Thirty budding young entrepreneurs from Alexandra were afforded the opportunity to attend a Start-Up Weekend incubation programme held at the Standard Bank business incubator in Rosebank.
This was an initiative by the Greater Alexandra Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Galxcoc) and The Innovation Hub, an incubator of small medium and micro-sized enterprises.
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Start-Up Weekend is a concept that helps aspiring entrepreneurs to think through certain tools that can help them articulate their businesses more effectively.
Facilitator at The Innovation Hub, Neo Hutiri, said the three-day programme mainly focused on two components.
“In the first component, entrepreneurs were taught how to pitch their businesses and tell their stories in a unique way. The second one focused on the business model canvas and how to unpack the different building blocks of your business,” Hutiri said.
“The idea is to empower entrepreneurs in communities and also to seek solutions on how we can innovate locally.”
Sihle Mlambo, youth and project coordinator at Galxcoc, said it was humbling to see young entrepreneurs attending the event at this time of the year.
“It is the festive season and a lot of young people are out there having fun. These ones are here, eager to achieve success. I have the utmost respect for them,” Mlambo said.
As a business chamber in the township, Galxcoc always lobbies and advocates for small medium and micro-sized enterprises and makes sure that they are absorbed into the ecosystem.
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“This is an orientation where we take you from your concept of starting a business to seeing it as a success. We have initiatives such as a business model canvas which will take them through all of the steps to make their businesses a success.”
This is the third event in the Start-Up Weekend series from Galxcoc and The Innovation Hub.
