Startup Africa

Turning the key on African Tech….

Win a years free office space and mentoring with Bandwidth Barn

Forming part of their goal to encourage the creation of sustainable IT businesses in the Western Cape - the Bandwidth Barn and BSG is launching a competition where the winning IT start-up company will win a year’s free office space and mentoring programme in the Barn.

Any black-owned, entrepreneurial IT company can enter the competition during the month of August. In September, the entrants will be briefed on how they will be measured, and six months later, in February/March 2009, the winner will be announced.

A panel of skilled and experienced IT and business executives will score the entrants over the six month period using the following criteria:

1. Financial performance e.g. cash flow management and revenue growth
2. Customer retention and sales
3. Internal processes e.g. the quality of the company’s business plan and systems to implement it
4. Learning and growth e.g. the culture/approach of the individual or organisation

The successful entrant will receive a year’s free office space in the Bandwidth Barn in Cape Town, one of the leading business accelerators in South Africa. Office space includes access to meeting rooms and a shared reception, as well as networking opportunities with other tenants also in the IT industry. BSG, a black empowered business and software solutions delivery company will sponsor the office rental.

Bandwidth Barn will sponsor a year’s mentoring programme for the competition winner. Chris Vermeulen, GM of the Bandwidth Barn, says that this is an important component as many IT entrepreneurs lack the skills required to run a successful business. They are often technically skilled, but lack business know-how. According to him mentoring programmes have proven to be very successful to help IT start-ups find their feet.

The Bandwidth Barn is a subsidiary of the Cape IT Initiative (CITI) whose goal is to promote Cape Town as a global IT hub and gateway into Africa, thus facilitating the creation of jobs and prosperity through IT.

Download the application form

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