Author: Khutso Nkadimeng
15 Feb 2020
Shepherd Modisha is an angel investor and founder of Shepherd’s Eye, a company focused on developing autonomous vehicles and computer vision technologies. This project is a long-life mission inspired by tragic loss of his father to a car accident 14 years ago.
Born on the 7th of April 1992, Shepherd is an eccentric and ambitious tech entrepreneur from GaModiša just outside Polokwane in Limpopo. Coming from a middle-class family he was exposed to computers at an early age, a rare occurrence in his neighbourhood. His entrepreneurial and technical abilities showed in his early teen years when he started a successful robotics club in high school. After completing his studies in Electrical Engineering, he joined forces with his friend to start fintech company specialising in artificial intelligence to reduce high risk associated with lending money to low income individuals and businesses. He sold the company for millions to a big bank before founding Shepherd’s Eye
Interestingly, Shepherd had a dream of becoming a professional race car driver one day. An unlikely hobby given how his father died, but he was inspired by street drifters in the townships and idolised Formula One champion Michael Schumacher.
Dr John Gray says Men Are from Mars and Women Are from Venus in his bestseller of the same tittle and in that context, Shepherd has visited Venus on multiple occasions. He grew up in a house with two women, his mother and sister. As a result, he developed an above average emotional intelligence cultivated only by a woman’s touch. Being the only man in the house also meant he had to grow faster than his age to protect himself and his two favourite ladies. This kind of responsibility also made him adopt the mantra, “defend yourself my any means necessary” and some aggressive and sometimes ethically questionable business practices.
With success, comes enemies. Shepherd is a controversial young man, he’s known to make politically unfashionable and unpopular statements in interviews, “speaking my mind” he calls it. That earned him a lot of haters who are not as dangerous as the trifactor problem he’s facing: politicians, unionists and taxi bosses. They are fuelled by the potential disruption posed by Shepherd’s Eye in the transport industry.
Despite all his achievements and status if you asked Shepherd to describe himself, he’ll give you a modest answer “A young man with big dreams, in jeans, t-shirts and vintage shoes”.