Net Prophet Cape Town

The internet indaba returns bigger and better than ever with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as headlining speaker

Whether you’re at the tippy top of the tech game or just finding your virtual feet, you definitely won’t want to miss the sixth edition of Net Prophet, a TED talk-type conference focused on digital entrepreneurship and online innovation. The internet indaba takes place on Wednesday, 21 May 2014 at the Artscape Opera House, and this year, the line-up features some of the most creative, successful and ambitious thinkers and doers online, including one of the foremost revolutionaries of the digital age, internet activist Julian Assange.

Founded in Cape Town by non-profit entity the RAMP Foundation, Net Prophet aims to encourage and motivate current digital movers and shakers and inspire future start-up business owners by giving them access to established leaders in the industry. Only 1500 lucky attendees will get to hear rousing tales of web zeroes to heroes, get clued up on the latest ideas and listen to predictions for the future during the day-long session.  And the best part about it all is that the invaluable wealth of knowledge comes at absolutely no cost because entry to the event is FREE! If that’s not reason enough to attend, we’ve got a few more points that should have you confidently booking your space.

10 REASONS TO ATTEND 2014 NET PROPHET CAPE TOWN

1) The headline speaker is a pretty BIG DEAL
Pretty much everyone with an internet connection knows of Julian Assange, the Australian publisher and journalist who, to quote television show 60 Minutes, “rattled the worlds of journalism, diplomacy and national security” with his whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks. Audience members will get to be a part of a one-of-a-kind event as the exiled speaker, who rarely makes public appearances, gives his address on internet entrepreneurship and answers questions via live video chat. Basically, you’ll get to be part of a very few who can say they’ve ‘seen’ Assange.

2) Actually, all the speakers are REALLY impressive
Yes, Assenge is what Jimi Hendrix was to Woodstock 69, but just like the pioneering music festival, Net Prophet has an impressive all-around line-up of web-world rock stars. The audience will get to hear from the likes of Jody Ford, who is the Vice President of Marketing at eBay, and listen to Director at Ogilvy Group Advertising Nicole Yershon share her personal story of what it’s like to start at the bottom and work your way to the very top.

3) Get access to some of the online world’s greatest minds
Over the years Net Prophet has gained quite a following amongst industry leaders, some of whom appear on stage and some of whom just attend so that they can interact with ‘the man on the ground’. Therefore, in between sessions you might have chance to share ideas with folks like Mxit chairman and former Chief Executive Officer of First National Bank Michael Jordaan.

4) It’s an excellent networking opportunity
What could possibly be better for an up-and-comer in any industry than to be in a room with 1499 other individuals who share similar goals? Net Prophet is the perfect opportunity to connect with the right kind of people, whether you’re looking to find a mentor who knows the ins and outs of digital entrepreneurship or a fellow self-starter with whom you can collaborate and share ideas. Make sure you’re stocked up with business cards and have spare pages in your little black book.

5) It’s good for the economy
The main goal of the Net Prophet conference is to help encourage a culture of digital entrepreneurship. The people behind the conference believe that small business is a key to a healthy economy and can help create much-needed jobs. And so, by providing up-and-coming business owners access to key players who have tons of helpful knowledge to dispense, the indaba aims to fuel South Africa’s technological evolution and motivate individuals to found their own small enterprises.

6) This year really is bigger and better
With its own rags-to-riches type story to tell, Net Prophet has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 2009. The first annual get-together was hosted in the foyer of the Old Mutual Business School in Pinelands with just a few hundred guests in attendance, and now organisers are preparing to host 1500 delegates who will hear from Julian Assange, one of the key figures of the internet age. 

7) Net Prophet is the rock concert of conferences
Sure, web start-ups, tech talk and internet geekery don’t sound very rock ‘n’ roll, but the Net Prophet conference is actually a fun affair, and the speakers are as inspiring and awesome to hear as a night spent listening to a guitar hero shred it on stage. Not to mention, sometime during the day there will be awesome live entertainment to shake things up a little bit.

8) You get to be part of an important conversation
In this day and age, no budding business owner can afford to ignore the importance of an online presence or the potential there is to be the next Mark Zuckerberg or Dong Nguyen (that’s the guy who developed Flappy Bird). Net Prophet is not just about listening to motivational speakers, it’s also a place where ideas are exchanged and predictions about the future of the industry are shared. YOU could be the first to know about the next big thing and jump right on that bandwagon.

9) Be inspired
Yes, we’ve mentioned inspiration a couple of times, but when it comes to Net Prophet, it seems it cannot be said enough. Expect to take home priceless gems that may just change your daily thinking in the littlest of ways or motivate and move you to take that big leap into the deep end.  

10) Did we mention it’s FREE
After all of the above, it’s a little unbelievable that anyone and everyone who wants to can have access to this vault of invaluable information (that is, if they sign up in time because there’s limited space available), but that is part of the whole Net Prophet concept. Since it costs absolutely nothing to attend, you have MORE to lose if you don’t go to this year’s event.

TICKETS FOR 2014 NET PROPHET CAPE TOWN

While it costs absolutely nothing to attend Net Prophet 2014, those who want to go must register online at Computicket.com (tickets will be released in batches of 100). There is also the option to pay for better spots in the auditorium, and Premium Seating tickets are available for R250p/p. VIP costs R750p/p, which includes Golden Circle seats, access to the VIP area where guests can mingle with speakers and media, free lunch and snacks during breaks, a pimped out gift basket and access to the after party.

Registration begins at 7am and the conference starts at 9am.

---

If you like meeting people and sharing ideas, you’ll love monthly events like Startup Grind, CreativeMornings and  Pecha Kucha Cape Town.

---

Use our events section for an up-to-date overview of happenings in Cape Town. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and if you have a smart phone, add m.capetownmagazine.com to your home screen for quick access on the go!

Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, join our Google+ circle, connect with us on LinkedIn, check out our photos on Instagram and follow our Pinterest boards for updates on what’s happening in and around the Mother City!