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Are you an online entrepreneur or developer, with enough ideas for online projects to keep you busy for …well, forever?

Great. Pull up a chair and let me tell you about Business Beat.

It’s a collaboration between the Innovation Hub, GIBS MBA program and IdeaBank (my company).

The goal is to bring together people from all necessary disciplines to create a successful and viable online venture. There will be about 15 teams made up of techies, marketers, business students and hopefully you. You will work together to create a business plan and protype for an online venture (must be original, innovative and viable). At the end of the program, the three best business plans get brought into the incubator, and a big-name sponsor (to be announced soon) will help you develop it fully and take it to market. Of course the team can also take the business plan and develop it independently.

The first, introductory, session happens this Monday November 3 at the Innovation Hub at 2pm. Attendance is free and compulsory if you want to participate in Business Beat. There will be venture capitalists, existing online entrepreneurs and program directors to answer your questions. More information and sign up is here.

This is a great solution if you have been sitting on an idea for an online app that you want to see developed, but you cannot do it alone, or you need funding to get it off the ground. It also works if you have an existing venture that is hampered by lack of skill or funding.

It’s old news that the online environment in South Africa is hampered by lack of first round financing, or angel funding. Hopefully Business Beat will get the ball rolling, and this will be the start of many initiatives to pump money into ideas that can be turned into profitable –and formidable – online ventures.




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10 Responses to “Starting a start-up”

what happens with the entrepreneur that is not GP-based and has no wish to be based there - ever?

i have a few ideas i would like to collab with other people on, but i have lived in CT for 27 years and flew in and out of Jozi for 3 years of my life. Neither cities whip my pudding these days..

What to do?

(Report abuse)

arthurficial on October 31st, 2008 at 5:58 pm

It’s a pity this is in Pretoria, when, in my opinion, a huge number of webtrepreneurs are located in Cape Town. This sounds like an extremely useful event and I honestly wish I could attend!

Good luck Eve!

(Report abuse)

Chris M on November 1st, 2008 at 4:57 pm

It was rather bad timing only finding this article today. Is the opportunity still avaialable?

(Report abuse)

Robin Grant on November 4th, 2008 at 11:06 am

@arthurficial and @Chris M
We are aware of the need for a CT program, and will look for appropriate partners in the New Year…

@Robin
You can still participate! Drop me an email at eved@ideabank.co.za for more details.

(Report abuse)

Eve Dmochowska on November 4th, 2008 at 1:22 pm

I’m actually in Durban, though Cape Flats born and bred. Keep me in mind when you’re sourcing Durban-based partnerships/collabs.

(Report abuse)

arthur c. van wyk on November 4th, 2008 at 1:25 pm

Dear Eve, this looks very interesting and encouraging for the small web entrepreneur in SA. I’m in Cape Town, and would be really keen to learn about a CT programme. Although it’s a month since you posted your article, I have emailed you about my business plan. Hope that’s OK. Thanks for your vision!

(Report abuse)

David Merrington on November 24th, 2008 at 3:20 am

Hmmm, sounds very interesting.

(Report abuse)

Delgado Business Software on December 27th, 2008 at 11:13 pm

Great idea! Now that we’re in the New Year, do you plan on bringing this to Cape Town? If so, do you have a rough date yet?

(Report abuse)

Renault on January 9th, 2009 at 12:28 pm

@Renault
Unfortunately there are no imminent plans to take the program to CTown, although there has been talk of doing so in the future.

(Report abuse)

Eve Dmochowska on January 13th, 2009 at 10:19 pm

For most businesses it is important they operate within an environment that is favourable to sustainability and longevity, and thus far Joburg has proven to be the best environment for any business to start up and thrive in.

The Afrigator move to Cape Town is a one in a million scenario, whilst the Synthasite move to San Francisco from Cape Town is a perfect example of a business identifying a favourable environment and establishing itself therein.

It takes entrepreneurs with serious vision and foresight to recognise a favourable environment though.

Not to digress too much, I think it’s better that Ideabank has a powerbase from which it operates and keeps it stable, especially in the current turbulent global economy.

(Report abuse)

Arthur C. Van Wyk on January 14th, 2009 at 10:01 am

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Eve Dmochowska spends her day playing on and with the Internet, and thinks it is a rather fun way to make money.

In her free time (between 3am and 5 am) she hopes to one day write a book and learn how to cook.

In the meantime, she has two online launches in the pipeline, and helps others solidify their web strategy.
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