When UCT student Alexandria Procter was seeking accommodation or “digs” in student parlance in 2018, she encountered significant challenges. Procter shared with Biznews in an interview that as a member of the university’s Student Representative Council, she discovered she was not alone; in fact, threequarters of the university’s students were facing similar difficulties. This predicament is reflective of a broader issue across universities in South Africa, where accommodation is only available for a fraction of the student population, typically between 5 and 20%. Faced with this dilemma, Procter conceived what she deemed a simple yet impactful solution: a website and app to connect landlords with students. Over the course of a weekend, she brought this idea to fruition. The app and website quickly gained traction, culminating in the founding of DigsConnect. In 2019, Procter set out to raise R2 million, a standard figure for a South African startup. However, the response exceeded expectations, with investments totaling R12 million. This marked the beginning of DigsConnect’s journey of growth and expansion beyond South Africa’s borders. Procter’s entrepreneurial success also led to notable recognitions and opportunities. She was invited by President Cyril Ramaphosa to join the board of the National Redevelopment Agency and represented South Africa at international forums such as the G20, COP28, and BRICS summits. However, she encountered what Procter describes as a classic founder mistake: The business grew too fast.  In response, she made the decision to scale back operations, focusing on the South African and United Kingdom markets while prioritising longterm sustainability and her personal wellbeing.
Procter’s journey is chronicled in her book titled “Upstart.” Linda van Tilburg

Video production by Frances Hamman

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