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Promise made is a promise kept - taking innovation to the people


Tshwane, 24 Mar 2016

The Innovation Hub is taking innovation to the people in the townships, with the entrepreneurs' boot camps from Tuesday, 29 March until Friday 1 April 2016 through its eKasi Labs programme.

"Nothing is more urgent than giving hope to our youth through... entrepreneurial opportunities" - these were the words of Honourable Gauteng Premier David Makhura in his State of the Province Address 2016 (SOPA) that capture what is at the core of the eKasi Labs programme.

Piloted first with the City of Tshwane, the eKasi Labs programme has seen success in Garankuwa and Soweto, where entrepreneurs have been given hope and relevant tools to refine their business ideas and their existing businesses a boost.

The Gauteng government intends to maintain the province as the industrial hub of South Africa and revitalising the township economy has been pinpointed as one of the ways in which this will succeed. The entrepreneurs' boot camps that will be hosted in Soweto, Garankuwa, Tembisa and Alexandra which will see over 100 township-based enterprises, cooperatives and SMMEs being empowered. Businesses in the townships have to cater to the challenges in their respective communities and be sustainable globally competitive enterprises. This will create decent employment for citizens in their own areas and empower the entrepreneurs willing to take the step in developing the local economy.

Each boot camp is hosted for a full day where entrepreneurs are taught how to base their businesses using the Business Model Canvas; they are trained on how to pitch their idea to potential investors and they have the opportunity to be incubated through Maxum - The Innovation Hub's business incubator. Entrepreneurs will have access to markets, intellectual property advice, funding, mentorship and networking opportunities.

To book your free seat, email: events@theinnovationhub.com.

Follow @InnovHub on Twitter and @InnovHubZA on Facebook for live updates.

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eKasi Labs

The purpose of establishing the eKasi Labs programme is to take innovation to the people by establishing co-creation and innovation spaces in the townships, where local communities are able to access the services and facilities that are offered at The Innovation Hub. Extending these services and facilities to the townships addresses problems of access and seeks to re-industrialise the community and unemployed youth so that employment is created in their area of residence through skills and enterprise development.

The Innovation Hub

The Innovation Hub, a subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA), is Africa's first internationally accredited Science Park and a full member of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP). It is strategically located in Tshwane, South Africa's executive capital in the 'smart' province of Gauteng. As the leading knowledge-intensive business cluster in South Africa, The Innovation Hub implements initiatives identified in the Gauteng Innovation Strategy and Green Economy Strategy to advance the economic development and growth of the province through innovation. The Innovation Hub has created a unique space for hi-tech entrepreneurs, world-class businesses, academics, researchers and venture capitalists to meet, network and prosper.

Editorial contacts

Tanyani Daku
The Innovation Hub
(012) 844 0076
tdaku@theinnovationhub.com