Vinny Lingham

Vinny Lingham is a prominent South African-born American entrepreneur known for his extensive experience in the technology sector. He is currently the Co-founder and CEO of Waitroom, a video meeting platform designed to facilitate short, efficient conversations, launched in 2020. The platform aims to counteract the fatigue often associated with longer video meetings by enforcing strict time limits on discussions.13

Career Highlights

Lingham's entrepreneurial journey began in 2003 when he founded incuBeta, an investment holding company. He later co-founded several successful ventures, including:

• Yola (2007): A web development platform for individuals and small businesses.
• Gyft (2012): A mobile gift card service that was acquired by First Data Corporation in 2014.
• Civic Technologies (2015): A blockchain-based identity verification company, where he serves as Co-founder and Executive Chairman.25

In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, Lingham has been involved in venture capital as a General Partner at Multicoin Capital and Newtown Partners, supporting various startups.45

Education

Lingham holds a B.Com in Information Systems from the University of Cape Town and an Honours degree in E-Commerce from the University of South Africa. He also completed an Executive Education program at Harvard Business School focused on scaling entrepreneurial ventures.12

Media Presence

Lingham is well-known in South Africa for his role as a "shark" on the local version of Shark Tank, where he invests in promising startups.35 His insights and experiences have made him a respected figure in the entrepreneurial community.

Overall, Vinny Lingham's contributions to technology and entrepreneurship, particularly through innovative platforms like Waitroom, highlight his commitment to enhancing digital communication and supporting emerging businesses.