Africarare Team

Core Team

Mic Mann Co-Founder & CEO

Mic Mann is a highly successful entrepreneur and leading global expert in Virtual and Augmented Reality. With over 23 years of experience in the marketing, gaming, and eventing industry, he has built global brands and communities across Africa, including SingularityU #futureproofAfrica. Mic is a regular speaker on topics such as VR, AR, the future of work, the new online global economy, gaming, education, and the changing role of professionals. He holds an honors degree in scriptwriting, directing, and producing films from AFDA.

Shayne Mann Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer

Shayne Mann is the co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Mann-Made, an award-winning, experiential brand agency that serves top local and global Fortune 500 companies. Mann-Made is a key partner to Africarare and specializes in video and digital experiences. Shayne is renowned for his expertise in cutting-edge digital and virtual conferences and events. He is an alumnus of SingularityU and has served as a co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa, focusing on exponential and disruptive technologies that drive positive change in Africa.

Hillel Shrock COO

With more than twenty years in tech leadership, Hillel Shrock has guided startups to corporate success. He has overseenoversaw African entities as executive directors, managing legal, regulatory, new business, compliance, ethics, and marketing roles. His education includes a BCOM LLB from the University of Witwatersrand (WITS), South Africa, and an MBA from Wits Business School.

Shelley Feinberg CFO

Our Chief Financial Officer brings 25 years of diverse experience spanning financial management, key accounting, and leadership roles in the finance sector. Holding a Bcomt AccountingAccounts degree, her expertise isn't limited to finance alone. Her vast knowledge encompasses various domains, from product development to guiding marketing agencies, making her an invaluable asset to our organisation.

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AI Advisory Team

Dr. Adam Pantanowitz

Dr. Adam Pantanowitz is an iconic biomedical and electrical engineer known for pioneering the world's first live and mobile connection of a human brain to the internet in the groundbreaking project known as Brainternet. With a Ph.D. in AI applied healthcare innovation, Dr. Pantanowliz is a leading expert in the field.

Dr. Mark Nasila

Dr. Mark Nasila is a Chief Analytics Officer and a prominent figure in the development of emerging technologies such as AI, data science, and machine learning in Africa. His expertise and contributions are instrumental in driving innovation in these areas.

Ashley Anthony

Ashley Anthony is the co-founder and CEO of lsazi Consulting, a leading AI company based in South Africa. With a deep understanding of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Ashley excels in designing solutions based on valuable insights derived from these technologies.

Benji Rosman

Benji Rosman is an Associate Professor in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He directs the Robotics, Autonomous Intelligence and Learning (RAIL) Laboratory and serves as the Director of the National E-Science Postgraduate Teaching and Training Platform (NEPTTP).

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Advisory Team

Monica Singer

Monica was the first CEO of South Africa’s Central Securities Depository (CSD), Strate (Pty) Ltd which she set up in 1998 until she resigned in August 2017. In October 2017, Monica was appointed as South Africa Lead for ConsenSys, being the biggest blockchain company in the world. Advisory Board member to the Global Digital Asset & Cryptocurrency Ass Member of the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance working group researching the risks and accounting methods for Decentralised Finance.

Will Weisman

Will is the founder of KittyHawk Ventures, an early-stage frontier technology venture firm. Previously Will spent 7 years as an Executive Director at Singularity University. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Peter Diamandis and speaks about exponential technology as well as VC & entrepreneurship. He is an avid kiteboarder and ocean swimmer and resides in Santa Monica.

Dr Geci Karuri-Sebina

Dr Geci Karuri-Sebina is part of the SingularityU South Africa faculty with a focus on urban futures, including smart cities, networks, urban planning, governance and development, as well as innovation systems. She holds numerous professional titles among them, Associate of The South African Cities Network and Council Member of the South African Council of Planners. Geci is also a founding director of the Southern African Node of the Millennium Project, co-founder of Foresight For Development.

Tanya Knowles

Renowned crypto and blockchain expert in South Africa who has formerly worked for Adhara, Binance, Strate and Investec Bank. Chairperson of the South African Financial Blockchain Consortium, a faculty member of SingularityU South Africa, an Ambassador for the Global Blockchain Business Council and an advisor to the South African National Blockchain Alliance. Has a certification in blockchain technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), BA, PDM, and MBA.