LinkedIn released a statement that said, "This list is ultimately meant to be a resource for jobseekers excited by the opportunity to innovate, solve big problems and grow their skills."

LinkedIn says that by using unique data, the inaugural list is designed to draw attention to the startups in South Africa to watch, measuring across four pillars.

According to LinkedIn, these pillars are:
  • employee growth
  • jobseeker interest
  • member engagement within the company and its employees, and
  • how well the startups managed to pull talent from LinkedIn's flagship Top Companies list.

In the release, it encourages job-seekers interested in the startup environment to "check out which roles, functions and skills are in demand at each company — and view the associated LinkedIn Learning courses to study up. If you see a company that sparks your interest, take a look at who you may know and turn on job alerts to stay on top of future opportunities."

Zoom Fibre — a people-first, rapidly growing fixed network operator — says that it strives to make a meaningful difference in society by driving reliable, affordable and agile digital inclusion across all sectors of society, and has enjoyed meteoric growth in the past year. It has become the fastest to pass 100 000 homes.

Mohammed Manjra, CEO and founder of Zoom Fibre, adds that it is an honour to be on the list and that it is symptomatic of the business's people strategy.

"From day one, we have oriented ourselves to be a people-first organisation," says Manjra. "We understand that in a competitive environment if we aim to achieve our objectives of driving digital inclusion across all sectors of society, we need to create an environment of growth, excellence and innovation. That we have come this far, and standing on the verge of yet more growth and expansion, in only two years is testament to our investment in our people."

Importantly, adds Manjra, being on the list does not represent a destination but rather a nod on the business’s longer-term journey.

"The announcement of the list comes the day before our inaugural annual CEO awards ceremony where we will take stock of how far we have come and recognise the superb performance of our amazing staff. We look forward to our vision for the next two years taking shape, which includes a rapidly growing staff list," says Manjra.

Zoom Fibre has a presence in five provinces in South Africa, which include:
  1. Gauteng
  2. Mpumalanga
  3. KwaZulu-Natal
  4. North West, and
  5. the Western Cape.

Zoom Fibre is a partner in the Baobab Fibre project on the West Coast alongside the Saldanha Bay Municipality and Amoeba TSC, where it is building the fibre network and managing the infrastructure.

"This project, the first of its kind, is incredibly exciting because we are at the leading edge of enabling the first, authentic smart city in the country, born from a successful public-private partnership," concludes Manjra.

For more information, visit www.zoomfibre.co.za. You can also follow Zoom Fibre on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.