nnovae — AI & Trust Infrastructure for Telcos in Africa
Company Logonnovae AI

AI Trust Infrastructure for Telecom Operators

Powered by nnovaexnnovaex is a credential trust network for telecom operators and their partners. It turns verified mobile identity into a reusable credential for onboarding, compliance, fraud prevention, and secure access to services across the digital economy.

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Johannesburg • Cape Town • Durban

Readiness Snapshot

AI Opportunity Index

2-weeks
AI readiness + roadmap sprint
Short Pilots
6-week pilot with measurable KPIs
⚡ Ops Readiness
Production Deployment Planning

Typical client AI readiness (tech + data + ops)

What We Do

We bring systems-architecture discipline to AI delivery in emerging markets.

AI CoE & Governance

  • Readiness, roadmaps, governance, and operating models.
  • Refactor and renew to AI-native.
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AI Platform Architecture & Integration

  • Architectural shifts, AI systems Architecture.
  • Embed AI/ML into core systems and platforms.
  • Refactor and renew to AI-native.
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Build Pilots -> Production(MLOps + Delivery)

  • Build AI-native products and deploy them into production.
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Sectors We Serve

Focused where AI can unlock outsized impact in developing markets.

Telecoms

  • Mobile number Verifiable credentials
  • Trusted device + SIM verification & number life cycle trust
  • RICA/FICA onboarding, fraud prevention & audit trails
  • Agentic automation across onboarding, customer care & service Ops

Ecosystem Participants

  • Identity Providers
  • Digital ID & Smart services
  • Citizen platforms
  • Employers
  • Regulators
  • Education & Training institutions

Energy & Utilities

  • Verifiable meter credentials
  • Trusted consumer + device verification
  • Home Solar plant registration & verification
  • Verifiable Certificate of compliance
  • Agentic automation across onboarding, customer care & service Ops

Our Products

Driving value through live platforms and strategic initiatives.

ProductEarly Access

ndim

ndim (meaning me in isiXhosa) is a privacy-preserving verifiable credential platform that enables individuals to securely present trusted identity claims across services.It reduces onboarding friction and fraud by allowing verified credentials—such as ID, proof of address, and mobile number ownership—to be shared with consent, auditability, and minimal data exposure.
Join Early Access
ProductPilot Programme

Naledi Spaza

Naledi Spaza is a digital compliance platform that helps municipalities onboard and manage spaza shop owners against key by-law requirements such as identity, zoning, building safety, and food/health standards. Powered by nnovaex and NDIM verifiable credentials, it enables secure verification, evidence submission, and auditable approval workflows—reducing paperwork and improving transparency for informal businesses to operate legally.
Municipalities/OfficialsSpaza Owners/Associations
PlatformDesign Partners/Pilot

Telco Trust Network

is a self-sovereign identity platform for issuing and verifying mobile-number credentials with privacy, audit trails, and compliance aligned to RICA/FICA. It enables trusted onboarding, reduces SIM fraud, and allows verified mobile identity to be reused across services and ecosystem partners
PlatformEarly Access / Pilot

Energy Trust Network

  • Trusted meter and customer credentials
  • Audit-ready service and inspection history
  • Energy theft detection workflows and enforcement support
  • Agentic automation for field operations and revenue protection
Utility/OfficialConsumer

Leadership Team

Built by experts in Systems Architecture, Strategy, and Operations.

Jacky Kotane

Jacky Kotane

Founder & CTO

Jacky Kotane is a South African technology executive, founder, and AI systems architect focused on building practical, scalable solutions for emerging-market challenges. With senior leadership experience in telecoms and banking—including MTN Group and Standard Bank—he now designs and develops AI-driven platforms using agentic AI, computer vision, and cloud-native architectures. Jacky earned his MSc in Engineering and Management from MIT, where he specialised in system design, architecture trade analysis, and technology strategy. His work sits at the intersection of digital infrastructure, responsible AI, and socio-economic impact.

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Donavine Smith

Strategy Officer

Donavine is a Digital Transformation Director and Human + Strategy Architect with 20+ years of experience leading enterprise-scale transformation across telecoms, media, financial services, and retail in regulated, multi-country environments. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy, technology, governance, and purpose—helping organisations achieve clarity, alignment, and measurable outcomes. She has led major initiatives for MTN Group, Sephora (LVMH), Kauai Dubai, Media24, Old Mutual, and WAN-IFRA.

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Carmen Bentley

COO

With nine years of experience across Telecommunications and Banking, Carmen has built a career grounded in financial modelling, commercial analysis, and product and platform development, underpinned by her CA(SA) qualification. She most recently served as Head of New Business Development for Standard Bank Group Innovation, where she led and supported initiatives that disrupted traditional business models and unlocked new revenue streams. Highlights include Taxi Yam at Standard Bank SA, XtraTime at MTN South Africa, and the Mobile Money financial model at MTN South Africa.

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Palabadi Mahlaba

Technical Architect

A versatile Software Engineering professional with software development, technical operations and team leadership experience. Skilled in Functional, Technical Analysis, Integration & Systems Architecture, Cloud Native Architectures and AI/ML Systems.

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