I'm Cornel Rautenbach.

I build products that move the world forward.

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I build logistics software in South Africa, the kind that quietly moves millions of parcels through cities and networks every month. I enjoy working where technical complexity meets commercial reality, and helping great people do their best work.

The longer I do this, the more I think the real value isn't in the flashy stuff. It's in taking on the messy, complicated work so that our clients don't have to.

19+Years experience

8+Startups built

15+Products shipped

Experience

2025 – Present

CEO & Co-Founder

Shiplogic

Leading an end-to-end courier SaaS platform that powers some of South Africa's most trusted courier brands. Overseeing product direction, engineering strategy, commercial partnerships and operational delivery. The platform provides real-time tracking, dynamic rate engines, automated routing, driver apps and intelligent optimisation tools.

2021 – 2025

Chief Technology Officer

Bob Group

Led the infrastructure and software development function across multiple products: Bob Pay (online payments), Bob Shop (marketplace), Bob Go (order management and smart shipping), Bob Box (courier-agnostic parcel lockers), and Ship Logic. Built and mentored a cross-functional engineering team focused on stability, scalability and high impact.

2019 – 2021

Head of Development

uAfrica.com

Led the development of Ship Logic, a courier SaaS platform built on React, React Native and Go. Deployed on a fully serverless AWS architecture with PostgreSQL, optimised for speed, scalability and seamless user experience. Grew the platform to serve thousands of merchants.

2017 – 2019

Head of Mobile

ITSI Holdings

Managed a team of Android, iOS and Windows app developers. Provided technical guidance, shaped mobile strategy and collaborated across departments to deliver educational technology products used by schools throughout South Africa.

2014 – 2017

iOS Developer

ITSI Holdings

Implemented a feature-rich iOS e-reader application involving complex user interfaces, encryption, compression and server communication. The app served as the primary reading platform for digital textbooks across multiple publishers.

2011 – 2013

Technical Consultant

EPI-USE America

Worked as a technical consultant delivering full stack and integration-focused solutions for clients including MIT, Starwood Hotels in New York, and Genentech/Roche in California. Built rich mobile web applications integrated with SAP backends and created Java tools to automate large-scale content migration.

Education

2015 – 2017

MBA
(Distinction)

Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University

Covered key management disciplines including economics, marketing, accounting, finance, strategic planning, organisational behaviour and project management.

2009 – 2009

BSc Hons Computer Science
(Distinction)

University of Pretoria

Focused on advanced topics including artificial intelligence, computer graphics, network security and algorithm design.

2006 – 2008

BIS Multimedia
(Distinction)

University of Pretoria

Combined computer science and information science with a focus on software development, UI/UX design and digital media.

Lessons from building startups

Over the years, I've built several startups and side projects — Betlabs (sports betting algorithms), PICK a PET! (pet adoption), Hey Happy (mental wellness), Ticket Office (event ticketing), and VistaPath (medical automation). Each one taught me something new about product, people, and persistence. None became billion-dollar companies (yet), but every experience increased my focus on users and reinforced that the best lessons come from doing, not planning.

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