UKZN student entrepreneurs’ 'clean sweep' at regional entrepreneurship competition
Four UKZN student entrepreneurs made a “clean sweep” at the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Round of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Entrepreneurship Intervarsity Challenge, hosted by the Mangosuthu University of Technology, recently, and represented KwaZulu-Natal in the finals in Johannesburg.
It is the second time since the inception of the challenge that a university has taken first place in all four categories during the regional round (the University of Cape Town achieved this in 2019 Western Cape Regionals).
Suvina Singh, Director of Intellectual Property and Commercialisation at UKZN InQubate, UKZN’s Innovation Office, said: "This is a significant milestone for UKZN as we embark on our entrepreneurial journey. The students have been undergoing rigorous training through InQubate’s entrepreneurship skills programme, ENSPIRE, in order to prepare them, not only for the Intervarsity Challenge, but to run their businesses as going concerns and contribute to socioeconomic upliftment."
Khutso Ramontja, Student Entrepreneurship Manager at UKZN InQubate, said: "I am very proud of our studentpreneurs! They have done well for themselves and have represented UKZN with distinction."
The competition is funded through the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET’s) University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP) and is supported by Universities South Africa (USAf) and its partners. The purpose of the Intervarsity Challenge is to identify the top student entrepreneurs at the 26 South African public universities, recognise and showcase their businesses and invite investment in them while strengthening the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The competition also provides an opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs in the ideation phase to pitch their innovative business ideas. In the process, universities have the opportunity to showcase their entrepreneurial talent and demonstrate the ways in which they support and grow the next generation of business leaders.
The Intervarsity Challenge comprises four categories – Business Idea, Existing Tech Business, Existing Social Impact Business and Existing General Business. In accordance with the EDHE protocols, two winners in each category were selected to proceed to the regional round, where they competed with their peers at sister universities in the region, namely the Durban University of Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology and the University of Zululand.
In the Business Idea category, UKZN was represented by Asanda Buthelezi from the School of Social Sciences and Ntando Mtshali from the School of Health Sciences. Buthelezi aims to start a hair and beauty salon business that rents its facilities to beauticians. Hair products and accessories, as well as Avon cosmetics and Deluxe Hair wigs, will be sold on the premises. Mtshali’s business concept revolves around manufacturing assistive devices for people living with disabilities in order to enable them to take up employment opportunities and participate in the work environment.
Dylan Naidoo from the School of Management, Information Technology and Governance and Lungile Radebe from the Graduate School of Business and Leadership were UKZN’s representatives in the Existing Tech Business category. Naidoo’s company, Bespoke Events SA, is a luxury event styling and set design company. It specialises in virtual event planning using 3D design software to create a virtual representation for their clients to see and customise their entire event before it actually happens. Radebe’s business, Geleza Mzanzi, serves as a bridging gap for matriculating pupils and gappers when applying to tertiary institutions.
Luyanda Makhobo, a master’s student in the School of Built Environment and Development Studies and Phakamile Mazibuko, a master’s student in the School of Education represented UKZN in the Existing Social Impact Business category. Makhobo’s business, My Knowledge Your Knowledge NPC, provides career guidance to high school learners. The company also assists learners to submit online applications to higher education institutions and to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). Mazibuko’s Phakamile Mazibuko Foundation NPC runs career guidance workshops at rural schools in Ulundi.
The two studentpreneur representatives in the Existing General Business category were Tasmiyah Haffejee from the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance and Nqobizwe Mahlangu from the School of Clinical Medicine. Haffejee’s business, Boxful, is a monthly beauty subscription box that delivers five (or more) of the best local and international beauty products to a customer’s door. The boxes include makeup, skincare and hair care products. Mahlangu’s Medigo Medical Services conducts insurance risk assessment medical tests at the client’s convenience and location.
The KwaZulu-Natal finalists, all hailing from UKZN, were Mtshali (Business Idea category); Naidoo (Existing Tech Business category); Makhobo (Existing Social Impact Business); and Haffejee (Existing General Business category). The winners went on to represent KwaZulu-Natal at the nationals of the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity Challenge, in Johannesburg, in November.
Words: Ndabaonline