Standard Bank seeks top township entrepreneurs for 2025 Kasi SME Pitch Challenge

Standard Bank is calling on entrepreneurs in township areas to partake in its 2025 Kasi SME Pitch Challenge to stand a chance to win R60,000. This year's edition of the Kasi SME Pitch Challenge will include all nine South African provinces.

Naledzani Mosomane, head of enterprise development at business and commercial banking, Standard Bank South Africa | image supplied

Top township entrepreneurs will advance to the national finals later this year, competing for a bigger monetary prize, greater exposure and growth opportunities for their businesses. Applications for the provincial leg close on 6 May 2025.

In each province, 15 entrepreneurs will be shortlisted and invited to pitch their businesses to a panel of judges. From these, the top three winners will be selected, with R30,000 awarded to the first-place winner, R20,000 to the second-place winner, and R10,000 to the third-place winner.

The top two winners in each province will then gain access to a detailed pitching masterclass designed to sharpen their business models, storytelling abilities, and presentation skills.

These finalists will prepare to compete against winners from the other provinces at the national finals later this year, where a share of R500,000 in prize money is up for grabs.

“By expanding the pitch challenge nationally, Standard Bank deepens its impact on South Africa’s township economies, helping even more local businesses navigate typical business challenges, constraints to market access, and build sustainable enterprises,” says Naledzani Mosomane, head of enterprise development at business and commercial banking, Standard Bank South Africa.

Eligible township entrepreneurs must:

Be Black South African citizens
Be formally registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) or trading as sole proprietors
Be operating businesses that are at least 51% Black-owned, with a valid B-BBEE accreditation
Generate annual revenue between R0 and R5m
Be a business operating for at least 12 months, with a business profile and proof of ID
Not be a non-profit/governmental organisation (NPO or NGO), co-operative, joint venture, and/or Standard Bank employee

Interested entrepreneurs must visit this link https://bit.ly/4m6fhxE to apply for the Standard Bank 2025 Kasi SME Pitch Challenge and secure their chance before Tuesday, 6 May 2025.