NUST and THENSA Ignite Southern Africa’s Entrepreneurial Spirit
NUST has joined forces with Technological Higher Education Network South Africa (THENSA) and six other universities to launch the Entrepreneurship Venture Builder (EVB), a pioneering initiative aimed at fostering a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Southern Africa.
The EVB programme is dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs from universities of technology, historically disadvantaged institutions, and marginalised communities. It offers a comprehensive support system designed to help participants transform innovative business ideas into thriving enterprises.
At a recent gathering of the founding members, EVB Manager, Prof Michael Twum-Darko, expressed his enthusiasm: “We are dedicated to breaking down barriers and creating pathways for entrepreneurs to flourish in the African market.”
The EVB programme offers expert mentorship through its Mentor-in-Residence initiative, providing guidance from university staff specialising in technology transfer, innovation, and entrepreneurship. It supports participants in progressing from a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to successful commercialisation while emphasising inclusion by empowering student entrepreneurs and individuals from historically marginalised communities.
The EVB programme, initially hosted at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s (CPUT’s) Business Innovation and Incubation Centre, is set to expand into a decentralised model across multiple universities. The founding members include the CPUT, Durban University of Technology, University of Venda, Tshwane University of Technology, NUST, Central University of Technology, and Walter Sisulu University. Sponsored by the Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) fund under the United Kingdom’s International Development programme, this initiative represents a significant step toward enhancing campus and community-based innovation and strengthening research-to-commercialisation systems across South Africa and beyond.
