2024
Event Partners & Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor
Sage
Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of small and mid-sized businesses served by us, our partners and accountants.
Customers trust our finance, HR and payroll software to make work and money flow. By digitising business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality and the climate crisis.
Website: www.sage.com/en-za/
GOLD SponsorS
TymeBank
TymeBank is one of the world’s fastest-growing digital banks, with 7 million customers since launching in February 2019. The bank is founded on simplicity, transparency and affordability – designed to make digital banking accessible and affordable to all South Africans. As a digital-first bank we constantly look for ways to empower South Africans to take back control of their money. By helping them understand how money really works and giving them a transparent view of their own financial situation, we make it easier for our customers to make decisions today that translate into a secure financial future.
Through a distribution partnership with Pick n Pay, Boxer, and more recently TFG, TymeBank has 1450 kiosks in retail stores which customers can use to open a FICA compliant bank account in under five minutes. Retail Capital, a division of TymeBank, is the largest SME funder of its kind in the sector.
TymeBank’s majority shareholder is African Rainbow Capital, a black-owned and controlled investment company, making TymeBank the first majority black-owned retail bank in South Africa. TymeBank is part of Tyme, a multi-country digital banking group focused on bridging the digital divide in emerging markets.
Telkom
Telkom is a leading information and communications technology (ICT) services provider in South Africa. Our mission is to seamlessly connect people to a better life. We carry this through in all our brands, whether at the consumer, business, or wholesale level.
Our Telkom Foundation actively works to bridge the digital divide, with projects including the Connected Schools programme, while FutureMakers, our enterprise and supplier development initiative, empowers digital entrepreneurs to realise their vision.
Telkom continues to innovate and consistently provides products and services that advance South Africans.
Telkom was voted as the ‘Coolest Telecommunications Provider’ by the Sunday Times Generation Next Awards, for the third consecutive year.
This achievement cements Telkom’s efforts and commitment to connecting South Africans, including the youth, to a better future through relevant and innovative products to offer immense value and benefit to the market.
PRIZE GIVEAWAY SPONSOR
Zhauns
Zhauns Business Opportunities is the leading supplier of small and medium sized machinery to start your OWN BUSINESS. We sell over 30 unique business opportunities which you can start from home . The South African economy is not able to provide enough jobs for our people and the only solution to eradicate poverty and unemployment is to start your own business and become your own boss!
Zhauns sells Toilet Roll making machines , Soap making machines , Brick making machines , Bottle washing , filling , capping and label machines , Sachet filling machines , Popcorn machines , Jam making Machines , Peanut butter making machines , T-Shirt printing machines , Water purification machines etc.
Visit www.zhauns.co.za to see our unique range of incredible business opportunities which you can start from your bedroom TODAY!
Website: www.zhauns.co.za
SMME Delegate Sponsor
SNG Grant Thornton
SNG Grant Thornton is the South African member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd. We’re a network of independent assurance, tax, and advisory firms, made up of 62,000 people in more than 140 markets operating everywhere you are, as well as where you want to be.
At SNG Grant Thornton, we believe that with the proper guidance, entrepreneurs can establish businesses that not only survive but also thrive. Importantly, we know that entrepreneurs and small business owners have limited time on their hands, and thus solutions aimed at them should be clear, easy to understand, and structured around their needs. Our SMME Growth Hub is designed with this goal in mind, providing an easy-to-follow guide to starting, setting up and running your business.
Website: www.grantthornton.co.za
Knowledge Hub Partner
The Gauteng Partnership Fund (GPF)
The Gauteng Partnership Fund (GPF) is a transformative development financial institution (DFI) established in 2002 by the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements to provide financial solutions that enable the development of integrated human settlement projects.
Through its strategic investments, innovative financing mechanisms, and rigorous project management, the GPF continues to uplift communities, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth, making a tangible difference in the lives of thousands of Gauteng residents.
With a wide range of innovative products, the GPF encourages property developers to familiarise themselves with the qualification criteria before applying for funding. Once they have acquainted themselves with the requirements, they can apply for funding via the GPF’s website at www.gpf.org.za.
The entity is also seeking co-funding partners who share its mission of enhancing the lives of people in communities, while also providing investors and partners with sound financial returns.
Website: www.gpf.org.za
Supporting Partner
TECSA
TECSA is a registered Non-Profit Company (NPC) that was established by Soweto Citizens and its businesspeople, led by serial entrepreneur, Mr. Bheki Twala to mobilise and empower Township-based Enterprises to exploit business opportunities emanating from Economic Development Initiatives in Townships.
The entity was established in response to the enactment of the Township Economic Development Act (TEDA). TEDA seeks to “promote Township Economic Transformation in order to enable meaningful participation of previously marginalized people in local economies and support the development of representative associations of township-based enterprises and non-profit organisations.” The Act thus provides the necessary “developmental legislative framework that addresses economic, geographical and social inequalities” by bringing townships closer to mainstream economic Opportunities.
Platinum Sponsor
FNB Business Banking
As FNB Business Banking, we salute small businesses who continue to play a meaningful role in solving for unemployment across many communities in South Africa, while also contributing to economic growth. We acknowledge that businesses often face many challenges that often hinder them and their respective communities from thriving and reaching their full potential. Let’s help your business get there with specialised financial solutions.
As the Best Bank for SMEs in South Africa, we invite businesses to partner with us in providing both financial and non-financial support to help make the best decisions for the future – regardless of the phase and life cycle of your business. Let’s help your business with the right funding and advice.
With our 185 year legacy, our ability to drive societal change and build a sustainable future, leads to enriching the lives of our clients, employees, and the communities that we serve.
Explore FNB Business. Join the Changeables.
Website: www.fnb.co.za
Headline Sponsor
Takealot.com
Takealot is South Africa’s leading online retailer with millions of products across more than 30 departments. With Takealot, over 4 million happy online shoppers choose the better way to shop; enjoying great value, as well as hassle-free nationwide delivery and collection at over 100 Takealot Pickup Points.
As a proudly local company, Takealot also supports thousands of small businesses through its Takealot Marketplace platform. Since its inception in 2014, Takealot Marketplace has evolved into a beacon of success for South African small businesses. Growing from a modest 120 sellers to where it is today, the platform now boasts over 12,000 sellers based in more than 1000 towns and cities across South Africa. It is this continuous growth that has seen over 26 million unique products being sold on Takealot Marketplace.
Takealot Marketplace allows entrepreneurs easy access to millions of customers in a quick, simple and affordable manner. It enables SMEs to develop and overcome some of the difficulties that come with establishing and scaling a business while also finding a sustainable route to market. In fact, in 2023 alone, over 24,000 brands were onboarded, reaffirming the role Takealot Marketplace plays as a catalyst for entrepreneurial success in South Africa.
With thousands of success stories, Takealot Marketplace is not just a platform – it is a lifeline for businesses looking to thrive in the digital economy.
In 2024, Takealot in partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Government, launched the Takealot Township Economy Initiative, consisting of six programmes focused on creating jobs and supporting small businesses owned by historically disadvantaged persons (HDPs) in underserved communities across South Africa. This initiative fosters job creation and economic growth by nurturing local entrepreneurship and promoting community development.
Join us as we redefine the eCommerce landscape, one success story at a time. Together, we’re not just building an online platform; we’re building the future of South African entrepreneurship.
Host City
City of Ekurhuleni
On 5 December 2000, seven years after the historic Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) which took place at the World Trade Centre in Kempton Park, the local government authorities of the nine cities and towns east of Gauteng, and 11 further administrations were formed into the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), then the fourth largest metropolitan municipality in South Africa.
Website: www.ekurhuleni.gov.za/
Conference Delegate Bag Sponsor
Mastercard
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart, and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments, and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.
Website: www.mastercard.co.za
Knowledge Hub Partner
Competition Commission
The Competition Commission is empowered the Competition Act, No. 89 of 1998 to promote and maintain competition in the South African economy in order to promote the efficiency, adaptability and development of the economy; provide consumers with competitive prices and product choices; promote employment and advance the social and economic welfare of South Africans; expand opportunities for South African participation in world markets and recognise the role of foreign competition in the country; ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have an equitable opportunity to participate in the economy; and promote a greater spread of ownership, in particular, to increase the ownership stakes of historically disadvantaged persons.
The Competition Commission seeks to ensure a growing, de–concentrated and inclusive economy by addressing past exclusions through actively promoting transformation and SME participation as public interest objectives in its merger control and enforcement actions.
SMME PAVILION SPONSOR
Standard Bank Group
Standard Bank Group is the largest African bank by assets, operating in 20 African countries, four global financial centers and two offshore hubs. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, we are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with share code SBK, and the Namibian Stock Exchange, share code SNB.
Standard Bank has a 162-year history in South Africa and started building a franchise outside southern Africa in the early 1990s.
Our strategic position, which enables us to connect Africa to other select emerging markets as well as pools of capital in developed markets, and our balanced portfolio of businesses, provide significant opportunities for growth.
The group’s headline earnings for the year ending Dec. 31, 2023, were R42.9 billion (USD2.3 billion) and total assets were R3.1 trillion (USD166 billion). Standard Bank Group had over 18.8 million clients, employed over 50,000 people (including Liberty) and had over 1,000 points of representation and 6,000 ATMs on the African continent.
The group’s largest shareholder is the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world’s largest bank, with a 19.4% shareholding. In addition, Standard Bank Group and ICBC share a strategic partnership that facilitates trade and deal flow between Africa, China and select emerging markets.
