Lovkesh Arora

Lovkesh Arora is an entrepreneur, CEO, angel investor, and philanthropist based in South Africa. He founded Phithos Technologies in 2017, an IT services and solutions company that focuses on large-scale interventions in public healthcare across Africa. Phithos collaborates with healthcare research institutions and NGOs in South Africa and Nigeria to pilot and validate interventions aimed at expanding and improving primary and diagnostic healthcare services, including in hard-to-reach areas. The company also promotes preventive and prospective healthcare by creating an affordable, accessible, and acceptable healthcare ecosystem, thereby contributing to overall population health improvement. In addition to his role at Phithos Technologies, Lovkesh co-founded SGA Consulting in 2019, an education startup with a vision to support businesses in their digital transformation journey. SGA Consulting, in collaboration with Career Launcher (CL Data School), brings 'The Machine Learning Retreat' program for CXOs to South Africa. In 2020, Lovkesh supported Akili Labs, an innovative biotechnology company pioneering molecular diagnostics to advance the global healthcare system. As a director of the company, he contributes to strategy and growth in Africa. Through Akili Labs, Lovkesh contributed to the COVID-19 response in South Africa by offering discounted RT-PCR tests, which helped public and private businesses operate during the pandemic and sustain the economy and jobs. Lovkesh's angel investments include Explurger, a new-age social media startup launched in 2021. Explurger is a Made-in-India platform built on artificial intelligence that empowers users to go beyond check-ins, sharing pictures and videos. Based on the concept of gamification, it is the first of its kind to reward users for being socially active. The platform went live during the pandemic and has users from more than 40 countries. Lovkesh's support of Explurger underscores his commitment to technology-led ventures across emerging markets. Born and raised in a lower-middle-class family in Karnal, Haryana, India, Lovkesh completed engineering and MBA degrees in India. He began his professional career in sales and later transitioned into IT sales in South Africa. Over 11 years (2006 to 2017), with an Indian IT company in South Africa, Lovkesh held various management roles, establishing and managing large-scale portfolios with customers from the financial and insurance sectors in South Africa. His journey from graduation to entrepreneur reflects his dedication to creating self-sustained and empowered ecosystems in underprivileged parts of the world for healthy living, quality education, and employment opportunities.