Over R8m in funding up for grabs for SMEs

Source: Unsplash

The Xero Beautiful Business Fund will officially launch with a call for entries at Xerocon Sydney, taking place in Sydney, Australia on 23-24 August 2023.

The Xero Beautiful Business Fund will be open to Xero small business customers in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Customers in each country will be eligible to apply for the following funding categories that best suit their needs:

• Innovating for sustainability: For small businesses who want to take the next step on their sustainability journey. It could be to move to sustainable packaging, implement energy-efficient equipment or carbon-neutral transport.
• Trailblazing with technology: For small businesses seeking to take the next step to supercharge their business by digitalising parts of their operations or integrating new emerging technologies.
• Strengthening community connection: For small businesses or non-profits striving towards community connection. It could be to contribute to philanthropy, social good, or make an impact on the community in a meaningful way.
• Upskilling for the future: For small businesses seeking to support upskilling for themselves or their employees so they can access training and development to further grow.

For each category, there will be seven regional winners identified by a regional judging panel. The pool of regional winners in each category will then be evaluated by a global judging panel and the winner of each category will receive an additional global prize.

The application, inclusive of a written form and a short video submission, will be available beginning on 23 August 2023 with the application period closing on 6 October 2023.

More information on the Xero Beautiful Business Fund can be found here.