Entrepreneurs celebrate their success at the Business Investment Competition Awards
FOURWAYS – It was a night of celebrating business excellence as the 11th annual Business Investment Competition Awards ceremony took place at Indaba Hotel.
Entrepreneurs recently gathered in Fourways for the 11th annual Business Investment Competition (Bic) Awards to celebrate their success.
The Eskom Development Foundation hosted the Bic Awards on 4 December at the Indaba Hotel as part of the foundation’s Entrepreneurship Week 2019. The winners, first runners-up and second runners-up were honoured in four categories during the awards, and also won money they can then use to develop their business further.
The four categories included the engineering and construction sector, manufacturing sector; agriculture and agri-processing sector and the trade and services sector.
At the end of the night, an overall winner from the 12 categories was also selected and given an additional prize.
“The Business Investment Competition Awards aim is to identify, reward and inspire small to medium enterprises,” explained Manana Maboe, the Bic programme manager who has been part of the awards since their inception in 2008. “We received 639 entries this year.”
Maboe explained that the competition was widely advertised on social media and in publications in order to encourage entrepreneurs countrywide to enter, a process that was done online and available for the public to participate for seven weeks. Once entries closed, the first round of judging took place online as adjudicators went through applications.
“Then those shortlisted came to Johannesburg in person for the next round of judging when they were interviewed by the adjudicators.”
Chief executive officer of the Eskom Foundation, Cecil Ramonotsi welcomed attendees before Professor Tshepo Mongalo (who is a non-executive director at Eskom and a lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand) gave the keynote address on the night.
Maboe explained that each category winner received R131 250, each first runner-up won R75 000, each second runner-up won R50 000 and the overall winner received R300 000.
The winners will use their money to improve their businesses.
“This competition is a networking opportunity, each adjudicator is an expert in their fields and will use the opportunity to give the entrepreneurs tips and advice,” she explained.
Some of the winners on the evening were:
• Manufacturing: Ramtsilo from the Free State
• Engineering and construction: Epitome Consulting from Gauteng
• Trade and services: Phakama Services Group Pty Ltd from Gauteng
• Agriculture and agri-processing: Blouberg Animal Health Services from Limpopo
• The overall winner on the night was the Salad Lab from Mpumalanga.
“The rest of the week also gives the opportunity for skills development. On [5 December] they will also participate in the Eskom Development Foundation’s workshops and speed marketing [event], which is a full day entrepreneurship course to teach them important skills. On [6 December] they’ll be part of the Business Connect dialogue.”
All events took place at the Indaba Hotel venue, and Maboe hoped that business owners and entrepreneurs were inspired to do better for themselves, for their communities and South Africa.
Details: Eskom Development Foundation Facebook page.
Related Article:
