Applications have opened for South Africa’s Grindstone, a business accelerator that offers selected companies access to a structured entrepreneurship development programme.
Grindstone Accelerator is a structured entrepreneurship development programme co-owned by VC fund manager Knife Capital and Thinkroom Consulting, and principally funded by SA SME Fund.
Recently, it spun out Grindstone Ventures, a ZAR100 million (US$6.5 million) fund dedicated to predominantly funding startups that have completed, or are part of, the accelerator programme.
“Almost a decade of growing businesses has realised an impressive alumni that has raised just less than two billion rand in venture capital and exits,” said Will Green, the programme director of Grindstone, which fast-tracks innovative businesses and is searching for 24 of South Africa’s most innovative and fastest-growing tech companies to join its programme.
Grindstone takes South African SMEs with proven traction through an intensive year-long review of their strategies and gaps.
“Grindstone experts provide these technology companies with all the necessary support to build a foundation for growth so that they become more investable, sustainable, marketable and exit-ready,” said Green.
Grindstone’s partner ecosystem includes the SA SME Fund, Absa, Deloitte, Google for Startups, AWS, Microsoft for Startups and Webber Wentzel.
“Together we’ve been able to make a real difference by knitting together a robust community of enterprises, entrepreneurs and innovators into a robust ecosystem that is actively committed to growing talented entrepreneurs and their businesses,” said Green.
“Special mention must go to the SA SME Fund, who without their support, Grindstone and Grindstone Ventures would not have had the seeding and growth we have experienced as we grow acceleration into VC as an asset class.”
Applications close on April 30, and are open here.
