I Am An Entrepreneur (IAAE), a main platform devoted to enabling entrepreneurial success, has introduced the launch of The Development Code, an bold 18-month strategic partnership with First Nationwide Financial institution (FNB).
This initiative is particularly designed to empower black-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) which can be poised for scale, funding readiness, and long-term sustainability.
In a time when small companies are navigating complicated financial landscapes, The Development Code affords a well timed and strategic response to the wants of high-potential entrepreneurs.
With a singular deal with scaling companies which have moved previous the survival stage, the programme is tailored for these able to develop strategically, entice funding, and make a broader financial impression — domestically and past.
Bridging the hole between development and scale
The Development Code is greater than only a enterprise improvement initiative. It’s a development accelerator for entrepreneurs who’re already producing important traction and are now seeking to broaden their footprint.
This bespoke programme combines monetary assist, sector-specific mentorship, and significant community entry — equipping entrepreneurs with the instruments they should overcome structural and operational challenges related to scaling.
“Our dedication is to satisfy entrepreneurs on the level of their want,” says Keitumetse Lekaba, MD at IAAE. “The Development Code is greater than only a assist system — it’s a collaborative blueprint designed to assist black-owned companies create significant impression, scale with precision, and construct legacies that resonate past the current.”
By this programme, chosen entrepreneurs will profit from:
- Funding alternatives: Entry to capital and monetary devices wanted to gasoline development.
- Tailor-made mentorship and steering: Personalised teaching from seasoned trade leaders and enterprise strategists.
- Strategic networks and partnerships: Alternatives to construct relationships with company companions, buyers, and like-minded enterprise leaders.
- Customised options: Focused interventions and assist to deal with operational, market, and strategic scaling challenges.
Eligibility standards
Entrepreneurs inquisitive about making use of for The Development Code should meet these standards:
- Be at the least 51% black-owned as prescribed within the Monetary Sector Constitution issued by way of the BBBEE Act, 2013 (FSC).
- Be a Qualifying Small Enterprise (QSE) enterprise that operates at various levels of improvement and in excessive job creation industries, resembling retail and manufacturing providers, and be income producing however not worthwhile; or income producing and worthwhile, however requires scale;
- Will need to have a business-to-business “B2B” enterprise mannequin. Companies which have a business-to-business-to-customer “B2B2C” enterprise mannequin will likely be thought-about on a case-by-case foundation and could also be accepted based mostly on advantage;
- Have been in operation for 2 or extra years inside SA;
- Have a turnover of between R10m and R50m every year;
- Reveal good monetary well being;
- Reveal job development potential;
- Reveal ardour and resilience for enterprise;
- Require entry to development finance; and
- Consent to and move mandatory background checks.
A shared imaginative and prescient for inclusive financial development
“IAAE and FNB are united in our imaginative and prescient to empower the subsequent era of trade leaders. This partnership is about extra than simply monetary assist — it’s about creating lasting, transformational impression,” says Palesa Moeletsi, Enterprise Growth Assist supervisor at FNB.
“We consider that when black-owned companies are outfitted with the instruments, sources, and networks they should succeed, they turn out to be highly effective engines for innovation, job creation, and neighborhood improvement.
