Innovators Den hosted in JHB cuts through AI hype to help business leaders build practical advantage

Johannesburg, South Africa – Africa’s leading digital innovation agency, Specno, hosted the annual Innovators Den in Johannesburg last week, drawing together founders, product leaders and executives for a practical discussion on converting AI buzz into measurable business value. The discussion equipped innovators with tools they could apply immediately inside their organisations.

Moderated by Specno Co-founder and Chair, Daniel Novitzkas, the panel brought together Harry Lee, CTO at Melio AI, Priaash Ramadeen, co-founder at the Awareness Company and Simbarashe Mafukidze, Business Improvement Manager at Vodacom; operators who have been deploying AI in production long before it was popular. Their conversation centred on three imperatives: cut through hype, get data-ready, and iterate for return on investment.

The discussion positioned AI as a business enabler rather than a replacement tool. Speakers highlighted that meaningful progress begins with human augmentation, helping individuals and teams work faster and smarter, before scaling efficiencies organisation-wide.

A strong emphasis was placed on moving beyond “proof-of-concept fatigue”. Instead of producing theoretical reports, businesses were encouraged to pursue small, in-production wins that reduce manual processes, enhance productivity, and improve customer experience.

The panel also reinforced the need for both an AI strategy and a data strategy. As adoption accelerates, companies must link AI initiatives directly to financial outcomes, quantifying productivity gains, managing computational spend, and ensuring measurable value creation.

Daniel Novitzkas, Co-founder and Chair of Specno, said the next wave of innovation will be defined by accessibility and personalization: “We’re moving into a world where every individual and every team will have their own AI co-pilot, an intelligent assistant tuned to their tone, workflows and decision-making style. The challenge now is to make sure that capability reaches everyone, not just a privileged few.”

He added that Africa’s opportunity lies in local adaptation, not imitation: “If we invest in African language models and digital education, we can give people the tools to transform their own lives and communities. Access to AI shouldn’t depend on geography or language, it should be universal.”

The Innovators Den offered a hands-on forum for product teams and executives who wanted to make AI real inside their businesses. Sessions featured builders who shared hard-won lessons, with an interactive Q&A session that helped attendees move from curiosity to capability.

“We’re here to cut through fluff and help teams ship value,” says Novitzkas, “Innovators Den exists so African builders can focus on what to build while AI accelerates the how.”

Any companies or innovators interested in leveraging the full extent of AI in their businesses can reach out to the Specno team for advice, support and assistance via www.specno.com.