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UPSTART : A startup sensation
At 25 years old, Alexandria Procter became one of South Africa's youngest tech startup wunderkinds.
As an undergrad student at UCT, Alexandria came up with the idea for DigsConnect, similar to Airbnb for students. Deeply affected by the violent student protests which swept university campuses in 2016, Alexandria created a website in 2018 that would address the tumultuous student housing crisis.
In 2019 DisConnect disrupted the local tech terrain by raising R12 million in its first seed fundraising round, one of the largest in South Africa ever. DigsConnect has subsequently transformed from being a local student accommodation startup to catapulting into the global fourth industrial revolution.
Born in a small town in the Eastern Cape at the same time as South Africa's democracy, Alexandria's school career was characterised by defiance, rebellion and Friday afternoon detentions. Never one to toe the line, Alexandria dared to shoot for the stars. While Upstart is a deeply personal memoir, it also offers priceless business insights and advice around startups and new tech, especially for the burgeoning African tech startup ecosystem. A unique and inspiring story.
As an undergrad student at UCT, Alexandria came up with the idea for DigsConnect, similar to Airbnb for students. Deeply affected by the violent student protests which swept university campuses in 2016, Alexandria created a website in 2018 that would address the tumultuous student housing crisis.
In 2019 DisConnect disrupted the local tech terrain by raising R12 million in its first seed fundraising round, one of the largest in South Africa ever. DigsConnect has subsequently transformed from being a local student accommodation startup to catapulting into the global fourth industrial revolution.
Born in a small town in the Eastern Cape at the same time as South Africa's democracy, Alexandria's school career was characterised by defiance, rebellion and Friday afternoon detentions. Never one to toe the line, Alexandria dared to shoot for the stars. While Upstart is a deeply personal memoir, it also offers priceless business insights and advice around startups and new tech, especially for the burgeoning African tech startup ecosystem. A unique and inspiring story.
245 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 22, 2025
About the author
Alexandria Procter
3 books6 followersI’m a South African startup founder, venture capital investor, government board director, broadcaster and published author based at the University of Oxford.
I love sailing, skiing, trail running, art galleries, theatre, books, climbing mountains, cycling, flying Cessnas, space exploration, brunch, archeology, museums, the ocean, gardens, travelling (by rail especially!), large trees, film photography, eccentricity, authenticity, strangeness, interior design, architecture, poetry, Wikipedia, sunflowers, frontier technology, film, secondhand bookshops, great coffee, exploration, kindness, wisdom, grace, wellness, peace, joy and most of all: laughing.
My website is a central point of all my projects, news and links to all my social media platforms and other various things I'm involved in.
alexandriaprocter.com
I love sailing, skiing, trail running, art galleries, theatre, books, climbing mountains, cycling, flying Cessnas, space exploration, brunch, archeology, museums, the ocean, gardens, travelling (by rail especially!), large trees, film photography, eccentricity, authenticity, strangeness, interior design, architecture, poetry, Wikipedia, sunflowers, frontier technology, film, secondhand bookshops, great coffee, exploration, kindness, wisdom, grace, wellness, peace, joy and most of all: laughing.
My website is a central point of all my projects, news and links to all my social media platforms and other various things I'm involved in.
alexandriaprocter.com
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