Founder: TrustFabric

Joe Botha describes himself as a start-up junkie and with 10 tech start-ups under his belt, the 34-year-old computer science graduate is proving his point. Botha’s success story grows out of a need to find solutions to new problems — like his failed online wine site that led him to start an internet service provider.

He followed this with his wireless network provider Amobia and data centre provider Teraco. Botha’s newest venture, TrustFabric, aims to simplify the relationship that customers have with the companies they deal with. Its latest success has been a deal with social network MXit, to provide an opt-out service to protect its users from spam. Just a few months after it launched it already has over 100000 MXit users signed up to the service. It’s one in a lengthening line of successes — just don’t expect this to be his last hurrah.

— Ben Kelly

Twitter: @SwimGeek