Who is Paul Ekon?

Paul Ekon is a multi-talented businessman and venture capitalist from Johannesburg, South Africa. As a young man, he studied at one of the Elite Seven schools in the country, St. Stithians College. Upon completion of his studies, he spent two years in the military as part of the South African Air Force. After his release from service, he joined the team at the defense force magazine, Paratus, as an in-house photographer.

Business Background

After a period of time with Paratus, Paul Ekon took a huge leap in his professional photography career as he moved to Los Angeles. It was there that he gained valuable experience from the industry's professionals. In the midst of a rich backdrop of beautiful and famous models, actors and actresses and musicians, he honed his skills as a professional photographer.

By the time he returned to Johannesburg, his keen interest turned to the entertainment and food and beverage business. After studying the market and learning the industry, he opened several restaurants. A few of the restaurants he opened during that period are Walnut Grove, Hot Tin Roof, and Harpers, located in Rosebank.

Consumer Products Industry

Paul Ekon was successful in his food and beverage ventures, and used that knowledge to expand his business holdings into the area of consumer products. Some of the name brands that he did business with are Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Chiddo, Hang Ten, Jordache and Barbara Barnard.

While in the consumer products industry, he added door knobs and door handles to his business line. This was a lucrative and successful venture before the more cheaply produced Chinese goods found their way to South Africa. At that time, in 1995, he sold the business.

In 1995 Paul Ekon was a director at Management Technologies Inc., located in the U.K. The computer company creates software solutions specifically for the international banking industry.