If you would like to find out more about our various initiatives or be notified when a call opens, then please register your interest today.
SAB FOUNDATION THOLOANA PROGRAMME
The SAB Foundation Tholoana Programme is now entering its fifth year and has become one of the most visible and impactful programmes of its kind in South Africa. To date, over 150 emerging businesses in all nine provinces have attained new levels of success during their time on the programme.
The Tholoana Programme is a two-year intervention which offers participants access to skilled mentors, practical workshops and training, market access support, investment readiness, finance, a peer support network, and a host of other interventions that lay the foundation for sustainable growth.
Developed and implemented for the SAB Foundation, the programme has a special focus on rural businesses and those led by women and youth. Businesses in this programme typically achieve an annual growth rate per business of 47.2%. This is an exceptional result in a tough economy and points to the quality of the programme and the participants.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IMPACT LAB
FNB’s Social Entrepreneurship Impact Lab is looking for innovative social entrepreneurs who are passionate about changing South Africa’s future.
Are you a social entrepreneur committed to improving lives and creating a real impact through the work you do? Or an entrepreneur with a passion for providing meaningful solutions to social and environmental challenges? If so, then FNB’s Social Entrepreneurship Impact Lab is for you.
FNB will support the growth of 25 social entrepreneurs who are tackling pressing social, environmental, and economic issues in South Africa. The 18-month programme will provide the support solutions that social entrepreneurs need to significantly change their growth pathway and reach the full potential and impact of their social enterprise.
Successful applicants will receive expert tailored solutions to accelerate their enterprise, including individual mentorship from experienced, skilled mentors, access to powerful peer networks, market access linkages and investment readiness support to help them reach healthy resilience and lasting scale.
Keep an eye on our social media for news about when applications for the FNB Social Entrepreneurship Impact Lab open
WASTE TO WING
A first in Africa, the Waste to Wing project aims to prove the feasibility of a waste-based Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) industry in South Africa. Over the last 12 months, the Waste to Wing multi-disciplinary team has been evaluating opportunities for a waste-based ligno-cellulose (woody) to be used as a feedstock for SAF production. They have found that there is a bright future for the industry in South Africa.
A biomass-based SAF supply chain represents a significant opportunity for SMMEs. Fetola is launching a new biomass economy incubator for 25 SMMEs who will participate in the supply and beneficiation of waste feedstock which is aligned to the future of the SAF industry.
SMMEs in the biomass economy: i.e. alien vegetation removal beneficiation, biomass to energy (including biofuel), biomass transportation, and biorefinery activities are invited to apply.
Eligibility Criteria
- SMMEs must be operational for more than 1 year
- The business should be a going concern, sustainable and viable
- The owner should be full-time involved in the business
The project will adhere to global sustainability standards chosen by the aviation industry to ensure that biofuel is used in a manner that sustains food security, biodiversity, water, land, and labour rights. The project aims to reduce greenhouse gasses emitted by the aviation industry, while simultaneously capacitating South African entrepreneurs to adopt sustainable consumption and production practices and seize green economy opportunities. Learn more about the Waste to Wing project HERE
The project partners are Fetola Foundation, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and SkyNRG, with funding by Switch Africa Green, a programme of the European Union.
Applications are closed!
Absa Business Day Supplier Development Awards
BIG BUSINESS MAKING A BIG IMPACT
Last year, more than 400 entries were received for the inaugural Awards that were presented in partnership with Fetola, Cold Press Media and Tiso Blackstar Group.
In a country where ‘business’ is often painted as self-serving, the Absa Business Day Supplier Development Awards explores ways to change this narrative. The lessons learned from this exercise have largely debunked the prevailing sentiment that corporates and parastatals in South Africa don’t invest in tomorrow’s business leaders.
Catherine Wijnberg, CEO of Fetola and initiator of the awards, says: “The 2018 finalists illustrate the huge impact that corporate South Africa has on the national growth and transformation agenda, and showcase how effective Supplier Development programmes can and do lead to sustainable growth, genuine empowerment, and positive benefits for all stakeholders.”
Visit the Absa Business Day Supplier Development Awards website
GROUNDSWELL AFRICA
MAKING GREEN MAINSTREAM
Equipping eco-entrepreneurs with the business support they need to succeed
The GROUNDSWELL business accelerator programme runs over 18-month and offers the entrepreneurs mentorship, access to funds, and investment readiness preparation. The businesses on the programme service the water, sustainability, and resource efficiency sectors.
GROUNDSWELL is funded by J.P.Morgan and offers a tailored business acceleration programme for entrepreneurs who are passionate about bringing critical solutions for today’s environmental challenges. The programme is designed to create collaboration between entrepreneurs, technical agencies, corporates, and sources of capital.
To find out more about the programme please email Amandla Mali.
Download the Market Opportunity Report done by Sector Agency, GreenCape, for a summary of the opportunities and challenges in the sector.
#JustAddGreen (JAG)
We are passionate about sustainable business practices, so the chance to implement a programme that had this as a central focus was something we could not pass up.
The #JustAddGreen programme was an 18-month pilot study that supported the development of high potential, growth-motivated SMEs that are active in the Green Economy. The initiative was managed and implemented by Fetola and funded by J.P.Morgan. Businesses that participated included those that employ clean technology (reducing emissions, pollution and improved material efficiency), provide resource efficiency solutions or bring about an environmental benefit.
Based on the success of this initial pilot, a further round of funding secured from J.P.Morgan has seen the launch of the second phase of this exciting programme as GROUNDSWELL.
LEGENDS
The Old Mutual Legends Programme was started in 2007, in response to Old Mutual’s desire to increase their impact on job creation through the empowerment of emerging small businesses. The primary aim of the programme was to support the growth and sustainability of small black-owned businesses and community projects in rural and peri-urban poverty nodes across South Africa.
In addition, the programme provided an opportunity to raise the visibility of Old Mutual’s positive role in poverty relief around South Africa, by sharing these stories within Old Mutual’s internal publications and externally in the broader media.
The Legends initiative was created as a ‘white label’ initiative, designed and implemented by Fetola for Old Mutual. The programme was repeated annually between 2007 and 2013. It grew from its first intake of ten participants in three provinces, to support an intake of seventy-two participants in 2013 across all nine provinces. The programme generated a number of innovations, many of which have now become standard practise in the enterprise development industry.
Ten years after the programme started, almost 90% of participant businesses are still in operation.
Download the programme report here.
ETU
At Fetola we like to do things a bit differently, so when an opportunity arose to work with the Embassy of Finland on their Aid for Trade programme, our first thought was to create something new and fresh. On the agenda was the need to stimulate trade, create market access opportunities and grow local businesses.
The ETU Programme, which ran from 2009 to 2011, was a transformative and innovative accelerated-growth programme for local small-scale manufacturing companies. ETU was funded by the Embassy of Finland and conceptualised and implemented by Fetola.
Eleven niche manufacturing businesses based in the Western Cape were selected for their entrepreneurial drive, quality products, potential to create positive social impact and growth potential.
The ETU Programme offered participants access to a suite of support to help them build more robust and sustainable businesses. In keeping with our desire to innovate and maximise outcomes, we developed a pay-it-forward scheme, as a way of multiplying the programme’s benefits. Participating entrepreneurs were asked to implement socially beneficial projects in their local communities in exchange for their participation.
Download the programme report here.
