Tsiba Ignition Academy welcomed to RCS Level up "inspirator programme
Author: TSIBA Business School
In 2022, record-high unemployment has made job creation a national imperative – one that should be foremost in the minds of business and state leaders in South Africa.
The solution is multi-faceted, however, and includes the development of the SMME (small, medium and micro enterprises) sector, which as President Ramaphosa put forward in his most recent State of the Nation Address, is the sector with the biggest potential for job creation.
In putting its weight behind this objective, online financial services firm RCS has partnered with social enterprise, TSIBA Ignition Academy to create the LevelUp business “Inspirator,” to support South African SMMEs to thrive and grow within today’s unique socio-economic environment.
“As a business, we believe that the time for taking an ‘all hands-on deck’ approach to tackling unemployment has arrived. And as part of South Africa’s corporate constituent, we take our role as an agent of change very seriously,” commented Regan Adams, CEO of RCS. “By entering into a strategic partnership with TSIBA, which manages the LevelUp programme for RCS via its affiliate, the TSIBA Ignition Academy, we can play an active role in developing a community of the country’s most innovative and impactful business minds. We’re excited about what the future holds for LevelUp’s promising 2022 cohorts.”
As a business support initiative, now in its third year of operation, LevelUp aims to “enable, facilitate and inspire” the development of South African entrepreneurs and their ventures, by providing a unique curriculum that is underpinned by a strong and knowledgeable community of leaders and like-minded individuals. Learning assets of the fundamental LevelUp journey, are available to any small business in the country, from fintech to social impact enterprises, via the LevelUp website. Businesses interested in applying to form part of the cohorts of businesses participating in the facilitated LevelUp programme can also apply via the website. In facilitating this programme, RCS aims to accelerate the growth of these businesses and assist in contributing to broader economic and social development in South Africa.
The facilitated programme involves a customised journey for each participating business based on their needs and includes access to self-paced digital content, a test environment for business models through the Innovation Studio, one-on-one work with experienced mentors and the opportunity to collaborate with members of the growing LevelUp community. In addition, the chosen cohort of businesses is connected to opportunities within RCS and its numerous partner networks.
LevelUp’s current (fourth) cohort includes nine businesses. The product and service offerings of this exciting blend of businesses span sectors including energy, wellness, media, technology and sustainability.
Introducing Cohort Four of the LevelUp programme
The 2022 selection process has welcomed the following enterprises:
- Job Crystal, an artificial intelligence and recruitment technology start-up
- Puno Greenery, an early-stage agritech and fintech enterprise that gives South African startup farmers a platform to sell shares or a portion of their next harvests for funding
- Helplink Africa, connects holiday makers with service providers and offers a digital marketplace for tourism enterprises
- Feenix, a crowd-funding initiative aimed at education and financial literacy
- Green economy and aqua-tech firm, Water Hygiene Convenience
- Verve Media Group, a media technology group
- The Mind Retirement Institute, an e-commerce offering of wellness products
- Upcycle, a company that focuses on zero waste to landfill initiatives and works towards financial inclusion
- Green Movement’s coal and firewood replacement product, Woodies, reduces smoke pollution and waste and is a renewable fossil fuel alternative for communities, the leisure market and industrial businesses that want to decarbonize their operations.
Each of these businesses, although diverse in their operational and management styles and procedures, share a common goal to make a positive impact on South Africa and the world.
Some work in a space that enables RCS to execute pilot projects that align with its own main business objectives.
As purpose-driven businesses, each of the 2022 participants is aligned with RCS’ and LevelUp’s key focus on impact, and has demonstrated, through a stringent application process, that they have the determination and proficiency to level up their growth and development.
Expanding on the selection of these cohorts, Beverley Basson, Lead Curriculum Designer and Facilitator at LevelUp, said: “The SMMEs that we have selected for our first programme for 2022 are backed by innovative thinkers and socially-minded entrepreneurs who are on a mission to scale their operations and develop their business models into future-proof archetypes for what good business looks like.”
What LevelUp offers
The LevelUp programme specifically focuses on value proposition interrogation and the development and refining of innovative business models that can support sustained growth. This is done by means of a 360-degree assessment and a bespoke programme for each enterprise that includes access to digital content, live sessions, panel discussions, thought leadership content, peer engagement and linkages with other ecosystem events. Through specialised service providers and industry experts, each small business has the opportunity to identify key objectives within their niche and be guided through a customised experience that speaks to their unique needs.
In parallel with the business development journey the businesses have access to the LevelUp Innovation Studio which utilises uniquely curated innovation tools and templates to address challenges faced by the participating SMMEs as well as test potential solutions for RCS’s strategic goals.
The six-month curriculum is followed by ongoing engagement and continued support by means of networking opportunities, practical resources and tools and access to ongoing mentorship.
A strategic partnership with its sights set on the bigger picture
The South African socioeconomic environment is alive with opportunity but comes with a set of distinct challenges. Research by the University of the Western Cape shows that only between 20 to 30% of new South African business ventures survive beyond the first five years.
Using this rate as a benchmark, LevelUp is proud to report that of its previous programme participants, all but two (88%) are still trading sustainably and some have expanded significantly.
As a founding member of LevelUp, RCS has its eye fixed on the long term, with the view that many of LevelUp’s businesses will become solution providers for the broad and expanding client base in the RCS stable. The partnership is set to produce mutually beneficial results that will do much to uplift and empower South African entrepreneurs.
As Adams concludes: “At RCS, we do not subscribe to a narrow definition of ‘success’. Sometimes, urging forwards against the odds and simply surviving something as devastating as COVID-19, is an amazing achievement of its own. Together with LevelUp, we are dedicated to working with entrepreneurs who want to define and refine what success means to them, for the people they employ and ultimately, as prospective cornerstones on our country’s road to economic recovery.”
For more information check https://levelup-africa.co.za