Charles Bolton Email & Phone Number

Pretoria, Gp, Za

Southern Africa

As the regional leader for Southern and Eastern Africa, covering operations in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Nigeria, and other countries, my team and I are responsible for establishing strategic partnerships and delivering programs in Entrepreneurship Education, Venture Creation, and SME Development. Our work focuses on creating impactful support structures for entrepreneurs across the region.We achieve this by building innovative and robust networks with local and regional partner institutions, including governments, higher education institutions, corporates, large employers, and both public and private start-up support organizations and incubators. By fostering these collaborations, we ensure that our programs are tailored to the unique needs of the region and most importantly the students and entrepreneurs. We work closely with partners on all levels to implement and sustain these initiatives.The Wadhwani Foundation’s global mission centers on accelerating economic development in emerging economies by driving large-scale job creation through entrepreneurship, innovation, and skills development. This requires close coordination with the global team to develop and share best practices and programs, ensuring consistent and measurable outcomes. As a regional leader, my priority is to ensure that effective partnerships are established and maintained, programs are successfully delivered, and that the outcomes we achieve in each country significantly contribute to the broader mission of driving economic growth and job creation across Africa.

South Africa

As a Management Consultant, I leverage my 35 years of entrepreneurship and corporate experience to work with startup and growth-stage ventures across Southern, Eastern, and West Africa. I serve as a part-time non-executive board member, mentor, coach, or advisor, providing strategic guidance and valuable insights to help entrepreneurs navigate their growth journeys. My expertise spans a diverse range of sectors, including Property, Automotive, Manufacturing, Hospitality, and e-Commerce, among others.In addition to supporting entrepreneurs, I also consult on high-impact, scalable program development and implementation projects for Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) initiatives in South Africa. I provide consulting services to organizations and companies looking to establish or expand their operations in Africa, offering expertise in scaling businesses within the region’s unique market dynamics.I collaborate with a variety of organizations, including Silverlight, Growth Mentors, StartWise, Startup Express, and German X, where my contributions are instrumental in driving innovation and sustainable growth.

South Africa

FasterCapital is a virtual incubator based in Dubai Internet City. Helping startups through our programs acceleration and incubation. FasterCapital was established in 2010 and the model was publicly available since 2016. Fastercapital has currently has more than 120 regional partners with 80 offices worldwide.The incubator shifted toward more involvement in the start by becoming a cofounder and cofunder. As cofounders we worked with entrepreneurs on developing the business model. As cofunders, we co-fund the startup from idea stage and until it can generate enough money. With FasterCapital the entrepreneurs are not left alone and the incubator supported the startup and finance it over a period of one to two years until it starts to generate income.My role was a freelance mentor to incubator funded startup's and ventures from the Africa region, but I also acted as a regional partner to identify and support qualifiying ventures through the funding or investment application process.As an incubator we provided idea validation, feasibility study, market analysis, product development, help in sales/marketing, mentorship and financial help until the startup is cashflow positive.FasterCapital has multiple round of funding per year during each of which we will selected startups that can be accelerated or incubated by FasterCapital.

Johannesburg Area, South Africa

As the Founder and CEO of KHWEBO Consulting, I built and scaled a consulting firm that became a leader in delivering some of the largest Enterprise Development Programs in Southern Africa over an 8-year period. This role was a culmination of my more than 15 years of experience in the industry, during which I successfully established KHWEBO as a key player in the SME and ESD landscape.Under my leadership, KHWEBO grew to have one of the largest operational footprints in Southern Africa. I led the growth of a consulting team that managed, facilitated, and coordinated the delivery of numerous ESD and SME development programs across the region. With 35 full-time employees and 65 remote associates and mentors, we were able to support and engage thousands of SMEs and startups. Our programs were delivered simultaneously across multiple sectors for a range of partner companies, driving sustainable business growth and job creation throughout the region.As a founder, I was deeply involved in every aspect of the business, from strategic decision-making and business development to establishing long-term partnerships. My focus on operational excellence and delivering impactful outcomes helped KHWEBO Consulting become a trusted name in SME development, enabling the company to create a lasting impact on the entrepreneurial landscape in Southern Africa.