Ignitor wants to help create lean startups

Many startups focus on obtaining funding as soon as possible instead of trying to make their idea work first. Ignitor, a Johannesburg-based company, is aimed at helping startups see this isn’t always the correct path. More specifically, Ignitor is focused on helping entrepreneurs create a lean and break-even business.

As a free course funded by sponsors, such as Standard Bank, Microsoft, and The Green Fund, Ignitor offers entrepreneurs — what they call — a new model in company development. The program consists of a 3-day boot camp, 12-weeks of coaching, 50 online video modules, and introductions to a local network of 100 influential individuals. According to the company, the idea has gone through 2-years of lean experimentation and over a decade of research, which shows how long they have been thinking about it.

Ignitor’s program focuses on helping entrepreneurs in several key areas, which are lean startups, prototyping, sales, execution, marketing, team building, fundraising, and legal. Their main focus is on profitability and building sustainable, growing businesses.

Their team of mentors will be able to help with almost any business challenge, and includes the likes of Abu Cassim (lean startup expert), Lisa Illingworth (PR expert), Jacques de Vos (founder of nReality), and Andy Hatfield (CEO of ForGood).

According to Ignitor, over 400 entrepreneurs have attended this new model, with 30 of those funding support and turning their idea into a profitable business.

Ignitor is currently accepting applications to their Sophia Town Green Incubator and Standard Bank Technology Startups programs, both of which take place in Johannesburg. They have yet to announce when a Cape Town program will be taking applications but expect it to be in the second half of this year.