Lethabo Motsoaledi, co-founder of the Cape Town-based innovation studio Motsoaledi & West, has continued building a career in tech since first speaking publicly about the discrimination young women in the industry often face, and her advice on pushing through that discouragement remains as relevant today.
Her core message to young women considering tech
Motsoaledi’s advocacy centres on a simple but demanding idea: it’s easier to live with discrimination than with the regret of never having taken the risk. She’s been consistent that knowledge and demonstrated competence, not arguing back, are what ultimately silence doubt about a woman’s place in a technical field.
From design thinking studio to a growing tech portfolio
Motsoaledi & West built its reputation on design thinking, helping companies fast-track innovation through structured, empathy-driven problem-solving, work that included an Internet of Things employee-engagement tool and a 3D ultrasound print product with corporate partners. Since then, Motsoaledi has expanded her tech footprint further, co-founding Voyc, a company focused on helping businesses better understand and analyse customer conversations, building on the same customer-insight thinking that shaped her earlier work.
Why her path matters for other aspiring women entrepreneurs
Motsoaledi’s trajectory, from a Geomatics engineering degree, through a design-focused innovation studio, to co-founding a second tech company, illustrates that a technical foundation can lead into multiple entrepreneurial ventures rather than a single fixed career path. Her continued visibility as a tech founder, years after first sharing her message, also reinforces the point she originally made: staying the course through early scepticism tends to outlast the scepticism itself.
Frequently asked questions
What is Lethabo Motsoaledi’s core advice to young women entering tech?
That it’s easier to live with discrimination than the regret of not taking the risk, and that demonstrated knowledge is what ultimately overcomes doubt.
What does Motsoaledi & West actually do?
It’s a design thinking innovation studio that helps companies fast-track innovation through structured, empathy-driven problem-solving.
Has Lethabo Motsoaledi started other ventures since founding M&W?
Yes, she has since co-founded Voyc, a company focused on helping businesses analyse and understand customer conversations.
What academic background does she bring to her tech career?
A Geomatics engineering degree from the University of Cape Town, which she credits with building her problem-solving foundation.
What can aspiring entrepreneurs learn from her career path?
That a technical foundation can support multiple entrepreneurial ventures over time, rather than confining someone to one fixed path.
Originally published in June 2018. Updated September 2026.
Small business and innovation support via the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.
Further reading
Originally published in June 2018. Updated September 2026 to confirm Lethabo Motsoaledi has since co-founded a second tech company, Voyc, and link current profiles of other South African women building in tech.
