SA gets ready to become an Entrepreneur Country

Entrepreneur Country (EC), a global online discovery platform aimed at helping startups connect with big corporates (something which can be incredibly beneficial to both), is getting ready to launch in South Africa.

Inspired by the example of EC’s global founder Julie Meyer, who has experience in both the VC and startup space, Tobie van Zyl (CEO, Moneysmart.co.za) and Zulfiq Isaacs (CEO, Liquid Thought) will be the programme’s official representatives in South Africa.

Bringing EC to the country will apparently give entrepreneurs and corporates access to the global EC community of more than 60 000 of technology entrepreneurs, multinationals and venture capitalists.

“We see disruption through business model innovation combined with technology on an unprecedented scale around the globe at the moment,” says Amit Pau, CEO of Ariadne Capital and director of EntrepreneurCountry. The power of the EntrepreneurCountry platform is its’ ability to unlock huge potential, acting as a catalyst for digital start-ups (what we call Davids) to engage with their Corporate (Goliath) counterparts to co-create opportunities leveraging each other’s strengths.

This is an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs in South Africa to be part of a global network, which offers peer support as well as access to funding and distribution channels to turn big ideas into successful ventures. It is especially relevant in the South African context given the need for entrepreneurs and small businesses to drive economic growth.”

“Historically, few digital start-ups in South Africa have had the opportunity to tap into global networks and strive for commercial success in global marketplaces,” say van Zyl. “Entrepreneur Country is a super-highway for technology entrepreneurs to unlock exponential growth.”

Van Zyl and Isaacs both have massive hopes for Entrepreneurship Country in South Africa, with the organisation apparently seeing the country as an important regional hub.

“By the end of the year we expect to have 15 thriving regional communities, including South Africa, and Poland which is also launching this month, with another 10 ready to come on board. It is an exciting time,” says Pau.