entrepreneurs Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

1Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Business, South Africa News, Startups

Attendees at the Oppenheimers’ South African Future Trust 2024 Summit Can Take Our Country Forward

The country’s premiere entrepreneurial showcase, the South African Future Trust Summit returns to the Sandton Convention Centre on 24 and 25 October – with more speakers, more stages, more opportunities - and a R500 000 investment prize for one stellar delegate. Headlining the event are African Leadership Academy founder Fred Swaniker; Founder & CEO of the Rehumanize Institute and co-founder & previous CEO of SingularityU Nordic, Laila Pawlak; Tasha’s Group CEO & Founder Natasha Sideris; South African songstress and motivational speaker Lira; financial journalist, speaker and author Bruce Whitfield and Veldskoen co-founder & CEO Nick Dreyer – with many more big-name presenters yet to be announced. The presenters and panellists will share their unique insights into how best...

18Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

SA entrepreneurs must leverage business growth through application of locally produced, world-class tech solutions or risk being left behind in fast-paced digital landscape

By JACQUES JORDAAN, CO-FOUNDER & CEO SPECNO While South African entrepreneurs continue to battle less-than-ideal operating conditions for their businesses in our country, one solution remains prevalent: the integration of locally produced, technical solutions, with the power to provide our hard-working entrepreneurs with monthly cost savings, improved operational efficiencies and an increase in opportunities for growth. Streamline operational efficiencies to secure cost savings By integrating locally-produced tech-based solutions into their business models, South African entrepreneurs can streamline their operational efficiency in a manner that results in significant cost savings. One of South Africa’s leading online shopping destinations recently underwent their own digital transfo...

How to start a business with almost no money

22Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, South Africa News, Startups

How to start a business with almost no money

By Catherine Wijnberg One of the questions I am most frequently asked is: “How can I get funding to start my business?” Today’s Google search will give you 340 million answers to this question. But if it’s just one good answer you need, this one might help. The reality is that most new businesses start with very little money. I started Fetola from my dining room with one laptop and an idea. Similarly, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Apple founder Steve Jobs and South African whizz kids Elon Musk and Mark Shuttleworth all started globally successful businesses from their garages, relying mainly on their skills and hard labour and some help from friends and relatives. Closer to home, Helena van der Westhuizen from Simply Bee, South Africa’s fast-growing, natural skincare company, developed ...

22Dec

By Catherine WijnbergNo Comments

South Africa News, Startups

Why the sector is fertile ground for South African entrepreneurs

By Catherine Wijnberg, CEO of Fetola South Africa needs entrepreneurs to reverse our shrinking economy and high unemployment rate. And while they face numerous barriers in almost every sector, there is one industry that offers them the key to success: The circular economy. Only about 1% of micro-enterprises[1] in South Africa, starting with one to five employees, will grow to employ more than 10 people. This means most entrepreneurs will face so many barriers they will make little meaningful difference to unemployment in the county. But this is not the case within the circular economy. The circular economy consists of businesses that focus on eliminating waste. Circular thinking goes beyond the reduce, reuse and recycle focus in the green sector to design out waste altogether. It promo...

9Dec

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Somalia News

Salaam Somali Bank to distribute $4million to Somalia’s best and brightest young entrepreneurs

Salaam Somali Bank has announced that $4 million has been earmarked for Somali entrepreneurs between 2022 and 2024 to ‘kick-start’ economic growth in the Somalia economy at this year’s Mogadishu Tech Summit The Salaam Entrepreneurs Fund (SEF) aims to cultivate young Somali business people and support existing Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in the wake of Covid-19 Over $1million has already been loaned from the SEF since 2019 to 1,035 entrepreneurs, 43% of whom are female Mogadishu – Today, Salaam Somali Bank announced plans to inject $4million into the Somalia economy between 2022 and 2024 through specialist, zero-interest micro-loans to Somalia’s best and brightest entrepreneurs. The announcement, delivered at the annual Mogadishu Tech Summit – sponsored ...

19Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Getting SA’s Social Entrepreneurs Investment Ready

The impact investing market now stands at around US$715 billion globally and this figure is climbing steadily[i].What’s more, 43% of impact investors have funds allocated to Africa, with 52% of investors planning to increase their African investment over the next five years[ii]. With South Africa being the largest market for impact investing within Southern Africa[iii], are our social entrepreneurs ready for this investment? Ashleigh Sibanda, Programme Manager: Business Incubation at business growth specialists Fetola explains that investment readiness refers to the capacity of an enterprise to understand and meet the specific needs and expectations of investors. “While there are thousands of social enterprises in the country, not all of them possess this. In fact, the World Bank cites th...

12Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, Startups

Failing To Win

A new book from Burnet Media, Cape Town will inspire and guide the next generation of African entrepreneurs. Failing To Win by Mike Quinn is the authentic story of a uniquely African startup at the forefront of the continent’s fintech revolution. Inspired to become the “M-Pesa of southern Africa” after Kenya’s pioneering mobile money innovation, Zoona secured tens of millions of dollars in international investment and grew to serve two-million customers in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique while processing $2.5-billion in transactions. This is an ideal read for anyone doing business or investing in Africa, and in particular for purpose-driven entrepreneurs and impact or venture capital investors. ABOUT THE BOOK In 2009, Canadian entrepreneur Mike Quinn packed his backpack and moved to Lu...

24May

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Startups, Uganda News

Crasner Ventures backs ‘worker-first’ social network Umwuga for its second investment

London, UK, May 2021: Crasner Ventures, the early-stage venture capital investor that supports businesses led by female founders and entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, announces its investment in Umwuga Ltd, an emerging markets-focused social network that connects workers and employers. Umwuga is Crasner Ventures’ second portfolio company. Umwuga is revolutionising the recruitment industry in emerging markets, by enabling workers to connect and communicate on their own terms, showcase their abilities, experience and personality and engage and negotiate directly with prospective employers. The platform opens up employment opportunities to those often excluded by a recruitment industry and social networks designed predominately for white-collar workers. It also helps employers by giving...

11May

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Events, Startups

The Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA) launches the inaugural Legatum Foundry Fellowship for entrepreneurs in Africa

Fellowship applications open on May 3, 2021 for entrepreneurs working and living in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal. The Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship at MIT has launched the Foundry Fellowship, a first-of-its-kind leadership program for accomplished entrepreneurs who are considering their role in shaping the future of the African innovation ecosystems in which they work and live. At an inflection point in their entrepreneurial journeys, Fellows will learn from MIT faculty, connect with investors, and expand their network of peer innovators. The Fellowship is open to entrepreneurs working and living in Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, and Senegal. Building on the MIT ethos of Mens et Manus (Mind and Hand), the Foundry is ...

5May

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Business, Events, South Africa News

Post-Covid recovery depends on a positive SME mindset

#StandardBankSMESummit With more than 90% of South African SME’s having experienced revenue drops since April 2020 and with many businesses being left vulnerable, the need to support and boost South Africa’s SME sector which currently provides formal jobs for 28% of the population must be prioritised. This support is not just financial, but psychological as well. “Where people need to innovate and create their own jobs to sustain themselves and provide occupation and income for others, we need to provide the psychological tools to support those with ambition. We cannot allow innovators and entrepreneurs to give up on their dreams and visions at this critical time,” says Deenash Pillay, Head of Enterprise Banking Propositions at Standard Bank, ahead of the Standard Bank SME Summit which...