The 21 finalists have been provided with loan funding to support their individual tailor-made business strategies. These strategies and the loan funding allocated to each have been developed according to a comprehensive needs analysis conducted on their existing businesses, supported by personalised industry mentorship.
Up to five of the top entrepreneur finalists will be awarded additional loan funding. The top entrepreneurs will be selected based on a number of criteria: those that execute their business strategies most effectively; financial and market growth; and job creation. These winners will be announced during an award ceremony in November this year when Global Entrepreneurship Month is celebrated.
The 21 finalists were selected from a group of 50 shortlisted young hopefuls. They are:
SAB will work closely with the SAB KickStart Boost finalists to find opportunities for them to increase their market access, including helping them to connect with appropriate local stakeholders within their respective communities so that more people adopt their services and support their business growth.
Businesses are assisted with aligning to supply chain requirements and are offered targeted market linkages. In addition, SAB KickStart has embarked on an innovative job-creation project through partnering with young SMEs in niche sectors, in particular agriculture.
For more information, visit www.sabentrepreneurship.co.za or follow the programme @SABEntrepreneur on Twitter and Facebook.
