SHEshisa • Innovate Durban

Empower, Elevate, SHESHISA

Fuel HER Innovation Journey

Accelerate HER Success

*Applications close 19 May 2024

Join the accelerator and transform your business.

SHEshisa (loosely translated as ‘Accelerate’) is a 6-month, sector agnostic accelerator programme designed to support female founders in and around Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal. SHEshisa Accelerator has been carefully designed to provide a pro-active and safe learning space for female founders to innovate, adopt technology, enhance business skills and confidence and create new connections.

Be part of our first cohort! The 2024 cohort will be considered the founding cohort of SHEshisa – the first, the trailblazers and foundation of the future of SHEshisa !

SHEshisa addresses THREE pillars of female founder support:

The Woman

Supporting the human behind the business to achieve personal growth on various levels.

Her Business

Training, tools and skills to develop her business innovation, operations and profit.

Her Community

Expanding her professional and support network while enabling her to manage relationships and positively influence those around her.

SHEshisa Accelerator Curriculum 2024

Starting date is 1 June 2024.
SHEshisa is a 6-month accelerator.
The accelerator is a learn-through-doing model to ensure practical application of learnings to businesses.
It’s a hybrid experience; with both online learning and high impact in-person sessions to be completed (in Durban).
Curriculum is inspired by four broad categories defined by the World Economic Forum Future of Work report:

Problem Solving | Self-Management | Working with People | Technology Use & Development

Business training will include:

Connect with mentors and industry experts.

criteria

To qualify for participation, businesses must meet the following criteria:

Their business has been operating between 1 – 5 years.

Business enabled by technology OR business can be pivoted to enable technology.

Business annual turnover less than ZAR 1m.

Business that is innovative in its model OR a business that is open to applying innovation to their business model.

Business based and actively operating in Kwa-Zulu Natal.Needs to be able to attend in-person sessions and events in Durban.

Programme commences 1 June 2024. There is no cost attached to this programme. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Call for Partners

Partner with Innovate Durban to fuel SHESHISA

To ensure the overall success of the programme, we invite prospective partners to come on board and sponsor specific facets of the DIVA (Diverse Investment-Readiness Vital Assistance) Pack. Partnering with organisations or individuals to sponsor these essential components will enhance the reach and impact of the programme, fostering an environment where female founders can fully engage in and successfully complete the SHEshisa programme.

How you can Partner with us

Programme Co-Sponsors

These are partners that come on board with a financial commitment to co-fund the overall programme budget.

Content Developers & Curators

These partners are specialists in the curation and development of investment-readiness content particularly for technology start-ups that ready to scale.

Female Mentors

These are partners that come on board with a These are seasoned founders and professionals who are subject matter experts who can mentor and provide subject matter technical guidance to the beneficiaries.

Offtake Funders

Funders (Public, VC, Angel Investors, or DFIs) committing to investing in the business growth plans and scaling activities of the beneficiaries post the investment-readiness programme.

DIVA Pack Partners

Partners who commit to providing financial/non-financial support to ensure the DIVA Pack (co-working office space, a con- nectivity/WIFI device, an administrative intern, and access to a peer wellness support group) is in place.

Friends of The Programme

Non-financial collaborators pledging to be advocates for SHEshisa, actively promoting and securing backing for the programme within their circles of influence and networks.

In Partnership with:

FOR MORE ON BECOMING A FRIEND OF THE PROGRAMME PLEASE CONTACT

Carrie Leaver: Programme Manager

Nontokozo Phungula: Programme Coordinator

Email: info@innovate.durban | Tel: 087 365 3131