After receiving a record 1,400 entries for the 2024 Nedbank Pitch & Polish Entrepreneurial Competition, 16 entrepreneurs have been selected to compete for a business upliftment prize worth R1 million. The competition features a diverse array of business types, including innovative tech start-ups, dreadlock salons, biodegradable textiles, and at-home health-testing solutions.
Now in its 14th season, Nedbank Pitch & Polish continues to provide contestants with a structured learning program designed to enhance their investment pitching skills and increase their chances of securing business funding. Each entrepreneur is paired with a business mentor from Raizcorp, Africa’s leading incubator, to receive guidance on strategy, finance, sales, and marketing. This mentorship ensures that even those who do not win a prize will gain valuable knowledge to help them develop successful and sustainable businesses.
The competition’s winner will receive R650,000 in cash and a bursary worth R350,000 for a two-year Raizcorp business acceleration program. The first runner-up will earn R100,000 in cash, while the second runner-up will receive R50,000.
The 16 contestants selected for round 1 of the competition are:
- Keenan George (Smart-View Technology, Western Cape): Keenan’s Smart-View utility management system helps businesses optimize their consumption of water, electricity, and gas, enabling data-driven decisions for sustainable and cost-effective operations.
- Babongile Mqwathi (Valour Flora, Gauteng): Babongile’s flower shop offers a vibrant selection of fresh flowers, gifts, and balloons, providing exceptional quality and service to ensure customers leave with a smile.
- Bandile Fihla (Masigcobe Holdings, Eastern Cape): Bandile’s business produces Iyeza LePleyiti, a natural remedy for colic in infants, based on a trusted family recipe refined over the years.
- Fortune Gumede (Jepo Cleaning Services, Gauteng): Fortune has developed a mobile app that simplifies funeral planning, giving families peace of mind during difficult times by organizing and tracking funeral arrangements.
- Luthando Mchiza (Perfect Drilling, KwaZulu-Natal): Perfect Drilling provides geotechnical services, including borehole drilling and water purification, to homes, farms, and schools in disadvantaged communities.
- Cheslin Denman (Innoble, Gauteng): Cheslin’s digital platform Innoble simplifies compliance administration for SMMEs, helping them track and manage obligations while connecting with market-funding opportunities.
- Thabiso Ngcobo (Shielder, KwaZulu-Natal): Thabiso’s Shielder is a treated timber structure used in grave preparations, protecting coffins from termites and preventing soil and gravestone collapse.
- Sibongiseni Mngadi (Zinacare, Gauteng): Zinacare offers at-home health test kits for convenient, non-invasive sample collection, with results delivered within 48 hours.
- Ardis Phaswane (P-Unit Services & Projects, Gauteng): Ardis created a nutritious porridge for individuals with various health concerns, drawing from her personal journey overcoming bulimia.
- Wayne Abbott (Rent2Recover, KwaZulu-Natal): Inspired by a personal story, Wayne’s Rent2Recover offers affordable short-term rentals of medical recovery equipment for at-home use.
- Kenneth Twala (Mandla Twala Ceramics & House Revamp, Gauteng): Kenneth manufactures pottery and home décor items, using crafting to create jobs in township communities.
- Phumulile Mkhonza (PSD Scent Perfumes, Mpumalanga): Phumulile’s business produces perfumes, body care products, and homecare items, offering perfume filling and capping services for emerging perfumers.
- Braden Snyman and Avi Maja (Breaze Delivery, Gauteng): Braden and Avi’s platform connects drivers with clients for fast and affordable deliveries, facilitating over R3 million in revenue for their drivers in the past year.
- Cindy Semenye (LungoTavolo Tex 54, Gauteng): Cindy’s biodegradable fabric, washi, is made from Abacá plant and oak cellulose, promoting sustainability in the textile industry.
- Xolani Nombenu (XTLS Dreadlocks Specialist, KwaZulu-Natal): Xolani’s salons offer high-quality products and services for dreadlock maintenance, creating employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth.
- Nthabiseng Lephoko (Nutrintha, Gauteng): Nthabiseng’s Nutrintha brand specializes in superfoods, promoting holistic wellness through sustainably sourced products like sea moss-based smoothies and meal replacements.
Although these entrepreneurs have reached the top 16 of the Nedbank Pitch & Polish competition, there’s no guarantee of victory. In the final episode, the top two finalists must compete against a wildcard entry, who will make their first and only pitch in the finale, with an equal chance of winning the R1 million prize.