Heavy Chef seeks nominations for SA's top 5 most exciting startups of 2023

18 Oct 2023

Organised by entrepreneur training platform Heavy Chef, these annual awards celebrate amazingly innovative small businesses that are driving the country's economy forward, providing employment and growth.

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“This annual awards celebration, made possible by our partners Xero, District Six Homecoming Centre, Xneelo and Workshop17, demonstrates just how successful local entrepreneurs can be and the measurable impact they make in their markets,” says Fred Roed, CEO of Heavy Chef.

To be eligible for selection, startups must:

Have traded for less than seven years.
Be registered as businesses in South Africa.
Have at least one South African founder.

“While financial results are not key determinants, it does help if the business has come out of the gates strong and attained a measure of recognition, media attention and publicity.

“Essentially, the judges are looking for ‘exciting startups’ that are changing their particular part of the world in some measurable way,” Roed adds.

Putting it simply, the judges are looking for innovation and scalability.

Startups must have their own internet protocol (IP) address that connects to the internet and previous winners are not eligible.

The following timeline needs to be followed in the nomination process:

Early October: nominations open.
Mid-November: the first round of judging starts and the top 12 startups are shortlisted.
End November: the final round of judging takes place and
30 November: South Africa’s Top 5 Most Exciting Startups are named.

This year’s awards ceremony will be held at the historic District Six Museum Homecoming Centre (the old Fugard Theatre) at Number 15, Buitenkant Street, Cape Town, at 18h00 on 30 November.

For more information on how to nominate your favourite startup, go to: https://www.heavychef.com/top-5-startups-south-africa.