Giraffe was founded in 2015 by Anish Shivdasani, Shafin Anwarsha, and Bradley Cowie, as a mobile job matching platform to reduce unemployment by connecting mid-skilled jobseekers with opportunities and helping businesses find staff faster and more affordably than any other way.

Jobseekers could create a simple CV on their cellphone and apply for recommended jobs. Giraffe helped employers find the best staff quickly by using matching algorithms and voice screening to automatically filter candidates.

After winning the Seedstars award for best global startup 2016, Giraffe went on to raise three rounds of funding led by Silicon Valley VC Omidyar Network, Edge Growth and UNICEF innovation fund respectively.

In 6 years Giraffe transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of South Africans- helping them become more employable and finding them dignified work.

By early 2021, Giraffe had attracted over 1 million jobseekers and 3,000 employers, and was subsequently moved to Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, in support of the SA Youth initiative. SA Youth is part of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, which is the largest ever coordinated programme to address the scourge of youth unemployment.

Youth unemployment is staggeringly high and remains a major problem in South Africa. Only if the youth are educated, empowered and employed will South Africa realise its vast potential.

The struggle continues.