2024 Nedbank Pitch & Polish competition: A call for South African entrepreneurs

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The 2024 edition will see thousands of hopeful entrants whittled down to the top 16, who will battle it out for a chance to walk away with the first prize worth R1m. The prize consists of a R650,000 cash injection to grow their business and a R350, 000 bursary for a two-year business development programme with Africa’s leading incubator, Raizcorp.

'The Nedbank Pitch & Polish programme has over the years exposed some of South Africa’s brilliant entrepreneurial minds to an opportunity to scale their businesses through mentorship and funding opportunities,' says Alan Shannon, Executive for Sales Strategy and Enablement at Nedbank. 'With entries now open for the 2024 edition of the competition, we once again look forward to showcasing innovative ideas and unique plans from small-business owners who want to add value in the market and bolster our economy as small businesses are known to.'

Last year, Pitch & Polish exceeded fuor million views and it was Gauteng’s Tshireletso Mokate, 'The Camping Guy', who was crowned as South Africa's ultimate pitching champion. His advice for this year’s contestants? 'Go into this competition to get the full value of what’s on offer. You’ll be pitching for a prize worth R1m but only one person gets to take that home, so focus on the entrepreneurial learnings and development you’ll receive throughout the journey because those are 'prizes' that you can take back to your business.'

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Over four rounds, the contestants will be whittled down to the final two and that’s when a wildcard entry will be introduced. The wildcard contestant will go straight through to the final round where they will compete against the two finalists for one of the top three prizes. While the winner bags the prize worth R1m, the runner-up goes home with R100,000 in cash and the second runner-up gets R50 000.

Audience prizes

Because Nedbank Pitch & Polish is as much about educating the audience as the contestants, it’s only fitting that loyal fans who tune in weekly to the episodes being streamed live on Facebook, YouTube and the Pitch & Polish website won’t walk away empty-handed.

Criteria and entries

Entrepreneurs from across South Africa who either have an already-trading, registered business or are sole proprietors are invited to enter online at pitchandpolish.com. The most promising candidates will then be invited to submit 90-second video pitches along with supporting documents before applicants are narrowed down to 16 contestants who will proceed to the 1st round of the competition. Entries are now open and will close on Friday, 5 April 2024.