Durban Startup Weekend Opens Doors to the Business World for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

BY: .

With the motto: “From concept to company in 54 hours” uppermost in participants’ minds, aspiring entrepreneurs developed exceptional business ideas at Durban’s Startup Weekend hosted by UKZN’s Graduate School of Business and Leadership.

Building on the success of last year’s event which was the largest Startup Weekend in Africa, this year’s gathering attracted about 100 aspiring entrepreneurs - some as young as 16 - from Durban and surrounding areas.

The weekend began with a pitch fire session which through a voting process resulted in the formation of 11 teams who had the whole weekend to build and refine their concepts under the guidance of coaches and mentors.

The refined business models were finally presented to a panel of judges on Sunday afternoon.

Startup Weekend is a creative global entrepreneurial initiative aimed at nurturing local aspiring entrepreneurs. It provides a platform for aspirant entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas, form teams, build offerings and launch start-ups. The focus is on this experience which will hopefully enhance participants’ entrepreneurial self-confidence.

To motivate participants, the weekend kicked off with a motivational address delivered by the Owner/ Manager of Mthembu Tissue Converting (Pty) Ltd, Mr General Mthembu, who spoke about the important role entrepreneurship plays in job creation.

‘Business fails because we do not research the business we are venturing into to find out how we will be different and better than our competitors. We need young people to start up small business that will create employment and I hope that the process you have started today will result in billion rand businesses and a better South Africa,’ said Mthembu.

Participant teams flourished under the guidance of a band of dedicated volunteer mentors who also demonstrated their commitment to growing the startup culture in KwaZulu-Natal.

The judging panel comprised the GSB&L’s Director and Dean, Professor Stephen Migiro; Ms Tebogo Hlabioa of the national Department of Trade and Industry; the KwaZulu Natal Small Business Development Agency’s CEO, Ms Lungile Kuhlase; Ms Sharon Manique of QuickBooks SA; Mr Jay Soma of Business Partners, and Mr Joe White of Catalyx Consulting.

Judges looked for innovative startups that could scale and thus contribute to the local economy.

The refined business models, which were finally presented to a panel of judges, ranged from a health tea business to a mobile car wash and a media co-operative.

Startup and Work Hard, a group made up of four Grade 9 pupils from Umlazi’s Zwelibanzi High School came up with an idea of a mobile car wash that embraces the principles of recycling.  Their scheme involves using old supermarket trollies to get around and old containers to store detergents which will be locally manufactured.

However, it was Special Discounts’ concept of a website that offers consumers information on all available discounts that won the grand prize.

The winning concept of UKZN’s Schools Liaison Officer and MBA student, Mr Vijay Ramballie, and The Shifting Hope, Activating Potential Entrepreneurship’s (SHAPE) students Mr Okuhle Ngunze and Ms Fatima Thayi, involves a website that delivers an awareness of discounts, competitions and promotions or specials available at shopping malls and through other business entities.

IBV International Vaults founder and Durban Startup Weekend patron Mr Ashok Sewnarain was so impressed at the high calibre of ideas presented at the event that he pledged to support three startups and turn them into successful businesses.

The lucky entrepreneur teams who will be mentored by the business mogul are Startup and Work Hard, Rent IT and Used Books.co.za

Rent IT and Used Books.co.za may merge as they both have a similar concept of offering textbooks for students in an environment of increasing costs and more demands on a family's income. These concepts appealed to Sewnarain because of their uniqueness and they touched on education, an area he is passionate about.

‘Based on all of the great ideas I have heard today, you are all winners to me. To be an entrepreneur you have to have the vision for your business and go out there and make it happen. I cannot wait to work with these teams and turn their ideas into profitable business,’ said Sewnarain.

For Startup Weekend Durban champion and GSB&L’s Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Ms Shahida Cassim the weekend’s success was an indication that the Durban community is ready to take a proactive approach in developing a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem to contribute to local economic development.

Thandiwe Jumo