Award-winning tech entrepreneurs build business that powers SA’s gig economy

Award-winning tech entrepreneurs build business that powers SA’s gig economy

Johannesburg, South Africa – Two South African entrepreneurs are redefining how innovation and inclusion can share the same road. MotionAds co-founders Jon Berkowitz and Elan Band have been named joint recipients of the Eric Ellerine Entrepreneur Award, sponsored by Investec, for their remarkable contribution to community upliftment and innovation within South Africa’s fast-growing gig-economy.

MotionAds is South Africa’s home-grown delivery-bike advertising platform that connects brands directly with consumers while creating supplementary income opportunities for local delivery drivers. Since launching in 2019, the company has paid out over R21 million to independent drivers by transforming everyday motorcycles into mobile billboards, helping brands reach new audiences while boosting driver earnings.

“Winning this award is a deeply meaningful milestone for us,” says Jon Berkowitz, co-founder of MotionAds. “It affirms that purpose and performance can coexist, that building a business with a social heartbeat can still deliver exceptional results. For MotionAds, this recognition brings greater visibility to the movement we’ve been building since 2019: turning delivery bikes into a force for good by creating brand visibility for advertisers and income support for delivery drivers.”

He adds that: “The award recognises a business model in which innovation has been leveraged to uplift people, not just profits. It validates years of hard work from our team and the thousands of delivery drivers who power our campaigns daily. It shines a light on a future in which business and society move forward at the same time.”

In South Africa, gig-economy workers, including delivery drivers, face significant hardship. Research by the Labour Research Service (2023) found that platform-based workers often contend with low and irregular income, limited employment safeguards, and rising financial stress. One study revealed that many delivery and e-hailing drivers work over 80 hours a week just to stay afloat. Another 2025 survey estimated that South Africa now has about 1.3 million gig-economy workers across more than 90 platforms.

By contrast, the MotionAds model provides structured supplementary income and measures driver earnings as a key success metric, creating a rare intersection where brand ROI supports social upliftment. The income from these brand placements aims to help increase driver net earnings by approximately 10% at minimum.

Co-founder Elan Band says the next phase of MotionAds’ growth will focus on new regions and digital expansion: “Over the next year, we’re expanding into smaller territories where we don’t yet operate and are introducing a driver app that will better connect brands, riders, and the communities they service. The platform will feature smarter behavioural rewards, as well as improved campaign tracking and measurement data for clients. It will also include a number of value-added services and benefits for drivers, including insurance options and other financial support tools which have all been designed to help drivers earn and grow, turning their micro-enterprises on two wheels into more sustainable livelihoods.”

From its early days of wrapping just three bikes, MotionAds has grown to a nationwide fleet of more than 2 000 branded motorcycles. The company has scaled purely through reinvestment, a bootstrapped approach that has driven steady innovation and expansion.

Today, MotionAds runs campaigns with some of South Africa’s biggest brands, including Vodacom, Heineken, Nedbank, Pick n Pay  and PepsiCo, proving that this is not just a social enterprise but a commercially competitive media business driving real economic inclusion. For brand marketers and media planners looking to engage hard-to-reach urban consumers with measurable impact, MotionAds offers a high-visibility, human-centred advertising channel that empowers the very people delivering the message.

For brands, media agencies or organisations seeking to partner with MotionAds, drive impact and connect with urban consumers through a socially empowered channel, please visit www.motionads.co.za.