The Durban-based Embizeni Innovation Support Centre, a not-for-profit initiative that assists entrepreneurs in the ICT and electronics sectors in commercialising their ventures, has started a partnership programme to assist it with the flood of entries it has received.
"Since running an 18-week promotional campaign, we have been overwhelmed by the number of innovators who have turned to us to assist them with their commercialisation challenges," says Sean Achim, business development manager at the centre.
Achim says the team at the Embizeni centre simply cannot meet the demand and, instead of turning away truly innovative concepts, the decision was made to form a partnership programme with players from industry and commerce to help innovators develop their business.
Mdu Mkhonza, CEO at Embizeni, told a packed audience at a Business Development seminar in March that there is an urgent need to embed innovation as a driver of electronic growth. "We need support from the private sector. As part of our commitment to create new entrepreneurs in KZN we have decided to share our knowledge with all participants in the business development service (BDS) arena. Our objective is to reduce the risk of business failure and perhaps even make your companies wealthier."
A number of potential partners have been recruited with the ability to assist entrepreneurs.
"The first workshop was held in April to train partners on how incubation can facilitate the process of economic development and take innovative new ideas to market," says Achim.
At the workshop Achim shares Embizeni's intellectual property - amassed over a number of years - with the partners and will work closely with them to ensure they become accredited BDS providers. He says the interest for the workshops has not only been from the Durban area, but further afield in KwaZulu-Natal and additional programmes will be held during the course of this year.
"We cover a wide range of subjects that make up the total commercialisation process. For example, some of the attendees may have a strong understanding of financial modelling, but lack expertise in marketing or technical skills. We provide a solid infrastructure in one seamless presentation."
Once partners are successfully accredited, Embizeni will pass work to them and pay for their role in taking the burden off the centre. Embizeni will supervise and manage their progress while maintaining strict quality assurance.
For more information contact Sean Achim, Embizeni Innovation Support Centre, +27 (0)31 273 1500, [email protected]
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