Details
This is an in-person event. RSVP required.
Date: Friday, 17 October 2025
Start time: 13:00 PM SAST
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes
Speaker from LeaseSurance: Paul Schaefer
Company: LeaseSurance
Location: Seminar Room, 4th Floor, School of Economics, University of Cape Town
RSVP: Link to form
Building an InsurTech & PropTech Business
In this seminar, Paul Schaefer, founder and CEO of LeaseSurance, will share his journey of building a South African startup that bridges technology and property management. Drawing from his experience in the InsurTech and PropTech sectors, Paul will take attendees through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship—from early challenges and funding hurdles to scaling a business that’s transforming the residential rental landscape.
He’ll also provide insight into LeaseSurance’s model, which eliminates rental deposits while reducing landlord risk and improving affordability for tenants—an innovation that’s reshaping the rental ecosystem.
Paul’s talk will highlight:
- Lessons from his startup journey—challenges, wins, and key learnings
- How technology is driving change in real estate and insurance
- The importance of resilience, adaptability, and timing in entrepreneurship
- Insights into South Africa’s growing PropTech and InsurTech sectors
About LeaseSurance
LeaseSurance is a South African PropTech startup that provides deposit-free rental insurance for landlords and tenants. The company partners with leading property managers to offer a seamless solution that enhances affordability for tenants while improving cash flow and reducing default risks for landlords. LeaseSurance’s mission is to simplify property rentals through smart technology and innovative financial protection.
About the Speaker
Paul Schaefer is the founder of LeaseSurance and an entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in the property and technology sectors. Before founding LeaseSurance, Paul served as CEO of Ithemba Property Management and has built ventures across South Africa’s dynamic PropTech ecosystem. His passion lies in solving real-world problems through practical innovation and building sustainable, tech-enabled business models that deliver measurable impact.
Interested?
RSVP via this link.
FinHub Practitioner Seminars
This seminar is part of a series which has been created to expose UCT MPhil in Fintech students to exceptional individuals in the African Fintech space working on innovative solutions to address the large unbanked population on our continent. Fintech in Africa has received the largest share of funding in recent years, and this trend is expected to increase. As the only dedicated Fintech Master's program on the African continent, one of our goals is to connect our students with leading fintech companies across the continent. In the past, we have had speakers from Nala, Stitch Money, Visa, Spoon Money, Consensys, Authentium, Investec and more. Because seminars have attracted interest from students across campus, any student or individual interested in fintech and related topics are welcome to attend.
