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Leaf of life

Leaf of Life (PTY) Ltd is a dynamic and forward-thinking company set to make a significant impact in the cannabis industry. Specializing in various aspects of the cannabis market, we aim to redefine industry standards through innovation, excellence, and exceptional customer service.

Our core objective is to acquire, manage, and develop services that generate consistent income while contributing to the growth and enhancement of local communities. With a strategic approach and a commitment to quality, we strive to create sustainable value for our investors, tenants, and stakeholders.

Key Services

VertiGenix Holdings

VertiGenix is revolutionizing agriculture in Southern Africa by pioneering sustainable, year-round production through cutting-edge vertical farming technologies, including aeroponics and hydroponics. We specialize in the development of vertical farms growing strawberries, lettuce, and herbs, making healthy, sustainable food more affordable and accessible.

Addressing critical issues like food security, water scarcity, and unsustainable farming practices, VertiGenix offers a solution to the challenges posed by a growing population and limited arable land. Traditional agriculture struggles to meet

Bathobiles Bookkeping Services

Bathobile’s Bookkeeping Services is a cloud-based bookkeeping firm dedicated to supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in managing their day-to-day financial operations. We utilize industry-leading accounting software, including Sage and Xero, to offer comprehensive bookkeeping, accounting, taxation, payroll, and business administration services.

Our goal is to help business owners transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) by digitizing their financial records, ensuring compliance, and enabling easy access to funding.

The Problem

Nearly 50% of small businesses fail

Webinar 4 on Agripreneurship: Empowering the Future

Join the free webinar series on Agripreneurship: Empowering the future


This session will focus on "Fresh Thinking for 2025", with insights from:
• Special Guest, Dr. Bertha Letsoalo from AgriSETA, 
• Faith Mussa, award-winning musician and agripreneur dedicated to sustainable farming practices and the...

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Allan Gray Makers Startup Academy for Aspiring Artisan Entrepreneurs

Overview of your opportunity

The Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropy South Africa initiative is seeking 50 candidates per province from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and Limpopo. 

The Allan Gray Makers Startup Academy is a fully funded, 8-month incubation programme tailored for aspiring artisan entrepreneurs specialising in the Plumbing and Electrical trades. Participants will receive comprehensive business training and support to launch their own businesses.

Programme Overview: 

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Call for Applications: The Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge 2025

Overview of your opportunity

The Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge is an exclusive platform designed to empower innovative African youth in the travel and tourism sector. It provides opportunities for funding, mentorship, partnerships, and global exposure, enabling participants to present their groundbreaking projects to an international audience and secure the necessary support to bring their ideas to life.

Eligibility

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Innovation Fund

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Innovation Fund Overview

South Africa is focusing on innovation to attract private sector investment, increase employment and boost economic competitiveness. The country is launching innovation funding programmes to support the growth of innovative startups and tech-enabled small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), a strategy similar to global efforts to boost industrial growth.

Problem Statement 

SMMEs, particularly high-tech innovative enterprises and startups, play a crucial role in supporting economic growth and job creation. However, they often fail due to a lack of early-stage funding. Therefore, in line with global trends on innovation development and support, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) launched the pilot phase of the Innovation Fund programme on Friday, 27 September 2022, at the SA Innovation Summit.
 
The Innovation Fund is a public-private funding partnership aimed to bridge the funding gap, particularly in early-stage investments, and support the commercialisation of locally developed intellectual property and innovative technologies that drive economic growth, address societal challenges and foster a resilient and inclusive innovation ecosystem. 
At its core, the fund catalyses the creation and sustainable growth of tech startups and SMMEs by de-risking early-stage enterprise creation to generate sustainable pipeline opportunities of viable, high-tech enterprises for later-stage investments by private equity.
 
Objectives
 
• Leverage private capital: Attract additional private sector investments into South Africa’s innovation ecosystem and venture capital industry;
• Stimulate innovation: Encourage the development and commercialisation of locally developed intellectual property as well as innovative products and services;
• Support startups and tech-enabled SMMEs: Provide catalytic (risk) capital backing to early-stage startups and tech-enabled SMMEs;
• Build a resilient innovation ecosystem: Strengthen the infrastructure and support systems for innovation and venture building, including venture studios, incubators, accelerators, hubs, etc. to ensure a robust and interconnected ecosystem; and
• Talent: Build the human capabilities necessary to strengthen South Africa’s innovation ecosystem.

 

 

    Reports

      Fund of Funds

The Innovation Fund is structured to drive public-private co-investment on innovative high-tech Small Medium-sized Enterprises. Moreover, the Department of Science Technology and Innovation appointed independent Fund-of-Funds investment intermediaries such as the Technology Innovation Agency, SA-SMME Fund and the Public Investment Cooperation to drive the syndication of investment with various Venture Capital Fund management entities.

To learn more about our implementing partners, click on each of the logos below.

 

     Funds Committed

The Innovation Fund has committed R917.2 million to its 3 implementing partners, through 10 Venture Capital Funds. On direct funds investment model, the fund also committed to 27Four and Anza Capital through two Venture Capital Funds.

      Investees

To date, 96 South African investees have received support from implementing partners and venture capital funds. Of these, 63 received investment through the Technology Innovation Agency, 17 from the SA SME Fund, 13 from Anza Capital, two from 27four and one from the Public Investment Corporation. Before investment, the workforce of the 96 startups consisted of 1,328 employees, including three employees with disabilities, 538 Black employees and 790 White employees, 523 women and 805 men, 590 employees younger than 35, and 738 employees older than 35. With the 1 328 employees, 802 additional jobs were created after investment, totalling to 2 130 employees.

      Publications and Media

The Innovation Fund aims to drive economic growth and job creation through strategic investments in innovation, positioning South African innovators to compete globally by providing access to networks and capital. It seeks to enhance social impact by improving quality of life through innovative solutions while promoting environmentally sustainable practices and technologies that address pressing global challenges. By fostering competitiveness and sustainability, the fund supports both economic development and positive social change.
 
Click on the following report to learn more about the Innovation Fund

   Report Oct 2020-Mar 2024

Envisaged Impact

• Economic Growth: Drive economic growth and job creation through strategic investments in innovation.
• Enhance Competitiveness: Position South African innovation actors to compete and thrive on the global stage by providing them with access to networks, and capital.
• Social Impact: Enhancement of quality of life through innovative solutions.
• Environmental Impact: Promotion of sustainable innovative practices and technologies. 

 

Implementing Partners

Reseva

Reseva is a consulting company providing a range of client-based services to the public and private sector. Our services include feasibility assessments of new products and services, including detailed process descriptions, mass and energy balances where applicable, flowsheets, bill of materials, raw material costing, calculation of revenues, expenses, cash flows, internal rates of return and net present value.  

JB Creative Cinema Pty Ltd

JB Creative Cinema is a dynamic and growing business specializing in corporate photography and videography. With over 4 years of experience, we aim to leverage our expertise in visual storytelling to help diverse corporate clients thrive in the evolving digital landscape.

Our company is built on three core pillars: Quality, Visual Narrative, and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals. These principles guide our approach to creating impactful, high-quality content that resonates with audiences while supporting sustainable business practices.