Industry News

I’m In Accelerator is now accepting applications

I’M IN Accelerator seeks to launch black-owned, high growth startups into the South African technology sector by providing opportunities to technically apt entrepreneurs with limited access to resources. I’M IN partners with entrepreneurs who have commercially viable application technologies by facilitating access to seed funding through early-stage equity, in conjunction with business development support and...

African startups can get big funding with launch of Ampion Ventures

Ampion Venture is a profit and impact-driven company builder with the goal to develop and grow innovative business models in the fields of agriTech, EnergyTech, and FinTech in Africa. They support the world’s strongest entrepreneurs through investment, operational and strategic support in establishing sustainable start-ups that generate revenue and create jobs to revolutionize Africa’s...

SAB Foundation opens entries for Social Innovation, Disability Employment Awards

The SAB Foundation has opened applications for its ninth annual Social Innovation Awards, as well as the fourth annual Disability Empowerment Awards. In this year’s awards, the SAB Foundation will hand out a total of R12-million in prize money. Winners will receive prizes ranging between R200 000 and R1.3-million. The SAB Foundation finds, supports and scales social innovations – through...

Biotech incubator OneBio opens applications to SA and Zim startups

Biotech is increasingly seen as a solution for global challenges in health, food, agriculture, and the environment; as well as a driver of economic development and diversification. Falling costs of performing life sciences research mean that biotech is no longer reserved for large corporations, universities and government organisations. Cape Town based biotech incubator OneBio has opened applications for...

7 new laws which will shape business in South Africa

A number of regulatory changes took place in South Africa in 2018, impacting a variety of sectors and that to varying degrees speak to the rule of law. LexisNexis South Africa, a provider of business and legal research services, outlined how seven of these regulatory changes will impact the rule of law in 2019. Read more: BusinessTech...

Exchange control less of an obstacle for startups than before – Simodisa report

SA tech startups and those in the country’s startup scene say the once dreaded exchange control is less of an obstacle than in previous years, startup advocacy body Simodisa revealed in a policy report released today. Yet while 27% of the 247 startups and those support startups who were surveyed in Simodisa’s latest industry report released today (31 January)...

10 people in the SA tech startup sector you should follow in 2019

The new year is here, 2019 is here. Why not get started by following and connecting with some key decision makers in the SA tech scene. Here are 10 people — from entrepreneur and investor Michael Jordaan to Matsi Modise, the head of startup advocacy body Simodisa — that you should follow to keep abreast on views and...

Top 5 Sectors that Hold Opportunities for SMEs in 2019

Better times could be on the way and this will impact which sectors South African entrepreneurs choose to enter. This is according Byron Jeacocks, regional general manager at Business Partners Limited. “The GDP data for the third quarter of 2018, recently released by Statistics South Africa, revealed that the economy has grown by 2.2 percent, quarter on...

Gauteng home to most tech startups, but Cape firms still more successful – survey

Gauteng is now home to 55% of tech startup founders — ahead of the Western Cape’s 37%. In all, 36% of Western Cape startups report turning a profit or generating significant revenue, compared to 22% in Gauteng. The percentage of black tech startups has risen from 26% in 2015, to 56% this year. Just seven...

What Investors should look for when Investing in a Section 12 J company

In recent years the South African government has identified small and medium-sized entities (“SMEs”) as a major contributor to future economic growth. One of the main challenges to the economic growth of SMEs is access to equity finance. To assist these sectors in terms of equity finance, in 2009, the South African government implemented...