#CoCreate2Accelerate: SA and Dutch teams to tackle business challenges

26 Jul 2016

The next #cocreateSA initiative from the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, #CoCreate2Accelerate, will bring together five South African companies and five Dutch innovators to tackle five different challenges.

Bonnie Horbach

The program will take place from 10-21 August 2016 at the Open Design Festival.The Dutch Consulate General has also invited disruptive thinker Martijn Aslander who will be a keynote speaker at SA Innovation Summit on 16 August 2016.

Dutch Consul-General, Bonnie Horbach explains, “South Africa and the Netherlands are both innovation hubs, and the companies participating in #CoCreate2Accelerate are some of the most innovative in their field. It is important for us to support South African SMEs by creating mutually beneficial long-term partnerships and economic growth.”

The participants in the program include gaming development companies Sea Monster and RetroEpic; app builder Polymorph; the app and innovation specialist &Innovation and mobile first agricultural technology business GreenFingers Mobile.

The team of Dutch innovators includes disruptive thinker and public speaker Jan Henk Bouman, digital nomad Esther Jacobs, global entrepreneur Kevin Weijers, gaming entrepreneur Anke Kuipers and business strategist Jabbo Smulders.

The five challenges that will be addressed range from expanding a company using a flat organisation structure, to taking a business overseas. The teams will collaborate extensively to co-create solutions to local business challenges and establish international partnerships.

#CoCreate2Accelerate: SA and Dutch teams to tackle business challenges

New Dutch investors CM Telecom and T-Mobile’s innovation lab, T-Next, have partnered with the #cocreateSA to share knowledge and experience among the participants.