Contestants are coached on the art of pitching while the audience role-plays as investors and bank managers. The free, day-long business training programme gives each entrepreneur valuable knowledge and insights into business, which has a ripple effect in the communities where it's held, encouraging more people to explore their "inner entrepreneur" and, ultimately, helping uplift the economic potential in these areas.
Sasol partnered business incubator Raizcorp to bring Pitch & Polish to the communities in which they operate. Sasol ChemCity, Sasol's enterprise development vehicle, facilitated the competition, using the opportunity both to share essential entrepreneurial skills, as well as identify viable entrepreneurial opportunities that they could potentially incubate in these communities.
South Africans appear to be born innovators: a "make a plan" society galvanised by the need to solve problems, improve lives, survive and grow, but not according to the recent low rankings in the latest GEM report. However, there are large numbers of highly innovative and energetic entrepreneurs that simply don't have the opportunity or platform to expose their ideas and businesses. This is the main objective of Pitch & Polish - to go to smaller towns and cities and provide the stage and training for these overlooked individuals.
Sibeko, chosen from the workshops held in Secunda and Sasolburg, is a clear innovator and after guidance and polishing was able to deliver a clearly defined and structured pitch that demonstrated the depth of knowledge and insight he has in his business and the industry. His company helps solve the problem of unnecessary waste filling landfills by extracting the recyclable materials and selling them on. His business creates employment, has capacity to grow and assists the country with its waste burden.
