Entrepreneurship
A Pregnant Pause
The ENGEN Pitch & Polish competition, powered by Raizcorp, is now five years old. It’s getting better and better,
and this was evident at the Wild Card finals held at Raizcorp’s offices in Kramerville, Sandton, on 27 August 2014.
T
he showdown
between three bright
entrepreneurs was
broadcast live on SAfm, the
national media partner. Going
head to head were Carol
Surya, Thozama Hopa and
Thabiso Tlaila, and their three
minute presentations were
spot on and incisive, covering
the five main criteria that the
judges were looking for:
He also mentions that “the
quality of the pitches has
improved over the past five
years, and that something good
is happening”. Kgotso Motingoe
was particularly impressed with
“the level of innovation, and the
level of technical input” from
the three presentations, and he
says that all managed to land
➲ Left to right, Kgotso Motingoe, Dennis O’Donnell, Rowena Baird,
a few “succinct jabs” in their
Thozama Hopa, Thabisa Tlaila, and Carol Surya
respective three minutes. He
adds that Raizcorp’s mission is “to match
•
A deep understanding and passion
Carol, a Plettenberg Bay based psychologist
the horse with the jockey”, i.e. the idea may
for the type of business they want to
with 20 years’ experience in assisting
be good but is the entrepreneur ready for
establish
children in self-confidence and self-esteem,
the challenge? Rowena Baird, the SAfm
developed this game to allow children aged
•
A business idea that fills a gap in the
announcer, was also impressed with the
six to twelve to express their feelings to
market
presentations, commenting that the Pitch ‘n
both parents and professionals, and she
•
A clear understanding of the
Polish competition “is unearthing wonderful
now wants to reach more people through
customers’ world
talent, and that everyone who participates,
marketing the game, as well as developing
•
The service or product offered has the
irrespective of outcome, is a winner”.
further games for teenagers and adults, and
potential for diversification and growth
The good news is that after the competition,
in various languages. Thozama Hopa, from
•
A compelling business case, based on
no one falls through the net, as Raizcorp
Mdantsane, East London, came in third
research and financial viability
ensures that everyone with a good idea is
with his plan to encourage the people of
After the presentation, listeners were invited
matched to an interested benefactor, who
Mdantsane to leverage their RDP houses as
to vote for the best presentation via phone
collateral for energy efficient solutions in their assists with further training, and opens the
or sms. The listeners were assisted by
homes, such as solar power and LED lighting. doors to a bright future.
probing questions from the two judges;
Dennis O’Donnell says that SAfm supports
Dennis O’Donnell, station manager at SAfm;
the Pitch & Polish competition because “we
and Kgotso Motingoe, entrepreneurial scout
are a public service and it is our public duty
at Raizcorp. The voting was incredibly
to support entrepreneurial initiatives”.
close, but when the votes were tallied,
Thabiso Tlaila’s Health Mama mobile health
solution for pregnant woman from the rural
areas came out tops. Health Mama is a
screening device that downloads the results
to a cell phone, and the data is then sent to
a server, which is accessed and analysed by
a doctor at a metropolitan hospital. Thabiso,
a qualified pharmacist, and currently doing
his masters in health sciences, has the
support of the Department of Health in this
venture, and he believes that his device
will go a long way in addressing the United
Nations Millennium Goal #5, which aims
to reduce the maternity mortality rate, and
to achieve, by 2015, universal access to
reproductive health.
➲ The finals were held on 18 September, and this year’s winner was a female entrepreneur
Carol Surya’s Inner Magic board game,
which she describes as “Feeling Monopoly”,
came in a close second.
from Welkom, Lebo Selloane (second from left). Second place went to Asa Mazomba from
Port Elizabeth (second from right); third place went to Themba Sehawu from Nelspruit
(on the right); and in fourth place was Ayanda Ntsho from Soweto (on the left).
| words in action
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november 2014