Young entrepreneurial start-up companies based at the Softstart ICT Incubator based in Tshwane, are being given a "fighting chance" at success as they are challenged and coached by highly experienced and skilled coaches and mentors that have joined the Softstart Coach and Mentor Network.
In December 2005, Softstart launched its Network and Coaching Model that facilitates the learning process in which incubator tenant companies gain access to entrepreneurial, leadership, managerial, industry, functional and technical expertise, support and advice.
"As coaches, our objective is to better prepare and equip these businesses to face the scary business world out there," says Jaco Gerber, entrepreneur and Business Coach at Softstart.
Gerber, a chartered accountant who previously started and headed up the Small and Medium Business Consulting Division at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and currently CEO of Coin-iT Computer Systems, believes that through the high value incubation value offering, Softstart will make a significant difference to these ventures by helping the entrepreneurs grow and develop their businesses.
Professor Joe Amadi-Echendu, Professor of Engineering & Technology Management at the University of Pretoria and a registered professional engineer in the UK and South Africa who has won international awards for IEE and IEEE transactions, makes his extensive teaching, researching and consulting to industry expertise available to the Softstart tenants.
For bootstrapping start-ups who choose not to grow their businesses within an incubator like Softstart, access to advice and expertise in inter alia, project management, technical audits, due diligence and techno-economic evaluations comes at an unaffordable price. The Softstart Coach and Mentor Network gives its tenants access to first class advice.
Softstart also places emphasis on the incubation of technologies and therefore provides a technology coaching stream as part of its incubation value offering to its tenant companies. As an information systems professional with practical and conceptual exposure to multiple platforms, Fazel Mayet, CEO of Psybergate, focuses on providing ventures with technical advice on the research, development and roll-out of their ICT products or services.
Mayet, with years of experience in management, development, implementation and support of custom, bespoke and packaged systems, offers a level of advice that focuses on inter alia, architecture development, technology review, assessment and selection, version planning, software design and engineering, project planning, deployment and support planning.
Softstart assists early stage ICT entrepreneurs with mentoring and support in the strategy and practice of growing a sustainable business. Softstart improves enterprise performance, enhances profitability and growth, and offers technology and management support to South African SMMEs to enable them to develop their innovations to full commercial potential. Softstart is supported by the GODISA Trust of the Small Enterprise Development Agency and its founders include the CSIR, University of Pretoria, the Tshwane University of Technology and The Innovation Hub.
For further information please visit the Softstart Web site: www.softstart.co.za
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