Juandre Klopper on a mission to revolutionise local healthcare
Juandre Klopper never planned on being an entrepreneur but always aspired to be an excellent doctor. He was inspired by his father’s favourite saying, “If you see an opportunity to do something for others, it becomes your duty to act on it.” He also admired his mother, who he recalls once bought 2000 books from her own salary to establish a free library at the high school she taught.
As the youngest of three, Klopper was determined to study medicine despite his brothers having successful careers in business. Thus, after graduating from Huguenot High School in Wellington, he pursued his medical studies at Stellenbosch University.
“As a young doctor in the public health sector, I saw how resource limitations impacted healthcare delivery. Patients waited hours in emergency rooms and months for follow-up appointments or surgeries due to staff shortages. I felt disillusioned but remembered my father’s advice, so I began teaching myself to develop software and business development at night while working in clinics during the day,” says Klopper.
In just four months, he developed seven Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) apps, which he made freely available for clinicians to use. In September 2023, he founded Cape MedTech to manage these apps, drawing attention from the local medical community and gaining valuable mentors.
In early 2024, Klopper’s contract with the Department of Health ended due to budget constraints, allowing him to focus on his startup full-time as new business partners joined him. Cape MedTech builds software solutions tailored to the African rural context, aiming to improve clinician efficiency, maximise patient flow, and minimise clinical errors. The company will celebrate its first anniversary in September 2024!
Klopper also co-founded Sponsor Medic with Matt te Water Naude and Freddie O’Donnell. This initiative raises funds from Corporate Social Investments and philanthropic trusts to employ locum medical staff in understaffed public health facilities, creating meaningful employment opportunities for unemployed clinicians and helping patients get the care they deserve. Recently, Klopper partnered with biomedical engineer Faatiema Salie and surgeon, Arnold Douglas, to support the domestic biomedical industry, aiming to reduce the country’s reliance on imports and lowering medical care costs in South Africa.
In June, Sponsor Medic celebrated achieving PBO status and receiving its 18A certification from SARS, allowing them to offer tax benefits to donors, which will significantly enhance their fundraising capabilities.
“I grew up in a house of entrepreneurs and saw the sacrifices involved in building businesses. Initially I was reluctant to enter the business world full-time, but I eventually took the leap. Since January, our teams and projects have grown immensely, filling my days with more work than ever before,” attests Klopper.
Like many entrepreneurs, Klopper faces cash flow challenges, bootstrapping his startups with personal savings and after-hours hospital work to maintain financial stability, until the businesses reach profitability. However, Cape MedTech is involved in developing several exciting projects and has attracted interest from the World Health Organisation, and various medical organisations in Africa, for their innovative approach to solving problems.
Recently, Klopper and his team started addressing the long waiting lists for prescription hearing aids by working with representatives from the National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities. Together they are developing software to reduce the cost of prescription hearing aids, aiming to democratize access and improve quality of life for those in need. “I firmly believe hearing is a right, not a luxury,” says Klopper. The project has been shortlisted for the SAB Foundation Social Impact Award, and the team is working hard to refine their technology.
Source: Stellenbosch Network