What an incredible day it was at the Access to Finance SME Forum! Over 200 ambitious entrepreneurs gathered—both in-person and virtually—to gain actionable insights into funding and market access opportunities. Hosted at Old Mutual in Sandton, this forum was truly a hub of innovation and empowerment.
From Ndumiso Zulu’s expert advice on funding readiness to S’onqoba Vuba’s deep and impactful dive into navigating the SME Ecosystem, the event offered essential knowledge for every attendee. Our dynamic panel discussion shed light on how corporates can create platforms for SME success—thank you to our amazing speakers who included:
- Ndumiso Zulu, Old Mutual Masisizane Fund
- S’onqoba Vuba, NEXT176
- Jeannine van Straaten, Proudly SA
- Marcia Tshabalala, SPAR
- Tashline Jooste, Innovator Trust
- Tshepo Marumule, Takealot
- Esther Mukumbo, Old Mutual Masisizane Fund
In case you missed it:
- S’onqoba Vuba - https://youtu.be/NT0b9HvDsTI?si=jMW7wenVmHpNNqDP
- Ndumiso Zulu - https://youtu.be/3cPffRI3hdY?si=RcKRclETUOI4ryK1
- Panel Discussion - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01WZpbOXB6w
- Full webinar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0XNxlLb6Y4
Our sincere gratitude goes out to everyone who made this event a success.
MORE ABOUT THE EVENT:
Proudly SA aims to create an impactful forum for local entrepreneurs, where relevant information is shared to enable business owners to grow their business so that jobs are created and sustained within our economy.
The Masisizane Fund is dedicated to providing Enterprise Development to small, and medium enterprises in South Africa. We accomplish this through Development and Commercial Financing as well as Business Support, targeting our funding towards Black-owned businesses, women, youth, and people with disabilities. This non-profit organization funds SMMEs to establish and grow their businesses, thereby reducing poverty, inequality, and unemployment.
One of the main reasons why small business fail is due to lack of funding. The greatest challenge business owners face in South Africa is the difficulty in securing funding to grow and/or sustain their daily business operations. The Young Local Entrepreneurs in Business engagement aims to bring young entrepreneurs under one roof to engage in the potential expansion of their businesses through funds such as the Masisizane fund.