As an impactful way to create employment opportunities and empower South African entrepreneurs, enterprise development plays a critical role in addressing the country’s socio-economic challenges.
When implemented with the right structure, mentorship, and ongoing support, enterprise development becomes far more than a necessary compliance exercise to align with worthwhile and meaningful empowerment legislation; it becomes a powerful catalyst for inclusive economic growth and mutually beneficial business collaborations.
The success story of Palota, a diversified technology company supported through the Britehouse enterprise development program, is an example of the powerful downstream benefits that focused investment can deliver, including shared business value when the process comes full circle.
Founded in 2016 by Kholofelo Moyaba, Palota was brought into the Britehouse ecosystem after identifying the entrepreneur’s technical acumen and business flair.
“We conduct thousands of interviews with university graduates each year to find emerging tech skills, and Moyaba’s entrepreneurial spirit, passion, and unique focus areas stood out to us,” explains Britehouse’s CEO, Gerard Sofianos.
Having qualified with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Cape Town, Moyaba gained some experience working at the South African Reserve Bank as an innovation specialist and showed a keen interest in emerging technologies like machine learning (ML).
On joining Britehouse, Moyaba received mentorship and guidance while working as a contractor through Palota, gaining confidence and additional experience by working on numerous projects across industries, from mining and retail to education and local government contracts.
“After six months, Moyaba came to me to share his desire to blaze his own trail. However, he knew he loved working with Britehouse and wanted to deepen the working relationship,” recalls Sofianos.
To support his entrepreneurial vision so he could make a bigger impact in the economy by starting his own business, Palota was converted from a contractor to a supplier. Britehouse subcontracted Palota on various projects and helped source an anchor client to get the business off the ground.
The Britehouse team guided Moyaba through the startup phase with tailored strategic business and financial advisory services that helped him navigate complex market dynamics and optimise operational efficiencies.
“Complementing this expertise, we provided access to essential resources, including shared services, operational tools and industry networks to support sustainable growth,” continues Sofianos.
This holistic approach empowered Moyaba to rapidly scale his business, and within 12 months, he gained clients outside the Britehouse ecosystem.
Palota has since grown into an African technology company based in Bryanston, Johannesburg, that employs 15 people, offering a range of services to local and international companies, including artificial intelligence (AI), ML, IoT, cloud solution architecture, mobile app and web development and user experience (UX) design.
As the ultimate sign of success, the Britehouse enterprise development program achieved a strategic full circle when Palota subcontracted Britehouse to co-create an award-winning app for solar energy provider Wetility.
Palota handled the app development and back-end technical infrastructure, AI and data engineering to enable the customer journey and integrate intelligent energy usage with AI-driven automation, while Britehouse shaped the UX with an intuitive and sleek user interface.
“We no longer just support Palota. The business has matured into a collaborative partner that drives shared business value by including Britehouse in projects,” states Sofianos.
“Coming full circle underscores Britehouse’s dedication to building enduring partnerships through an impactful enterprise development program that drives meaningful, long-term value for all stakeholders,” he concludes.