The people routing capital where it's needed most.

Charles Maisel is an internationally recognised social entrepreneur and co-founder of Black Umbrellas alongside Mark Frankel. He has spent his career designing and launching pioneering enterprise and social development initiatives across South Africa, including Men on the Side of the Road, Bebold (one of Southern Africa's largest university student entrepreneurship networks) and Innovation Shack.

Charles holds a degree in Development Economics and International Development from Rhodes University, and has been recognised internationally as an Ashoka Fellow, an Echoing Green Fellow and an AGFUND Prize recipient.

A global thinker, impact investor and strategist. Working at the intersection of tech startups, major corporations, government, academia and investors. Successful in launching inaugural innovation initiatives across the African continent with a cross-border collaborative mandate.

Attracts global contributors to realise the opportunity of private–public sector collaboration for stimulating market-creating innovation across Africa to ensure sustainable economic growth. A collaborator. A marketer. A storyteller. An entrepreneur.

Mark Frankel is a Chartered Accountant (SA) with over 30 years' experience spanning finance, strategy, and operations. He has held senior leadership roles, including Finance Director, where he was responsible for financial stewardship, governance, and risk management within complex organisations.

For ten years, Mark served as CEO of Black Umbrellas, a leading enterprise and supplier development non-profit organisation, where he played a pivotal role in building one of South Africa's most impactful business incubation programmes. Under his leadership, Black Umbrellas supported the growth and sustainability of thousands of emerging entrepreneurs, driving job creation and economic inclusion.

Mark has extensive board and committee-level experience, bringing expertise in financial oversight, risk management, and organisational sustainability. He is passionate about supporting social development initiatives and empowering entrepreneurs through effective governance and sound financial management.

With a distinguished Honours degree in Computer Science from the University of Cape Town, Jarred has a solid foundation in data science, machine learning, financial technology, and big data. His expertise encompasses both front- and back-end software development; as well as leading a team of developers.

Jarred combines his passion for technology and conservation to build tools that empower organisations to raise funds more effectively. His focus is on creating secure, intuitive technology that makes it easier for people to support causes they care about.