Entrepreneurs urged to apply now to join incubator on the move

Recently merged business and technology incubator, SoftstartBTI, has announced that applications are being accepted for tenants at its new building in Midrand. The custom-designed facility, prominently situated between the Allendale and New Road junctions of the Ben Schoeman highway, will be officially opened in October.

"This is a very exciting move for us," confirms Business Development Manager of SoftstartBTI, Brian Carl Brown. "The new property offers us convenient access, high visibility and, decisively, plenty of room to grow."

Located on Second Road in Halfway House, the 18 888m^2 property already boasts 1 313m^2 of premium office space and a further 1 000m^2 is to be added almost straight away.

"We have had to move twice in the last three years to keep up with demand, but now the incubator will have a home it can expand into," explains Brown. "This is particularly important given that our most conservative estimates suggest we will need over 4 000m^2 of office space to be able to assist upwards of 150 entrepreneurial ventures within the next three years."

The new SBTI building has been designed specifically to accommodate early phase entrepreneurs operating in the ICT and electronics markets and offers state-of-the-art facilities serviced by a cutting-edge technological infrastructure.

For example, the building's dedicated training and events centre is served by multiple broadband connections offering initial connectivity of 6Mbps.

"It's a separate building that will seat up to 55 delegates," notes Brown, "but it is connected to the main building using fibre-optics so tenants will still have high-speed access to the main SBTI network and servers should they require it."

Set in modern, campus-style surrounds, the building also features a fully-equipped outdoor entertainment area and private club. "The club is essentially a bar that tenants can use for entertaining guests or to simply relax in after work," clarifies Brown.

The purchase and renovation of the new SBTI building has been funded by the SEDA Technology Programme (STP). The programme is a special initiative of the national Department of Trade and Industry responsible for technology transfer and business incubation. "We are absolutely delighted with SoftstartBTI's performance so far," enthuses Charles Wyeth, Executive Manager of the STP, "and have every confidence in their capabilities; the acquisition of such an ideal residence and the creation of a 2 000m^2 ICT incubator is building a strong foundation for them being the flagship of the SEDA Technology Programme."

Despite its impressive facilities and prominent location, Brown is quick to point out that SoftstartBTI is much more than an inspiring building packed with the latest office productivity tools.

"A successful business incubator is, first and foremost, a service programme," he maintains. "However great it might be to work in, a building cannot provide mentoring or teach the business management skills that are vital to helping emerging companies grow.

"Nonetheless, supporting the community with this kind of infrastructure does promote interaction and the cross-pollination of ideas and enthusiasm," he acknowledges, "and that is also an important ingredient in the recipe for success."

Entrepreneurs interested in joining the SoftstartBTI community should contact either Brian Carl Brown (brian@sbti.co.za) or Farrah Naidoo (farrah@sbti.co.za) on (011) 695 4800 to arrange an appointment to discuss their plans.