Over the course of the second semester a total of 30 students – representative of all the NWU faculties – have taken up the challenge and put their best entrepreneurial foot forward in participating in the annual Student Business Competition.
The competition, hosted by the bhive Enterprise Development Centre (bhive EDC), champions entrepreneurship not only as a sustainable solution to economic growth, but also for job creation. According to Natanya Meyer, entrepreneur and lecturer in the School of Management Sciences, graduates are making the paradigm shift from being job seekers to becoming job creators, and as a forward thinking university the NWU is working tirelessly to vest a culture of entrepreneurial ethos within its student community.
The competition boasted a full training programme consisting of workshops, network sessions and assessment tasks aimed at helping participants to build forth on their respective business ideas. Topics that were covered included: business idea generation, idea to concept workshops, applying a business model canvas workshop, networking etiquette and practical exposure in pitching business ideas. After completing the programme and subsequent assessment tasks the results have been calculated and the Top 10 finalists have been announced. The finalists are:
|
Clifford Letuka |
BCom Economics and Risk Management (1st year) |
|
Katleho Macala |
BCom Financial Accounting (2nd year) |
|
Leelind Billett |
BCom Economics and International Trade (1st year) |
|
Rami Mahlasi |
BEd (postgraduate student) |
|
Rorisang Tshwane |
BCom Economics and International Trade (3rd year) |
|
Simangele Katsande |
BA Communications |
|
Thato Moeng |
Bcom Economics and Risk Management (3rd year) |
|
Thys van der Walt |
BCom Entrepreneurship and Business Management (3rd year) |
|
Tlotliso Thaane |
BCom Economics and International Trade (1st year) |
|
Vanessa Dhladhla |
BA Public Management and Governance (2nd year) |
The grand finale will take place at the bhive EDC Open Incubator on the Vanderbijlpark Campus and in addition to the training and development which took place during the course of the competition, the finalists will receive prizes which will assist in the further development of their businesses, namely:
- Seed funding to be invested in the development of their business;
- bhive EDC business incubation; and
- a one-year membership to the bhive EDC Young Entrepreneurs Business Organisation (YEBO).
For more information visit the bhive EDC Facebook Page
