Merchant Capital is committing its skills, time and experience to inspiring an entrepreneurial spirit among youth with a new entrepreneurship incubator initiative.
The Venture Vault program, held in partnership with King David Linksfield School in Johannesburg, will help participating scholars develop entrepreneurship skills and hands-on experience with the support of seasoned entrepreneurs from Merchant Capital.
Dov Girnun, Founder and CEO at Merchant Capital, says entrepreneurship is an increasingly important skill for young South Africans seeking to build successful careers. "As a business, we have always believed in the power of entrepreneurship as a means of improving lives, creating employment, and solving some of the challenges our country faces. This new program will allow us to inspire young talent from an early age and instil a love of entrepreneurship in some of our brightest minds."
The program will run for one semester and take students enrolled in the Ideation and Entrepreneurship elective through design thinking classes, ideation sessions, financial workshops, prototype development, and pitch preparation. Students will have an opportunity to present their ideas to a judging panel, with winning ideas recognised and awarded with post-incubation support.
"Entrepreneurship provides a viable path to a fulfilling career in exciting fields, with the potential to solve complex challenges while driving broader economic growth. Through this program, students will gain hands-on experience in a startup environment, receive mentorship and guidance, develop problem-solving skills, and unlock networking opportunities with peers and industry professionals."
Merchant Capital will volunteer the time, skills and expertise of several of its Exco members to the Venture Vault program. Each executive will bring their unique experience and capabilities to the program to inspire and guide the scholars as they ideate and develop their startup concepts.
Girnun adds: “As a country, we face significant challenges, but it’s always been our belief that these same challenges breed innovation and entrepreneurship. We are excited to work with the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs, and to inspire fresh thinking and new ideas that will shape the future of our country.”