Our Company

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The Naledi3d Factory
Founded in 2000, the Naledi3d Factory was one of the first companies to join the Innovation Hub in Pretoria.

The company now has almost ten years of experience in the building of visual content using virtual reality (VR) – which we also refer to as “interactive visual simulations” - as well as pioneering the use of VR in the upliftment of our poorer communities across Africa.

Synergies between “virtual reality” and “Africa” are not obvious links to make and our origins were preceded by several years of brainstorming (over many beers) and a sharing of ideas amongst individuals from different walks of life and professions…

 

Geographic spread
The Naledi3d Factory has close ties with several organisations in Sweden, the USA, Asia, the UK and Europe.

However, we focus our implementation efforts in Africa - where we have worked with organisations in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Mozambique, Sudan, Senegal, Zimbabwe as well as South Africa itself.

 

B-BBEE Codes of Practice
The Naledi3d Factory qualifies as an EME (Exempt Micro Enterprise) and is a Level 4 company as per the DTI Generic Scorecard – certified as such by the Services SETA in 2009.

 

Social entrepreneurship
the Naledi3d Factory as a company was born out of a desire to make a social contribution to the African Diaspora, building on the principles of what has become known as “social entrepreneurship” .

 

Social Responsibility
By the very nature of our project work, much of it has a strong social element – our focus on using VR in Africa to benefit disadvantaged communities is integral to community development and in itself has a significant social impact.

As an SME however, we do try to do more where we can - for example:

  • Bring a girl child to work campaign (with Cell-C and the Innovation Hub) – hosting up to 12 girls on a careers visit for a day each year
  • Career guidance – working with DoC to show young people who are interested in ICT’s what our approach to the use of ICT is
  • Vocational internships – when we can, we offer students from local colleges a 6-month internship as a way to help gain some practical / vocational experience. Out of 14 students, five have gone on to join us full time.
  • Enablis e-circle –as an e-circle facilitator, we co-coordinate a support group of small SME owners in Pretoria, which meets monthly at the Naledi3d Factory
  • Equipment donations – we try to ensure that all our unwanted and disused equipment goes on to find new deserving owners
  • SciFest (2007) – we exhibited at SciFest in 2007 to demonstrate science and technology through VR to the many young visitors to the annual SciFest in Grahamstown
  • CSIR football kit – in 2003, when the CSIR development side was struggling to get off the ground – we supplied a full set of kit - that is still in use today…

 

Awards & Special mentions

World Summit Awards 2009 summit2009 WSA2009
Selected for “special mention” as one of the most outstanding examples of creative and innovative e-Content (out of a pool of 20 000 nominations from 157 countries)

African ICT Achievers Awards                 
aict_awards AICTAA The most Innovative ICT Company in Africa (2005 Finalist)

Technology Top 100 Company
(Dept. Science and top100 tt100 Technology)              
A Technology Top 100 Company – 2005

Proudly South African
psa psa We are proud to have been associated with the Proudly South African compaign.

Business Day, 2003                                  
“One of South Africa’s most innovative companies…”

 

 

Dr Fay Chung, previous Minister of Education, Zimbabwe
"Coming from an education background I recognise the huge potential that VR holds for education. It addresses three primary barriers in African education, i.e. literacy, language and relevant local content”

“This is why I believe Naledi3d Factory’s new, innovative approach (applying what is essentially a first-world technology) to education - and building interactive VR environments -are improving the way Africans learn…”
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Eliada Gudza, Executive Director, World Links Zimbabwe (partners)
“The concept of “iinteractiove3d learning objects”, while unique worldwide, truly has the potential to revolutionise rural development and the upliftment of our disadvantaged communities…” 

 

Peter Schiøler, CII Advisor to UNESCO
Naledi3d Factory is however more than an excellent technical partner for UNESCO. I have personally been impressed by the company’s commitment to, in the spirit of post apartheid South Africa, seek new solutions and share know-how for the public good across the continent.
more...

 

Blair Parkin, MD, Visual Acuity Limited, UK. Technology advisor to the Freedom Park Trust (Pretoria)
 “the Naledi3d Factory have been unique in truly developing the educational potential of VR technology - by applying with great skill, innovation and imagination, the technology's attributes - including the power of communication using visual metaphors  independent of literacy levels or a specific spoken language".

 

Prof. Peter A. Bruck, World Summit Awards Chairman, commenting on the 2009 jury proceedings
“…the most interesting e-Content comes from smaller markets, and there from smaller players. They appear to be much more in touch with users and their communities. Local content, not global, triumphs in terms of quality”.