The Pitch and Polish competition is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to win prizes worth R1 million to use towards growing their business. The competition is sponsored by Nedbank and in partnership with Raizcorp, a business incubator, for promotion and execution. There is no specific mandate in terms of sectors that are targeted, and this means that all business owners may participate.
The Nedbank Pitch and Polish will award three prizes to entrepreneurs and businesses that show the most potential to scale:
- 1st Prize: R650,000.00 cash and R350,000.00 in business development
- 2nd Prize: R100,000.00 cash3rd Prize: R50,000.00 cash
- 3rd Prize: R50,000.00 cash
Early Selection
The competition will be initiated as follows:
- Entrepreneurs must submit an initial form where basic information about them and their business is collected.
- Selected entrepreneurs from this process will be invited to submit a 90-second video pitch as well as further supporting documentation.
- A round of 16 contestants will proceed to the pitching elimination rounds.
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply, entrepreneurs must:
- be 18 years or older.
- be South African and be residing in South Africa.
- Entrepreneur must own at least 40% of the business.
- The business must be formally registered at the CIPC.
Entrepreneurs that make the final round of 16 will be required to submit documentation for additional adjudication:
- 6-month company bank statements
- Signed-off financial statements
Elimination rounds
Closing date for submitting the initial form is 5 April 2024.
Entrepreneurs must be available during the following days to participate in the elimination rounds that will be held in Johannesburg:
- 21 May to 24 May
- 4 June to 6 June
- 25 June to 27 June
- 16 July to 17 July
The final pitching that will crown the winner will take place on 19 November 2024.
Previous Pitch and Polish winner
This link is a video of the last Pitch and Polish competition that was won by Tshireletso Mokate of Camping Retreats.
Luvo Gugwana, representing Green-Arch Innovations, won the 2022 competition.
Further Information
One of our objectives is to empower small businesses and startups by curating funding opportunities that we come across. Refer to this page for other opportunities.
While formal company registration is not always a prerequisite for accessing funding, it is crucial for formalised entities to maintain compliance. Lack of proper governance will completely hinder any prospects of funding. For guides and articles on governance, please refer to this section of our site.
