Culture Craze
YouthX champion Nkosinathi Temba goes global with Thuto.io
YouthX Awards winner Nkosinathi Temba attends One Young World Summit as a delegate
The YouthX by Nedbank platform continues to be a launchpad for global impact, with the 2025 YouthX Awards winner, Nkosinathi Temba, getting the opportunity to attend the One Young World Summit in Munich, Germany, a gathering of over 2,000 young leaders, entrepreneurs, activists, and changemakers from more than 190 countries.
Nkosinathi joined this global community to network, exchange ideas, and explore potential opportunities to expand the reach of his education innovation, Thuto.io. His participation as a delegate marked a defining moment in his journey, while also reflecting the role YouthX by Nedbank has played in opening doors and supporting the work of South African youth to unlock their potential.
‘My participation at the One Young World 2025 has directly advanced Thuto.io’s global visibility, validated its impactful model, and unlocked potential partnership opportunities that align with Nedbank’s youth development and innovation agenda. This experience has not only accelerated Thuto’s mission but also strengthened my conviction that South African youth-led innovation can contribute meaningfully to global education reform. ‘I am deeply grateful to Nedbank for investing in young South African leaders and for providing platforms that allow us to scale our impact internationally,’ said Temba, Founder and CEO of Thuto.io.
At the Summit, Nkosinathi introduced his real-time academic rewards platform through conversations and networking. Thuto.io connects students, parents, and teachers in a single ecosystem, rewarding academic effort with Thuto Coins, a ZAR-pegged token that encourages improved learning outcomes while driving financial empowerment.
The 2025 Summit provided immediate validation through engagements such as:
- A Batswana leading homeschooling platform expressing interest in integrating Thuto.io to boost learner engagement in the neighbouring country.
- The University of Utah in the United States aims to explore Thuto.io’s application in their student outreach programmes.
- Potential partnerships were initiated with FAQ Health, a multinational startup that empowers the youth’s health choices through advocacy, literacy, and access, and BMW South Africa, who see Thuto.io as a tool to incentivise STEM participation and performance.
These engagements highlight Thuto.io’s versatility, not only as a standalone platform but also as an infrastructure layer that can be embedded into wider educational and wellness ecosystems.
At the closing ceremony in Munich, Nkosinathi Temba pledged to support more than 500,000 students in 2026 through Thuto.io. While not yet certain of showcasing at next year’s summit, set to be hosted in Cape Town, his goal is to reach this ambitious milestone so that his work can be presented at a bigger stage, positioning Thuto.io as one of the most impactful platforms to emerge from the summit.
Empowered by the YouthX by Nedbank programme, Nkosinathi is expanding Thuto.io’s impact, turning everyday learning into opportunity and building stronger, more connected communities through education.
For more information on YouthX by Nedbank, go to www.youthxbynedbank.co.za
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Featured Image: AlphaGamma
