As announced by the World Business Angels Investment Forum, Hannes Dupper, has been appointed as International Partner for South Africa
“As an affiliate partner of the G20 Global Partnerships for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the WBAF support venture capital and companies connect with international ecosystems”— Chairman – Grand Assembly
- Hannes Dupper Appointed as South African Partner at the World Angel Forum: Hannes Dupper has been officially designated as the International Partner for South Africa at the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum, representing the country within this global network.
- South Africa’s Inclusion in WBAF Opens Global Opportunities: South Africa, particularly Gauteng, now has enhanced access to global investors and ecosystems, facilitating connections for startups, scaleups, and high-growth businesses, thus promoting economic development.
- WBAF’s Role in Supporting Financial Inclusion and Innovation: The World Business Angels Investment Forum, affiliated with the G20 GPFI, focuses on fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems, developing financial instruments for startups, and promoting gender equality worldwide.
- About Hannes Dupper: A Visionary Leader and Strategist: Hannes Dupper is a real estate investor, innovator in educational technology, and strategic thinker, leading Firefly Global Holdings with a focus on sustainable developments and economic impact.
- Hannes Dupper’s Initiatives and Research in Leadership and Education: Beyond his business ventures, Dupper leads Thrive Zero, an AI-powered EdTech platform, and is pursuing a DBA to enhance leadership strategies, with a focus on growth scalability and organizational culture.
As announced by the World Business Angels Investment Forum, Hannes Dupper, has been appointed as International Partner for South Africa / Gauteng. International Partner Hannes Dupper to represent South Africa / Gauteng at the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum.
The inclusion of South Africa / Gauteng in WBAF provides a wide range of opportunities for South Africa / Gautengʼs start-ups, scaleups and high growth businesses and opens doors for economic development. (London) With this new appointment, South Africa / Gauteng has joined the largest forum of the worldʼs equity investment markets and will now be able to connect more with the global investors market, which will open up splendid opportunities for the country. Now local South Africa / Gauteng angel investors, incubation centres, accelerators, private equity funds, co-investment funds, technology parks, corporate ventures and aspiring entrepreneurs will have more opportunity to connect with global leaders in the same field. The inclusion of South Africa / Gauteng in WBAF provides a wide range of opportunities for South Africa / Gautengʼs start-ups, scaleups and high growth businesses and opens doors for economic development.
Baybars Altuntas, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Business Angels Investment Forum says “As an a filiated partner of the G20 Global Partnerships for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the WBAF supports start-ups’, develops entrepreneurial ecosystems, and helps venture capital and companies connect with international companies, fin-techs and other relevant institutions. We are confident about our contribution to the economic development of the country by facilitating connections with entrepreneurial ecosystems. We strongly believe that South Africa / Gauteng wil soon become a country that can foster the development of its economy in a more entrepreneurial atmosphere.” About the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF)
As an affiliated partner of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) is committed to collaborating globally to empower the economic development of the world by fostering innovative financial instruments for startups, scaleups, innovators, entrepreneurs and SMEs and to promoting gender equality and womenʼs participation in all sectors of the world economy. WBAF invites you to join our global efforts to ease access to finance, promote financial inclusion, and create more jobs and social justice. WBAF accomplishes its mission through various parties and channels. These include: 138 high commissioners, senators and international partners from 79 countries; 7 country offices on 5 continents; the WBAF Business School and its more than 50 faculty members from 32 countries; and 5 international working committees. WBAF also has an angel investment fund, partnerships with 12 global institutions, and economic cooperation agreements with 5 governments. The WBAF World Congress, held in February of each year, hosts at least 5 summits and numerous other events, including a Global Fundraising Stage and a World Excellence Awards ceremony. WBAF also boasts a number of publications, among which are the WBAF Business School Journal, World Class Startup Magazine, and Angel Investor Review Online. www.wbaforum.org About GPFI The Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) is an inclusive platform for all G20 countries, interested non-G20 countries, and relevant stakeholders to carry forward work on financial inclusion, including implementation of the G20 Financial Inclusion Action Plan endorsed at the G20 Summit in Seoul. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands is the Honorary Patron of the GPFI. www.gpfi.org
About Hannes Dupper Hannes Dupper (DBA Candidate) Visionary Leader | Real Estate Investor & Developer | EdTech Innovator | High-Level Strategist Hannes Dupper is a visionary entrepreneur, investor, and strategist whose career bridges the worlds of real estate, infrastructure development, and educational technology. As Group CEO of Firefly Global Holdings, he oversees a diverse portfolio of companies operating across property investment, development, education, and venture building — including Firefly Propco, Firefly Projects, Firefly Real Estate (RE/MAX Team Firefly), and the Alternative Investor Network (AIN). Under his leadership, Firefly Global has grown into a multi-company ecosystem with assets and developments valued in the hundreds of millions, spanning residential estates, commercial projects, and investment vehicles in both South Africa and the UK. Notable developments under the group include Sugarbush Estate, Hobby Park Estate, Glen Austin Estate, and Reefhave Pty Ltd (SPV) , all built with a focus on sustainability, community upliftment, and long-term economic value. Hannes is renowned as a first-class negotiator and strategic architect, known for his ability to build infrastructure, mobilize executive teams, and execute complex multi-sector deals. His leadership philosophy blends visionary foresight with disciplined, data-driven strategy — ensuring each project and venture creates measurable impact.
Beyond real estate, Hannes is the founder and lead investor of Thrive Zero, an AI-powered EdTech platform developed under AIN. The platform gamifies financial education and social entrepreneurship, designed to stimulate economic growth through social learning and mentorship. Thrive is already being recognized as one of Africaʼs most promising innovations in educational technology, merging social media engagement with behavioural learning to empower a new generation of investors and entrepreneurs. His academic journey underscores his commitment to leadership excellence. Currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), his research focuses on closing the leadership gap in rapidly growing real estate organizations — a study that explores how executive culture, decision-making, and leadership design influence scalability and success. This research directly informs his leadership development frameworks and strategic interventions within Fireflyʼs companies. Throughout his career, Hannes has received media recognition for his achievements, including Firefly Globalʼs strategic scale-up and transformation initiative, which streamlined operations, redeployed capital into scalable verticals, and positioned the group as a leader in purpose-driven investment. His work with AIN has also drawn widespread attention, with the Thrive platform described as “a refreshing reinvention of mentorship and learning in the digital age.” Across all his ventures, Hannes champions a simple but powerful mission — to build ecosystems that empower people, infrastructure, and economies to thrive.
