Founded by Lifesgud.com, The Hookup Dinner is driven by five Johannesburg-based entrepreneurs. It is a networking initiative that gives start-up businesses from across the country a platform from which to connect, engage and contribute to each other's success.
Participants, either professionals or entrepreneurs, have the opportunity to test their business ideas in an audience-judged 180-second elevator pitching competition called #JustPitch180. This allows entrepreneurs to hear their ideas aloud, evaluate them in an objective setting and get quick and authentic feedback from the audience.
Each month, one winning pitch is determined by majority vote. The winning entrepreneurs are entered into an annual competition that takes place at the final dinner of the year.
Passionate and driven entrepreneurs are invited as guest speakers at each dinner and talk on a topic associated with entrepreneurship and their experience in the business world.
The event has so far helped to foster and nurture a spirit of authentic networking through the pairing of people who can add value to each other's enterprises. Additionally, it allows big business in South Africa to engage with entrepreneurs on how to advance through the various corporate entrepreneurship programmes on offer.
SAB KickStart is one of South Africa's longest running corporate youth entrepreneurship development programmes and has supported the creation of more than 3500 businesses.
Young business owners, who have graduated from the programme over the last 18 years, will participate in The Hookup Dinner.
"With The Hookup Dinner, SAB hopes to provide a further opportunity for other young business owners starting out to connect and engage with some of our successful alumni who have overcome a number of hurdles to build healthy and sustainable businesses, contributing to the creation of jobs and to the economy.
"We also see this initiative as an innovative form of building a culture of entrepreneurship amongst a diverse group of young people. The increased awareness of entrepreneurship at this level can make a positive impact on our country's challenges of unemployment, poverty and the growing wealth gap," says Boipelo Nkadimeng, SAB enterprise development manager.
The partnership launch coincides with the 1st birthday anniversary of The Hookup Dinner, to be held tonight, Friday 2 August 2013 from 6.30pm at The Open, 20 Kruger Street, Mainchange Maboneng District, Johannesburg.
