SA company joins Silicon Valley start-ups
Silicon Valley-based venture capital fund and start-up accelerator, 500 Start-ups, has announced its 14th batch of start-ups, which includes the South African home cleaning service SweepSouth. This is the first time a local company has been selected by 500 Start-ups,...
The state of SA’s start-ups
South Africa’s start-up industry isn’t for the faint-hearted. According to a new survey by Ventureburn, employees and founders of start-ups are often paid below-market salaries, get close to zero benefits and are subject to high-pressure environments. Moreover, just 17% of start-ups are profitable, with only 3% making it to the sought-after venture capital investment stages.
Orange launches African Social Venture Prize
Orange has launched the call for applications for the fifth edition of the Orange African Social Venture Prize. This initiative aims to encourage innovative start-up projects which help to accelerate development on the African continent.The prize will recognise three...
Positive outlook for SA start-ups
While start-up entrepreneurs face key challenges, the majority are positive and are motivated to grow and develop their businesses. These are among the findings of a survey of 900 start-up entrepreneurs by Seed Academy, aimed at getting a national snapshot of start-up entrepreneurs. According to the findings, the main problems entrepreneurs face are finding customers, raising funds, a lack of guidance and entrepreneurs’ tendency to wear too many hats.