Allon Raiz

Allon Raiz is regarded both locally and globally as a pioneer and maverick in the business-incubation industry. He is the founder and CEO of Raizcorp which, according to The Economist, is the only genuine incubator in Africa and which currently supports over 500 businesses.

A two-time PhD dropout, Allon is the best-selling author of three entrepreneurial books. He hosted the first national radio show on entrepreneurship in South Africa in 2004; wrote and hosted the first South African prime-time entrepreneurship reality television show, and created and published an entrepreneurial cartoon strip. Allon is currently hosting his ninth season of the popular The Big Small Business Show on Business Day TV, is a contributor to Daily Maverick and has a weekly radio slot on Power FM.

Allon is a co-founder of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation South Africa and Rural Roots, and is on the advisory and judging boards of numerous local and international NGOs and entrepreneurial awards.

His passion for and focus on the development of entrepreneurs attracted the attention of the World Economic Forum (WEF) which, in 2008, recognised Allon as a Young Global Leader.
As an accomplished international speaker, Allon was invited to speak at the 2011 WEF Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland. In 2011, he was also invited to become a member of the WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Fostering Entrepreneurship, making him one of 15 recognised global experts in the field. More recently, he became a member of the WEF’s Global Future Council.

In 2013, Allon received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Oliver Transformation and Empowerment Awards. The following year, he became the country winner, regional winner and continental winner of the Titan Award for Building Nations.

Between 2014 and 2016, Allon guest lectured at Oxford University where he was recognised as the Oxford University Saïd Business School’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence.

In 2015, Allon received an invitation from the White House, on behalf of President Barack Obama, to speak at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit held in Kenya.

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'Allon has an innate ability to present and engage with his audience in a meaningful, passionate way that promoted and encouraged animated dialogue. The Entrepreneurship Workshop was by far the most successful aspect of the three day course and even the most cynical among the participants praised Allon's style of workshop interaction. On behalf of FCB!mpact, I would highly recommend Allon Raiz for entrepreneurship and business management presentations. His passion and zeal for his topic was positively contagious and all who listened to him left the course, not only inspired but empowered to go out there and JUST DO IT!'

FCB Impact