Grace Ashiru
Ten South African startups have been chosen for the three-year GrindstoneX accelerator program, which aims to give women entrepreneurs more power and create jobs.
Grindstone was started in 2014 and is owned by Knife Capital and Thinkroom. It helps companies with fast growth and a focus on innovation grow by supporting them.
Naspers Labs is an initiative to help young people run by Naspers, an international consumer internet company and technology investor.
The two groups have joined forces to make GrindstoneX, which will find the top 10 South African businesses started by women each year and put them through Grindstone’s 12-month growth engineering program.
The participants of the first cohort, who have now been chosen, are as follows:
- Africa Beyond 4IR is a project to help digital businesses grow and give people in Africa more power.
- Blushproof is a firm that produces and distributes online period underwear that is distinctive, leak-proof, and reusable;
- Chicken Bar is a restaurant that serves grilled chicken and has an online delivery service that uses GPS and other new technologies;
- Four Minute Medicine is a place to learn and get health information online.
- Seponono Africa is a digital marketing firm.
- Abaguquli4IR is a company that helps people learn and improve their skills in 4IR;
- Thetha Digital is a company that makes high-quality digital and instructional materials for businesses in South Africa.
- Wisi-Oi is a website where you can buy and sell used clothes in good condition;
- Young Rebels Marketing specializes in digital marketing.
- The businesses of the female founders will be evaluated and analyzed in depth, and if needed, the founders will be given carefully planned help.
Naspers Labs provides the funding that makes it possible for GrindstoneX to use the skills and successes of Grindstone’s growth engineering programs.
Go to the website to find out more.
