Tag: entrepreneurship

South Africa’s founder-led tech ecosystem is deeper than it has ever been, but it is still structurally thin at scale. The most recent data tells a clear story. The Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association 2025 VC Industry Survey recorded R13.35 billion in active venture capital investments across 1,325 deals. ICT accounted for nearly two-thirds of total deal value.

Access to finance remains one of the most significant barriers facing South Africa's Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). While many entrepreneurs need additional capital to grow, securing funding can be challenging, particularly for businesses operating outside major economic centres.

From the sawdust-covered floors of a small Krugersdorp joinery to Johannesburg’s boardrooms, Forged in Grit tells an extraordinary story. Barry Philip Lok, founder of William Tell, traces his journey from humble beginnings in the 1970s to building one of South Africa’s leading publicly listed manufacturing businesses.

As South Africa celebrates Women's Month, conversations around financial empowerment, wealth creation and economic participation remain as important as ever. While women continue to make significant strides in the workplace, business and entrepreneurship, achieving financial independence remains a critical component of long-term financial wellbeing.

Entrepreneurship often looks glamorous from the outside. However, building a business requires difficult decisions, resilience and a willingness to learn from failure. Things I Wish I Knew captures this reality through the experiences of an entrepreneur who has navigated the pressures of business and finance. The book offers a candid account of building and growing businesses. It draws on real decisions, consequences and outcomes from the author’s entrepreneurial journey.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) cannot grow without access to funding, and South Africa needs its SMEs to grow. What needs to change in the middle? The frame for South Africa’s economic growth in 2026 is one of modest recovery. The National Treasury’s 2026 Budget Review projects real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of around 1.6%. The World Bank echoes these figures, at 1.4%, and expects growth to increase to 1.5% by 2027.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are undeniably the lifeblood of South Africa's economy. They represent 91% of businesses in the formal sector and employ roughly 60% of the country's workforce. Yet, the entrepreneurial landscape remains notoriously harsh. More than 70% of South African SMEs fail between their first and fifth years.

In a tough economic environment where capital is scarce, we continue to back responsible entrepreneurs who build sustainable, high-impact businesses that create opportunity and resilience in South Africa. We have released our 2025 Impact Report. The report outlines the organisation's work in backing responsible entrepreneurs, supporting portfolio resilience and contributing to economic inclusion through a long-term investment model.

Small and Media Enterprises (SMEs) are regularly rejected for funding, even when their businesses are profitable, because the system was not designed with their business reality in mind. SMEs contribute around 40% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and 60% of employment. Yet they face the SME funding gap, which is estimated at R350 billion. There is no shortage of funding in the system.

Across South Africa, a quiet entrepreneurial shift is underway. From spare rooms and garages to small home studios and converted garden offices, thousands of businesses are launching from home. They are also selling to customers nationwide. While the rise of e-commerce has accelerated this trend, another factor also plays a crucial role.