Innovation Bridge Portal: Showcasing Southern African Entrepreneurial Talent May 9-12, 2023

ABOUT

Dear entrepreneurs, ecosystem players, industry specialists, and friends,

The Innovation Bridge Portal (IBP), an initiative of the Department of Science and Innovation, supported by the Department of Small Business Development South Africa, in partnership with the World Bank Group, Thinkroom and national counterparts in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia would like to cordially invite you to participate in a series of hybrid events to showcase young entrepreneurs from the five countries.

Over the past year, a flagship initiative of the IBP has been to partner with the Thinkubate Academy, which enabled the cohorts of young entrepreneurs to receive bespoke solutions to help in their early-stage business development. This was achieved through completing online learning and receiving practical support from mentors to prepare for pitch readiness. A total of 115 entrepreneurs from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa have benefited from the program to date, and the top 35 entrepreneurs will be showcasing their ventures through pitch events from 9 May – 12 May 2023, with a winning pitch selected per country.

Please join us as we celebrate entrepreneurial talent across Southern Africa, at the five events listed below:

Tuesday, 9 May: Namibia

Wednesday, 10 May: Eswatini

Thursday, 11 May: Lesotho

Friday, 12 May: Botswana, South Africa

Kindly RSVP to this event by 11 May and we will share the Zoom link closer to the time.

Best regards,

The Thinkroom Team