Do you have what it takes to enter the proverbial leopard’s lair and stand your ground as a young entrepreneur? If you do, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) popular Leopards Lair Competition is just for you!
This year marks the third rendition of the competition and will see students from across the NWU’s geographical footprint – and their counterparts from the Vaal University of Technology (VUT), step up to the fore and pitch their entrepreneurial ideas in the hope of sharing in the R100 000 worth of prizes.
More about the competition
Heading-up the competition is the NWU’s bhive EDC and the competition format is based on similar national and internationally business challenges such as Shark Tank and Dragon’s Den. The competition will run over a period of two semesters to allow participants sufficient time to work on their business pitch whilst benefitting from several workshops aimed at strengthening both the academic and practical understanding of entrepreneurship.
The competition will be decided over several rounds during which the participants have the opportunity to view their scorecards in order for them to monitor their performance. The first round of the competition will see a total of 60 students – representative of all three of the NWU’s campuses as well as VUT – being chosen to participate.
These participants will then submit their Idea to Concept proposal after which 40 students will be invited to take part in the Business Model Canvas phase of the competition. Twenty students will proceed to the next round during which they will have to produce a video pitch and face off against each other. From here twelve participants will face an independent panel of business owners, investors, successful entrepreneurs and members of academia to battle it out for a place on the winners’ podium.
The value of entrepreneurship for young graduates
According to Johann Landsberg, Manager: bhive EDC, the NWU is actively promoting entrepreneurship as an innovative career alternative for graduates. While more private and public sectors have of late taken up the challenge to assist in promoting a more conducive environment for start-up entrepreneurs, many upcoming entrepreneurs still face a number of challenges.
“Through initiatives such as this competition, the NWU aims to address some of these challenges in a pro-active way,” says Johann. He adds that empowered entrepreneurs will be able to make informed and creative decisions that will positively impact South Africa’s strained economy. In short: an entrepreneurial mind-set will henceforth be a crucial commodity within the ever changing world of work.
Register for the competition
Interested students should visit the competition webpage or send an e-mail to bhive@nwu.ac.za Entries close on 22 July 2019.
