no longer about me and my vision alone. It’s about the people who rely on this business for their livelihoods. If I stop, families suffer. So, I just can’t stop.”
There’s quiet pride in how she says it, and it’s backed by action. “Since we started, I’ve never once failed to pay salaries. Never. Every single month, no matter how hard things got, I found a way to make it work. That matters to me.”
The way she leads — with clarity, compassion, and accountability — stems from a strong sense of purpose. For Mpumi, business success is measured not just by revenue, but by impact. “My biggest highlight so far? Definitely employment creation,” she said. “The fact that this business now supports so many households is what drives me. And that’s why I’m always planning for the future — looking ahead to where our next business will come from, how we stay ahead, how we remain sustainable.”
Her ambitions don’t stop with her own company. Mpumi has become a quiet but committed force for change in the ICT space, particularly for young black women. “Someone gave me a chance, and now I make it a point to do the same. I take on graduates and mentor them. I’m very intentional about selecting black women, because there’s so much potential out there — and sometimes, all someone needs is a door to be opened.”
That sense of legacy is deeply personal. “I want to be an example. I want young girls to look at me and say, ‘If she can do it, I can too.’ That’s something that pushes me every day. If you can see it in your mind, you can be it. You can do it.”
For Mpumi Mahlangu, the Innovator Trust was more than an incubator — it was a partner in transformation. “They were with us from the early days, and they never gave us a generic experience,” she said. “They were specific, practical, and present. That made all the difference.”
The graduation ceremony may be over, but Mpumi’s work is far from done. With her R50,000 prize and a national accolade under her belt, she’s already looking ahead — to expanding her business, growing her team, and mentoring the next generation of women in tech. “We’re building something that lasts,” she said. “And we’re only just getting started.”
