Andersen Consulting has opened the doors of its Dot-Com Launch Centre, designed to assist entrepreneurs and corporate clients to develop and scale their e-business initiatives.
Andersen sports 23 other Dot-Com Launch Centres globally, and says its incubators differ from other such initiatives due to its long business-cycle commitment.
"We go beyond business formation," says Roy Andrews, partner, Dot-Com Launch Centre, Andersen Consulting. "We meet needs to incubate, build, launch, run and scale new e-business at each phase of the business development cycle."
Apart from providing office space for e-businesses, the service extends to a technology framework, administration, marketing, research and funding. Andersen will offer alternative fee schemes to its clients, including equity exchange for services or funds. Both seed and second phase funding will be available.
Andersen says it will be looking for ventures with a strong management team, an unfair advantage in its business plan, rapid execution, financial returns (in the 30%-plus region), and other previous investors.
To provide the funding to these burgeoning businesses, Andersen has partnered with Investec to offer WebCapital, a fund focused on investing in e-commerce ventures in SA. The fund is expected to grow to R750 million.
"We will use the experience and knowledge we have gained through more than 140 investments and alliances with dot-com companies," says Andrews, "and leverage our scale, global presence and relationships with established industry leaders throughout the world. WebCapital is also part of our strategy to become a leading player in e-commerce in SA."
Andersen says it still intends to stick to its core competencies - services - and partner with other industry experts to deliver on diverse e-venture business needs.
Share
