Nadav Ossendryver - South Africa's Social Media Mogul

In 2012, the experience of the Kruger Park was changed for thousands of wildlife enthusiasts, with the simple click of a button. This was the result of the creation of an app that allowed the geo-tracking of wildlife in the Kruger Park, with the locations of the animals then being shared on different social media platforms. However, this ingenious innovation came not from an office in the corporate sector, but instead from the bedroom of a 16-year-old wildlife fanatic called Nadav Ossendryver.

Nadav has come a far way from the schoolboy who posted updates on animal locations under his desk in class and driving his company during lunch breaks at school. In 2016, he was nominated in Forbes Magazine’s “30 People to Watch Under 30”, and in the meantime, has finished school and is currently studying a part-time BCom degree at WITS - and he is passionate about giving back to the community. “For me, the best part is that we’re not just helping people to see wildlife and have a better time, but also directly helping animals and their lives. When animals get hurt, people can report it on the app, and then rangers that are using the app get instant notifications, as well as receiving a guide as to where the animal is.” In addition to this, the company makes a massive contribution to research by making the data available to researchers. In 2015, they provided the University of Cape Town with 50% of the information and data they needed to conduct a study on Marshall Eagles.

As of last week, the Latest Sightings YouTube channel has had 500 million views, and this provides a platform for Nadav and the rest of the team to give back to the supporters that originally hoisted him and his app to fame. “When people share amazing sightings in terms of videos, we use our YouTube channel to engage our community and make those videos go viral around the world. Whatever we earn, we share with the contributor, and that’s changed a lot of people’s lives,” Nadav adds.

At the moment, one of the biggest challenges that he faces is balancing the business element of Latest Sightings as a company, and transitioning from managing the new start-up as a hobby, to being the CEO of a profitable business. “During school, it was a really big hobby, and I didn’t really need it, but now that I’ve started a new part of my life and I want to make a living out of it. It’s such a passion to me – it’s not even work. When you have to go to a meeting in the Kruger, it’s not a chore. I can’t wait to do it!”

Sitting across from Nadav in his office in central Jo’burg, one of the things that I realise more and more as the interview progresses, is his sheer humility. He doesn’t place value on being recognised, but rather measures himself by the impact he leaves and in the ways that he can see the difference Latest Sightings is making. When he speaks of meeting conservationist Kingsley Holgate, his childhood idol, and being able to go on an expedition with him, his face lights up and the overarching passion behind the success is as evident as the day the dream became a reality. “In grade 6 when I was at school, we had to do a project on our hero, and most people chose the same type of clichés, but I did mine on Kingsley Holgate, because he was someone that I really looked up to.” When the Kruger Park was devastated by terrible floods in 2013, Latest Sightings held a relief which earned R100 000 and over a ton of supplies. This caught the attention of Nadav’s icon, and Kingsley then contacted him and invited him on an expedition. “I looked up to him because he does all of these amazing expeditions, and I got to be with him when he did just that.”

Although Latest Sightings has developed into a self-sufficient business with amazing potential, in my opinion, the most amazing part is that at the heart of it all, it is still Nadav’s passion project. The person that sits in front of me may have achieved incredible feats in the world of wildlife, yet in essence, he is still the teenager in awe of the difference he is capable of making. As the saying goes, “If you can dream it, you can do it", and Nadav certainly did it.