Go4Growth, South Africa's largest and richest competition for small and medium enterprises (SME) - with prizes that include a free listing on the JSE's AltX Exchange and millions of rands' worth of business software and financial advisory assistance - opens for entries in this, its second year, on 10 June 2008.
This SAP initiative, supported by the JSE, Vunani Limited, Deloitte corporate finance advisory, Hasso Plattner Ventures and growth advisory firm Business Edge - Go4Growth focuses specifically on SMEs that are showing good growth, and wish to fast-track their future growth.
Companies from all industries are invited to join the initiative, as all companies that enter will have the opportunity to benefit from the offerings of the campaign.
The initiative offers companies the opportunity to accelerate their growth aspirations by various means, including:
* Raising capital through a stock exchange listing
* R1 million's worth of SAP software
* R1 million's worth of corporate finance advice from Deloitte & Touche
* R9 million in subsidised growth assistance from SAP Growth Support services
* Priority access to the R350 million Hasso Plattner Ventures Africa Venture Capital Fund
With new sponsors Deloitte corporate finance advisory and the Hasso Plattner venture capital fund, Go4Growth 2008 promises to be bigger and better than last year. In 2008 there will be prizes for multiple winners and will include access venture capital funding from the R350 million in venture capital funding, as well as new generation, industry-specific, best practice based business software and growth support services.
It also provides an opportunity for entrants to obtain an expert and independent assessment of their own strategy and operations - as part of the panel of judges' process of compiling a short list of potential winners.
"The true value of the Go4Growth competition is that every company that enters, can benefit," says SAP's director of SME business in Africa, Derek Kudsee. "It's about providing a combination of advice and practical support that really does help entrants grow their business operations.
"Go4Growth therefore has a high impact on improving the business sophistication of SMEs - creating a solid base of sustainable organisations that really can carry this economy forward, even in the kind of tough economic environment we're experiencing now."
Noah Greenhill, senior general manager, marketing and business development of the JSE, says AltX is very successfully providing smaller enterprises with access to capital that they wouldn't have had in the past.
"Growing the small and medium-sized business is critically important for the future success of the South African economy and participating in this initiative is one mechanism of providing the means for SMEs to achieve this. The Go4Growth competition will provide one good company the opportunity of raising its profile, raising capital and listing on the JSE."
Graham Perry, MD of Business Edge and global service provider to SAP Growth Support services, says: "Most businesses believe that SAP only helps large corporations; SAP Growth Support is designed specifically to assist the executive teams of SME organisations. Go4Growth is our way of introducing companies to SAP's commitment to assisting companies to harness the real growth potential that exists within their business."
Deloitte M&A leader and partner, Robin Marsden, says the decision to become a sponsor of Go4Growth was easy. "The 2007 Go4Growth competition demonstrated to us that we could contribute to assisting SMEs to grow their businesses. Our global research shows that revenue growth drives shareholder value and corporate actions are a key component of driving revenues over time."
"Over the years, SAP has learnt a lot about what makes companies great. By working alongside SMEs, we are able to give companies exposure to the way best-run businesses in their industries operate," Kudsee says. "We want to do more than provide software; we want to provide support to SMEs in building themselves as best-run companies and we are therefore part of their growth.
"Getting SMEs to think big, to expect to use the best software, to aim for a listing and not think 'that's too big and grand for little us' or 'we'll just make do as we are', is what Go4Growth aims for," continues Kudsee.
"An initiative that offers such a diverse range of support mechanisms to SMEs as well as a choice in fund-raising to finance the growth is uniquely positioned to produce success stories," says Andrea Boehmert, co-managing partner of Hasso Plattner Ventures Africa.
Sandy Pratt, managing director of SMEI Projects, last year's winning company, said: "Winning the last Go4Growth competition has opened a variety of opportunities and prospects for our business and as such we would recommend anyone with a business that has real growth potential, like ours, to enter the competition."
The rules of the competition and entry forms are available at www.go4growth.co.za.
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SAP is the world's leading provider of business software (*), offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 47 800 customers (excludes customers from the acquisition of Business Objects) in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol "SAP". (For more information, visit www.sap.com.)
(*) SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning and related applications.
The AltX
AltX, the board for small, medium and growing companies, is committed to attracting only quality, high growth companies. Listing is one of the most powerful ways for you to raise capital and successfully grow your business. Listings appeal to companies in all sectors including fast-growing businesses, family-owned businesses, black economic empowerment companies and junior and related mining companies. For more information, visit www.altx.co.za.
Business Edge Holdings
Business Edge Holdings specialises in the provision of unique growth initiatives that enable organisations to explore and develop their own growth avenues; ones that make sense for them and the current position in which they find themselves.
Business Edge is the global service partner to SAP for the provision of SAP Growth Support services and has matched its own expertise in assisting organisations to grow with the 35 years of best business practices that have been developed by SAP.
Vunani
Vunani Limited is a black-owned and managed financial services group. A management buyout from its holding company in 2004 led to the introduction of a strategic equity partner in the form of Absa Bank, a subsidiary of Barclays Bank.
Vunani is involved in securities trading and research, property investment and development, private equity, investment banking, asset management and corporate finance.
With its broad range of corporate finance and investment skills, Vunani has successfully participated in a wide range of corporate advisory and investment banking deals since 1998.
Deloitte corporate finance
Deloitte corporate finance provides independent lead advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, BEE transactions, disposals, capital raising, JSE main board listings, debt financing, management and leveraged buyouts. Deloitte has 2 200 deal-makers and 2 800 transaction support specialists operating out of 134 offices in 40 key geographies around the globe. The Deloitte service offering extends across the entire cycle of a transaction from conception through strategy or innovation through lead advisory, due diligence, valuation, tax and legal to post-transaction implementation and change management.
Hasso Plattner Ventures Africa
Hasso Plattner Ventures Africa is the "new kid on the block" in the South African Venture Capital Community. Founded in February 2008, the fund aims to invest in African companies with international growth aspirations. An innovative technology or business model implemented by a strong management team are a sound base for success - Venture Capital provided by a partner committed to value-add over and above providing finance, is the accelerator often required to take advantage of the window of opportunity in the market.
For more information, please visit www.hp-ventures.co.za.
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