Llew Claasen

Llew and Vinny Lingham got together in August 2003 to start incuBeta after Vinny had been playing around with a still nascent Google Adwords and had some early successes. Llew and Vinny are childhood friends and have a history of starting businesses together - their first business together in the e-commerce web space was subsequently sold to Johnnic e-Ventures in 2000. Llew had been working in various Accounting and Financial Management roles after studying Accounting & Auditing through the University of South Africa and completing three years of articles through Fisher Hoffman/ PKF.

incuBeta became a world leader in online marketing & search engine marketing employing 60 talented technologists and search marketers in Cape Town, Los Angeles and London. Llew played a pivotal role in this dramatic success story: as Head of Online Marketing and COO.

incuBeta’s success is at least partly attributable to its focus on sophisticated proprietary search marketing technology, based upon search marketing processes & techniques that were developed while Llew was Head of Online Marketing. incuBeta’s software tools enhance its clients visibility on the major search engines and afford its clients a competitive edge that maintains their position at the forefront of their industries. incuBeta’s clients include Wal-Mart, the world’s leading international retailer.

Llew was instrumental in incuBeta winning numerous local and international awards, including the:
• Commission Junction Horizon Award for Innovation (2004),
• Technology Top 100 (TT100) Awards “Small Enterprise Finalist” (2004),
• TT100 “Most Promising Emerging Enterprise” (2005),
• TT100 “Minister’s Award for Overall Excellence” (Small/Medium Enterprises) (2006)
• Commission Junction (CJ) Leadership in Innovation Award (2006),
• CJ Horizon Award for Global Vision (2006)

Llew left the company in January 2005 at the time that TEIM Ventures invested in incuBeta and installed its own CEO as head. He sold his shares in incuBeta to TEIM Ventures and HBD (Shuttleworth investment vehicle) over the course of the next 12 months.

Llew spent the better part of the last 24 months after his time at incuBeta completing a Masters degree in the Management of Technology & Innovation, MSc (MOTI), through the Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was invited by the Da Vinci Institute to enroll for the Masters program as a result of his instrumental role in incuBeta’s success at the TT100 Awards (which is a joint project of the Department of Science and Technology and the Da Vinci Institute).

Llew’s latest project, KeyJam.net is a boutique web consultancy that specialises in tailored web skills training and consulting to corporates on contextualising developments in the web and its associated technologies.

Llew will be part of the adjudication panel for the 2008 TT100 Awards. He has been invited to lecture on various electronic commerce topics at NQF Level 5 certificate and NQF Level 8 Masters degree levels at the Da Vinci Institute during 2008, the institute even going so far as to ask Llew to be the primary lecturer and take responsibility for the development of the course material for a new NQF level 8 (Masters) certificate in Advanced Electronic Commerce to be offered through the Da Vinci Institute in 2008.

Llew is a respected web technology blogger, who was invited to write for the Mail & Guardian Online, where his musings can be found at www.thoughtleader.co.za/llewclaasen.

Llew is a committed philanthropist and charity volunteer, who is actively involved in projects for Worldvision South Africa and The Chaeli Campaign.

Llew is a member of Toastmasters International, the public speaking and leadership development organisation and a past winner of debating and public speaking awards. In his spare time, he is a competitive road and mountain bike cyclist.

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