High-traffic parking lots pose operational and cost challenges for cities and businesses. A South African entrepreneur has developed a digital system to automate access and payment, reducing queues and operating costs.

Joshua Raphael is a South African civil engineer and entrepreneur based in Cape Town. He is the founder and chief executive of Parket, a startup that digitises parking management.

Founded in 2019, Parket develops a digital parking system built for high-traffic sites, allowing vehicles to enter and exit quickly. The platform is designed to cut operating costs, improve the user experience and simplify parking operations.

Drivers no longer need to collect or keep paper tickets. Access, usage and payment are fully digital, eliminating queues at pay stations. Payments are cashless and processed through the Parket platform, enabling faster throughput, automated operations and precise tracking across parking facilities.

Before launching Parket, Raphael co-founded uKitchen, a South African restaurant, in 2016. In 2017, he co-founded Newmint Capital, a Cape Town-based company focused on bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining.

Raphael graduated from Stellenbosch University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He began his career the same year as a graduate engineer at PRDW Consulting Port and Coastal Engineers, an international engineering consultancy. Between 2014 and 2015, he worked as an engineer at Stefanutti Stocks Civils, a listed South African construction group.

Melchior Koba