To fully appreciate the significance of June 16 one must set a gaze on South Africa’s dark history and the action of its youth to find a light bulb for a new dawn and create a new narrative. It has been forty-three years since South African youth set in motion a demand for freedom that we as a nation are yet to fully respond to. It has been forty-three years since the Soweto uprising, and to this day it is the youth of the country that echoes the chant on the streets of Soweto. The youth have not only redirected the landscape of education, but are also aggressively creating spaces for new ideas, industry and economies.
The Innovation Hub supports the mandate of South Africa’s youth, and continues to seek opportunities where their pursuits are supported. The Innovation Hub recognizes the necessity of supporting youth and socially driven business which offer essential innovative solutions to social and systemic challenges.
8 June- The Innovation Hub has partnered with the entrepreneurial platform Thriving Network for Entrepreneurs, to host a Digital Funding and Procurement workshop for incubated The Innovation Hub companies, and many others across Gauteng.
Thriving Network for Entrepreneurs is an online (Web & App) based entrepreneurial platform connecting SMME’s with each other, mentors, funders, procurement opportunities and industry on goings. Businesses register their profiles on the Thriving.Network market place platform and are matched to opportunities specific to their profile.
Thriving Network for Entrepreneurs and @InTouchAfrica, in partnership with SAVCA alongside several other sponsors will embark on this first of its kind digital funding and procurement opportunities tour in cities across South Africa. The Innovation Hub has partnered with this team to host the first leg of the tour which will be held at The Innovation Hub on 8 June 2019.
The youth day event will feature curated workshops presented by practitioners and leaders in the field of entrepreneurship, including experts in e-commerce, e-funding and e-procurement, among others. Thereby affording attendees the opportunity to pitch their business ideas, procurement solutions and funding needs to industry experts and potential funders. The event will also provide attendees with training on topics that include the best platforms to use for their businesses’ key performance indicators (KPIs). Savca CEO Tanya Van Lill, ProfitShare Partners’ Andrew Maren, GEMgroup founder Lebo Gunguluza and Lehumo Investments’ Maudi Lentsoane are but a handful of experts who will participate during the tour.
10 June– Sillicon Valley based global payment solutions platform Flutterwave is continuing its aggressive expansion across Africa as it enters South Africa this month to launch its online product RAVE. RAVE is a product that solves the challenge of fragmented payments infrastructure on the African continent by providing a solution which allows multiple payment channels to be made and received via a single integration. This distinguishes it from other payment solutions as it allows channel agnostic payments globally, through one platform which facilitates quick links to global markets. In the process, RAVE provides a solution for one of South African business’ greatest challenges, access to markets.