Matt Swart
eCommerce pioneer, entrepreneur and consultant, in Cape Town, South Africa.
Plek Travel
Book accommodation in South Africa, directly with the host.
no booking fees, no commission
SafariNow.com
I co-founded SafariNow.com in 1999 and was CEO for 18 years.
Tiger Global were shareholders for 7 years and we sold the company to Travelstart in 2017.
Yoga
Asana, pranayama, Hatha, Ashtanga, Anusara.I’ve been practicing yoga daily for 20 years, and have shared hundreds of hours of instruction. Read my yoga story or try some streamed yoga asana and pranayama sessions on Facebook.
Windsurfing
I've been windsurfing since 1984 when i was 10 years old, and i still love it.Competitions kept us sharp, from windsurfer one-design to wave sailing, my favourite results are:3 South African National Titles - 2005 & 2007 1st Mens Overall, 1st 2011 Mens Wavesailing.
6 x Langebaan Dash wins - 1991, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2006.Windsurfing, surfing, kitesurfing, hobie cats, foiling, its all the same stoke, a natural immersion.Thanks to my friends and Mom who take photos.
Matthew Swart
Entrepreneur, Digital Product Specialist & Problem Solver
I'm an experienced entrepreneur and digital product specialist with over 25 years of experience building and growing online businesses. Having been an early adopter of e-commerce in South Africa, I combine technical expertise with business understanding to create effective digital solutions that solve real problems.
Currently, I'm working on improving the travel industry with subscription-based models and using AI to solve business challenges. I'm seeking partnerships, consulting opportunities, and collaborative ventures with practical-minded entrepreneurs and businesses worldwide.
Entrepreneurial Experience
Building an alternative to commission-based travel platforms, connecting hosts directly with guests.
- Developing a practical subscription-based business model (vs. traditional commission)
- Creating content and dynamic mapping experiences for travelers
- Integrating existing booking systems with zero-commission direct bookings
- Providing custom Shopify website development for tourism businesses
Licensed and implemented cutting-edge parametric furniture technology from Germany.
- Integrated complex 3D furniture configurator with Shopify e-commerce platform
- Developed real-time pricing and visualization for custom furniture designs
- Created seamless user journeys for customized product ordering
Built South Africa's leading independent accommodation booking platform from startup to market leader.
- Grew to process over R2 Billion in holiday bookings, peaking at R320M annually
- Invented multiple travel tech innovations including the "request a quote" booking engine
- Pioneered the first travel affiliate program with front-end white-labelling worldwide
- Was first in South Africa to integrate Google Maps and implement web-to-SMS notifications
- Secured over R30M in funding from global venture capital firms (Tiger Global, SEEK)
- Scaled to 150 employees across offices in Cape Town and Nairobi
- Won multiple "South Africa's Favorite eCommerce Website" awards
- Achieved exit through acquisition by TravelStart
Core Competencies
- Innovation & Idea Generation
- UX/UI Design
- E-commerce Optimization
- SEO & Traffic Building
- Shopify Platform Expertise
- AI Prompt Engineering
- Web Development (HTML/CSS)
- Data Analysis & Visualization
- Startup Experience
- Innovative Business Models
- Team Building & Leadership
- Fundraising & Investor Relations
Education & Background
Thesis: "Reverse engineering by means of photogrammetry for uniform reflective surfaces"
- Researched non-co