Business. Entrepreneur. AI
Based: Cape Town & San Fransisco
Dr Aisha R. Pandor is cofounder of Pandora Health, a health tech company using AI and gut microbiome intelligence to help women manage chronic health conditions. The company is backed by investors including Illumina, OneBio VC, and Raba Partnership, empowers women to be active participants in their wellness and treatment journeys, and partners with academia, biotech and pharma in the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.
Prior to this, Aisha was cofounder and CEO of SweepSouth, Africa’s first and largest online platform for booking, managing and paying for home services. Between 2014 and 2023, Aisha led SweepSouth to become one of the most prominent startups in South Africa. It was the first South African startup to be accepted into the prestigious 500 Startups accelerator based in Silicon Valley, and in addition to South Africa, the company has operating experience in Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt, after SweepSouth acquired home services startup Filkhedma in 2022. The company has raised over $20m in venture capital funding from investors including Naspers, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Alitheia IDF, and Endeavor Global.
Aisha completed her PhD in Human Genetics at the University of Cape Town (UCT). While writing her doctoral thesis, she simultaneously completed a Postgraduate Business Administration diploma at UCT’s Graduate School of Business, coming top of class in all of her 11 courses, and serving as Class President. Following her studies, she worked as a top-ranked management consultant for Accenture South Africa’s mining and telecoms practices.
Aisha is passionate about impact, with SweepSouth having connected almost 50,000 previously unemployed/underemployed workers, primarily women who are primary breadwinners, to dignified and flexible work opportunities. SweepSouth is an advocate for financial and digital inclusivity for women, and launched partnerships resulting in free life and disability insurance for platform workers, and access to support services for victims of abuse and gender-based violence.
Aisha has been recognized for her work by numerous organizations including Forbes Africa (having been on the cover twice), Fortune, Fast Company, the World Economic Forum, and SAVCA, South Africa’s Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. She also invests in early stage tech companies as a cofounder and venture partner at E4E Africa, a $12m venture capital fund which backs underrepresented African founders building impactful solutions at scale.
Coming from a family with a long history of anti-apartheid activism, positive societal impact and purposeful work are strong themes in all of her endeavors. Aisha is currently based in Menlo Park, California, and is a proud partner to her cofounder and husband Alen Ribic, and mom to three kids aged 15, 7, and 5.