In an environment where analytical thinking and creative expression are valued, the top six most promising student enterprises across South African (SA) universities pitched at the recent Hult Prize* South Africa National competition, held in Workshop 17, Cape Town.

Bringing together more than 150 student entrepreneurs and more than 14 SA universities represented, the top six pitched on issues such as mobility, infrastructure, safety, and sustainability, showing how entrepreneurship can solve real-world problems and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

After extensive screening from the judging panel, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) business venture NAVU Mobility, founded by Amohetsoe Shale was awarded as the winner of the competition.

NAVU Mobility is a health-tech startup transforming mobility for amputees in underserved communities. They design durable, repairable prosthetic solutions built for real-world conditions. Their flagship product, the NK Gen 1 prosthetic knee, bridges the gap between unaffordable high-end devices and low-cost alternatives that often fail. With a focus on accessibility, reliability, and local repairability, NAVU restores mobility and sustains it where it’s needed most.

“This win is a great opportunity for NAVU Mobility to stand on the international stage and to get international partners as well as an exposure to international business developers”, said Amohetsoe, Founder of NAVU Mobility.

With over 130 countries, NAVU has now entered Hult Prize’s Global Digital Incubator programme. From May – June 2026, the team will be attending mentorship sessions to refine its value proposition. If selected in the top 20 from the incubator, NAVU will participate in the accelerator in the UK in August 2026, ultimately take the stage at the Hult Prize Global Finals in London on 4 September 2026, where the winning team will take home $1 million in seed investment.

The Hult Prize is the world’s largest student competition for social entrepreneurship, run in partnership with the United Nations.