10 companies will compete on 10 October 214 for an eight week paid trip to the global technology capital, Silicon Valley, California, USA, where they will observe and learn from the best and brightest at work. The trip includes airfare for two people, eight weeks of office space sponsored by SABLE, and access to various mentors and experts including acclaimed Stanford University representatives to assist them with their business in terms of either market expansion and/or to raise funds to scale their business.
The prize follows through on SiMODiSA's slogan of "Accelerating Entrepreneurship" and forms part of the Sart-Up South Africa conference aimed at Founders, CEO's of companies, MBA students making decisions about their careers, Angel investors and Venture Capitalist seeking 'deal flow' as well as government organisations looking to partner with entrepreneurs as a way to fuel job creation.
The conference takes place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 10 October and includes a speakers: Sipho Maseko, Telkom Group CEO; Michael Jordaan, Investor; Garth Saloner, Dean at Stanford Graduate School of Business; Saul Singer, author of Start-Up Nation and many more.
The conference is set to be a 'high energy' with prominent entrepreneurs and investors in the room side-by-side with academia and government representatives as they discuss ways to move the ecosystem forward. Attendees are certain to expect some exciting announcements to come from the event.
The Get-Up Start-Up judging panel includes two of SA's Dragons featured on the television series "Dragon's Den SA" - Vusi Thembekwayo, a private equity practitioner and global speaker, and Vinny Lingham, a South African entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley; as well as Justin Stanford, partner at 4Di, who's one of the most active early stage investors and successful entrepreneurs; and Pontsho Maruping, a group executive from the Technology Innovation Agency.
The grand prize winner will be heading to the United States of America to experience the technology boom taking place in California and receive the opportunity to network with global entrepreneurs, influencers, and learn the tricks of the trade in a unique effort to help build their business.
If the winner should be a 'non tech' company then they will be entered into the "Vumela" program, a program capitalised by FirstRand and managed by FNB in alliance with Edge Growth.
Online entries close on Tuesday, 30 September 2014.
For more, go to www.simodisa.com/events/get-start
