Venture Network, a Johannesburg-based non-profit community of entrepreneurs, will in March undertake a bus trip to Cape Town and Stellenbosch in a bid to foster collaboration between South Africa’s startup ecosystems.
Venture Network was launched in 2013, and in Johannesburg has grown its community to almost 1,000 people. Purely event-driven thus far, the organisation is now making its first foray to Cape Town in the form of a bus tour.
The trip is priced at cost, with every Venture Network paying their own way. Co-founder Abu Cassim told Disrupt Africa the tour – which starts on March 14 and ends on March 16 – includes up to five stops per day and aims to foster collaboration between the startup communities in Johannesburg and the Cape.
“There are good things happening on both sides, we’re hoping to provide a spark that will lead to something great. During this time we’ll be meeting the biggest players in the Cape and bring our communities closer,” he said.
The tour will culminate with a fintech pitch night on March 16 at the Barclays Rise space in Cape Town, for which Venture Network is looking for local startups to register to pitch.
“The pitch night at Barclays Rise will showcase some of the best technology solutions in financial services,” Cassim said.
“We’re creating awareness around these fintech solutions and hoping to facilitate funding for those at the event. The Barclays team may also explore ways of integrating solutions into their broad offering.”
