Marthinus Strydom
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Marthinus Strydom | |
|---|---|
 Strydom in July 2015. | |
| Born | Marthinus Johannes Strydom 28 April 1965 |
| Alma mater | University of The Free State (no degree) |
| Occupation | CEO of MJS Capital. |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Parents |
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Marthinus Johannes Strydom (born 28 April 1965) is a South African philanthropist, author, venture capitalist and private equity investor.[1] He is the CEO and Chairman of Eezi Group, a diversified group headquartered in Pretoria.[2]
Strydom consolidated his various businesses into Eezi Group in 2021. Eezi Group was later organized into various divisions in 2022.
Strydom is regarded as the pioneer of e-commerce in South Africa. He created the first e-commerce portal in South Africa and continued to create numerous B2C and B2B e-commerce companies.
Strydom was voted as one of South Africa's top ten IT personalities by IT Web in 2012.[3]
Early life
[edit]Strydom was born in Johannesburg. He is the son of Hans and Gertie Strydom. His father was journalist and author[4] Hans Strydom (journalist), who wrote the best-selling book The Super Afrikaners that exposed the Afrikaner Broederbond. Strydom spent his early childhood in Cape Town.
The Strydom family moved to Johannesburg in 1973. He graduated from the Die Kruin Art school in 1982. Strydom was conscripted into the South African Defence Force (SADF) where he became an unarmed combat (Krav Maga) instructor. He continued teaching Krav Maga to the SANDF and South African Police (SAP). Through exchange programs he participated in military training and skills transfer exercises with the Israel Defence Forces.
Career
[edit]Strydom initially intended to become a lawyer but early into his studies changed his mind. Instead he pursued entrepreneurship. He was the founder of The Peninsula Times, the largest community newspaper in South Africa.[5][6]
Prior to creating the MJS Capital Group, Strydom was the chief information officer and marketing director of automotive group, McCarthy Limited.[7]
In 2012, he created MJS Capital, a seed stage venture capital company. Strydom invested in a number of startups primarily in the tech industry but also in other industries. In 2015 Strydom created Eezi Group, a holdings company for a number of diversified businesses with offices in South Africa and Spain.
Other interests
[edit]Strydom studied martial arts since his early teens and has been an instructor for 30 years. He owned three training schools in South Africa from 1985 to 2010. In 1983, he became the South African middleweight WKA kickboxing champion. In 1998, he created the martial arts style Shinai Kempo based on a number of practical martial arts styles including Krav Maga, Kenpo and Jiu jitsu.
Strydom is also a photographer and artist in his spare time as well as an author.[8]
Books
[edit]- Taste The World (2022), ISBN 978-0-6397-2724-0
- The Stoic Way: A Practical Guide To Living With Purpose And Resilience (2022), ISBN 979-8-3752-6327-4
References
[edit]- ^ "Marthinus Strydom". whoswho.co.za.
- ^ "Eezi Group". Eezi Group. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ Carl Lang (5 September 2011). "IT Personality 2012 – Marthinus Strydom". ITWeb Technology News.
- ^ Ivor Wilkins. "The Super-Afrikaners". Goodreads.
- ^ http://saldru.lib.msu.edu/dvd8/Ownership%20&%20Control%201994b.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "A new tabloid in die Cape"[permanent dead link], Beeld, Cape Town, 12 September 1994.
- ^ "Marthinus Strydom – ITWeb". itweb.co.za.
- ^ "Marthinus Strydom's Awards". Pixoto. Retrieved 17 August 2015.