Statement by the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos

This week, I had the pleasure to launch the new Cape Town Entrepreneurship Academy, an online portal that will host free learning material.

The training content is supplied by experts and experienced business owners and will cover subjects or fields relating to the growth of a start-up or SMME.

With almost 40% of all enquiries from entrepreneurs to the City’s Business Hub seeking guidance on starting and developing their businesses, this academy is of great importance to Capetonians.

Small businesses are essential to innovation and jobs and so support for budding entrepreneurs must be tangible and cognisant of their reality. As such, the courses on the learning portal will be designed for mobile devices, and, making them ideal for individuals with few resources at their disposal.

The academy is a further example of the power of partnership as The StartUp Tribe, a global initiative that is aiming to help people around the world to start and grow their own businesses, will administer the platform.

The project will complement the City’s other mechanisms aimed at making Cape Town the easiest place to do business.

The City’s Business Hub also hosts a series of free workshops covering a range of topics, including tendering, costing and pricing, and business improvement strategies.

Cape Town’s start-up scene is currently worth R48,25 billion and more and more entrepreneurs are moving from elsewhere in the country and setting up shop here because of the strong support systems the City has put in place.

Through projects and programmes such as the Cape Town Entrepreneurship Academy, it is my mission to do even more, and help more Capetonians realise their business dreams while creating more job opportunities.

Find more information and courses at https://www.thestartuptribe.org/pages/capetown.

To sign up for Business Hub workshops, go to https://www.investcapetown.com/news-events/business-events/

For data-free access to the virtual sessions, attendees can use the SmartCape services in public libraries or go to one of the 100 City-run buildings in the metro with free Wi-Fi access. Find out more here: https://www.capetown.gov.za/local%20and%20communities/get-online/Public-Wifi-Zones/public-wifi-across-the-city

Source: City Of Cape Town