Herman has 25 years of experience in creating software products and growing productive software teams. He has been involved in various startups, as well as working on big enterprise systems. In 2020 he co-founded Augmental Technologies — a digital health startup with a mission to address the children’s mental health crisis. Before that, he was part-time CTO at Custos Media Technologies while also starting Wilderness Software Co to support other teams in their mentoring, training, technical assessments, and development needs. Earlier, he was the chief architect and then head of product for LifeQ Inc, where he realized the positive impact that technology can have on people’s lives, especially when it comes to improving personal health outcomes. He started coding in primary school and, shortly after receiving his Honours degree in Computer Science at the University of Stellenbosch, started his own business: Polymorph Systems, one of the first mobile app development companies in South Africa. He is passionate about using technology to develop products that empower people, and believes with software technology we can democratize education, health, and wealth.

An insatiable drive to address some of our world’s important problems and a belief that technology is one of the most powerful tools to do so at scale has led Michael to roles at the intersection of design, engineering, and business. This belief has guided the last 12 years of Michael’s tech career as a founder or product manager/owner in various sectors and company growth stages, from startups to NYSE-listed companies operating in over 120 countries. Michael completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Stellenbosch, majoring in market research and business strategy. During this time he also started his first online business (2009) and acted as the student president of the university’s Enactus chapter, where he had the opportunity to build various innovative social impact enterprises aimed at addressing some of South Africa’s most pressing issues. Prior to founding Augmental Technologies, Michael was a product owner at MiX Telematics and LifeQ where he had the opportunity to refine and cement his passion for building global digital health products with incredible teams.

Meet Karla Pretorius, our Chief Clinical Officer at Augmental Technologies. With over two decades of experience in the field of neurodiversity and mental well-being, Karla's passion is creating holistic support systems that incorporate evidence-based therapeutic modalities. Karla holds a Master's degree in Psychology and is a Registered Specialist Wellness Counselor. She has contributed to publications such as Moshi, Autism Parenting Magazine, Autism Advocate Parenting Magazine, and others. Karla initially trained as an ABA supervisor but later collaborated with neurodivergent adults to develop a holistic support system that includes behavioral therapy, positive psychology, parent-child interaction therapy, mindfulness, and parent management therapy. Her Master's degree in Psychological Research focused on placing therapists in the homes of families to provide much-needed respite and empower parents to take control of their child's journey. Karla's work has shown that parents often feel disempowered, overwhelmed, and stuck before or after receiving a diagnosis for their child, and with 1 in 5 children diagnosed with a mental health condition, the need for support is greater than ever before.

Nanette Botha is passionate about supporting children and families with strategies that work in real, everyday life. Nanette holds a Bachelor's degree in Education and has been working in the field of neurodiversity for 15 years. After graduating, she was trained as a behavioral therapist and has completed various short courses relating to education and neurodiversity. One aspect that always bothered Nanette is how children often seemed to make progress "on paper" and at school or therapy sessions. However, at home, parents struggled to help their children cope with everyday activities and experiences. After having her own children, Nanette realized how often parents felt disconnected from their children's learning and development and often seemed to feel unable to provide the support their children needed. Nanette loves that Augmental Technologies can give power back to parents by supporting them on their parenting journey. She loves to share simple, practical strategies with parents to help their neurodivergent children thrive!