The initiative will be funded by the government's Jobs Fund and Microsoft's own 4Afrika initiative and will give qualifying local software development start-ups access to development tools and business support through accelerators and incubators and connect them with key and relevant companies‚ Microsoft said.
"The BizSpark programme had been the breeding ground for "some incredible" start-up entrepreneurs and small software businesses‚" Microsoft SA's managing director Mteto Nyati said.
"But we can do a lot more for this community by partnering with government and local incubators to provide additional benefits to our start-ups‚ improving their success and that of the broader ICT industry. This will develop the industry and ultimately provide more people with employment‚" he said.
Nyati said the enhanced BizSpark programme would not only give small software developer start-ups a far greater ability to develop local solutions but will help them to improve their business acumen so they can take their software to market.
The programme will offer technical support‚ business training and exposure to a network of more than 2‚000 partners that help connect small businesses with incubators‚ investors‚ advisers‚ and government agencies.
Dumisa Hlatshwayo‚ the Jobs Fund's chief investment officer‚ said entrepreneurship and innovation were critical elements in driving a nation's economy‚ and that technology start-ups had the potential to breathe new life into the local software development sector.
"Entrepreneurs who start small businesses are the real job creators in South Africa. But it's not just up to the government to provide support and incentives for (small businesses). When big business and small business collaborate‚ they help drive an entire new wave of business and innovation in our country‚" Hlatshwayo said.
As the programme grew‚ Nyati said‚ the BizSpark network would be looking to recruit small software start-ups in specific areas‚ like education and healthcare‚ to support national priorities.
"Ultimately‚ we want to establish SA as an exporter‚ rather than an importer‚ of intellectual property‚" he said.
To qualify for the local BizSpark programme‚ a startup must have been in business for five years‚ must be developing software‚ must be privately held and must generate less than R5m in annual revenue.
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