WATCH: South Africa’s Economic Future Is Being Built Right Now
The SA Trade Desk Podcast — Episode 1
The SA Trade Desk Podcast sits down with the executives and entrepreneurs making it happen – unpacking clean energy, industrial policy, and market access, one candid conversation at a time.
In our first episode, we speak with Karen Delport, Managing Director of Novamoto, about clean mobility – electric motorbikes, battery-swapping, and smarter energy systems that cut emissions and lower transport costs. Karen’s approach goes beyond just building bikes: she and her team focused on the ecosystem around them, connecting clean energy, charging infrastructure, and battery-swap stations into one complete solution. As she puts it, electric vehicles are only as effective as the energy ecosystem that supports them. Swapping petrol bikes for electric ones isn’t just a climate play – it’s an economic one, with real potential to cut costs for businesses and reduce emissions at scale.
About Novamoto
Novamoto is a Cape Town-based clean mobility company, formed as a joint venture between Vmoto and Nova Machina, combining Vmoto’s electric vehicle technology with Nova Machina’s local market expertise. Novamoto designs electric motorcycles purpose-built for the last-mile delivery sector, supported by battery-swap stations for quick replacements and fast chargers capable of a full charge in just 15 minutes – creating a complete clean mobility ecosystem, not just a fleet of bikes.
About The Climate Finance Accelerator The Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) is a global technical assistance programme funded by the United Kingdom to directly support climate innovators and entrepreneurs in becoming investment-ready. Rather than acting as a transaction adviser or broker, the CFA provides tailored, independent advice to help businesses align with investor requirements, prepare compelling investment documentation, navigate policy and regulatory considerations, and build relationships with potential financiers. The SA Trade Desk supports this work by giving CFA participants like Novamoto visibility – through profiles, interviews, and features like this podcast series – helping connect investment-ready businesses with the investors, partners, and stakeholders who can help them scale.
Watch the episode
In this conversation, Karen unpacks what it takes to move a climate-smart idea from concept to investable business, and how CFA support is helping Novamoto get investment-ready and scale its impact across South Africa.
Watch the full episode here:
