Stanbic’s rise above incubator programme for SMEs shines

Business Reporter
Stanbic Bank’s Rise Above Incubator Programme for Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) has come full circle with three start-ups poised to receive business loans of varying amounts after coming up tops during the three-month exercise.
The three were part of a group of 15 SME owners drawn from various sectors of the economy.
Location intelligence company, Injector Analytics; manufacturer of solar compatible induction cookers, Green Orange Renewable Power Technologies (GOPT) Appliances; and construction and hardware products supplier, Rubicon, excelled during the programme and were duly named winners after a thorough adjudication exercise.
The programme identified start-up entrepreneurs and took them through a three-month training exercise on how to run a business efficiently and contribute to national employment and economic growth targets.
The three start-ups are now poised to secure loans from leading financial services institution, Stanbic Bank, which is committed to uplift SMEs and steer them to become sustainable operations.
Stanbic Bank head of enterprise banking, Mrs Auxilia Kambasha said the institution will assist the three enterprises through capacitating them in their areas of needs.
“The 15 enterprises went through a comprehensive training programme that included financial literacy, managing personal funds and how to run a business properly. We are confident that the three winners are now in a position to utilise the funds diligently enough to not only pay back but to get a meaningful return on their investments,” said Mrs Kambasha.
She said 598 applicants from all sectors of the economy responded to the call for applications when the programme was launched in February, culminating in the 15 being selected to undergo the training.
“There is so much potential in the small to medium enterprises and this programme is allowing us to hand hold them and shepherd them through the early stages of their operations. We are partnering them for growth and there is scope to do more similar programmes,” said Mrs Kambasha.
“The programme helped us immerse ourselves in the world of start-ups and this will help us structure solutions that meet the needs of the various enterprises. Their needs are diverse, and we learnt a lot from our interactions with them during the training programme,” said Mrs Kambasha.
Injector Analytics representative, Mr Tinashe Melvin Mpofu said they were delighted to have come first ahead of 14 other highly innovative enterprises.
Mr Mpofu said the training programme was an eye opener as it gave them broader perspectives.
“We are so grateful for this life-changing opportunity. We had a narrow view and would just concentrate on the product, but we are now equipped on how to attend to other key issues such as value proposition. We now have a 360-degree view of how a business is run,” said Mr Mpofu.
GOPT Appliances founder, Ms Bernadette Tuso said the programme touched on areas such as human resources, accounting and finance and marketing.
Ms Tuso commended the facilitators, adding that even if she had not been one of the top three winners, she was still going to grow her business due to the invaluable lessons learnt during the programme.
“The programme was so enlightening such that there is consensus from all participants that our businesses are going to grow significantly. Stanbic brought in qualified facilitators who taught us the different aspects of running a business,” said Ms Tuso.
Rubicon founder, Mr Farai Musendo said it was fitting that the training took place as the ZiG currency was being introduced as the entrepreneurs were taught how to operate under the ever-changing economic environment.Stanbic’s rise above incubator programme for SMEs shines
Business Reporter
Stanbic Bank’s Rise Above Incubator Programme for Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) has come full circle with three start-ups poised to receive business loans of varying amounts after coming up tops during the three-month exercise.
The three were part of a group of 15 SME owners drawn from various sectors of the economy.
Location intelligence company, Injector Analytics; manufacturer of solar compatible induction cookers, Green Orange Renewable Power Technologies (GOPT) Appliances; and construction and hardware products supplier, Rubicon, excelled during the programme and were duly named winners after a thorough adjudication exercise.
The programme identified start-up entrepreneurs and took them through a three-month training exercise on how to run a business efficiently and contribute to national employment and economic growth targets.
The three start-ups are now poised to secure loans from leading financial services institution, Stanbic Bank, which is committed to uplift SMEs and steer them to become sustainable operations.
Stanbic Bank head of enterprise banking, Mrs Auxilia Kambasha said the institution will assist the three enterprises through capacitating them in their areas of needs.
“The 15 enterprises went through a comprehensive training programme that included financial literacy, managing personal funds and how to run a business properly. We are confident that the three winners are now in a position to utilise the funds diligently enough to not only pay back but to get a meaningful return on their investments,” said Mrs Kambasha.
She said 598 applicants from all sectors of the economy responded to the call for applications when the programme was launched in February, culminating in the 15 being selected to undergo the training.
“There is so much potential in the small to medium enterprises and this programme is allowing us to hand hold them and shepherd them through the early stages of their operations. We are partnering them for growth and there is scope to do more similar programmes,” said Mrs Kambasha.
“The programme helped us immerse ourselves in the world of start-ups and this will help us structure solutions that meet the needs of the various enterprises. Their needs are diverse, and we learnt a lot from our interactions with them during the training programme,” said Mrs Kambasha.
Injector Analytics representative, Mr Tinashe Melvin Mpofu said they were delighted to have come first ahead of 14 other highly innovative enterprises.
Mr Mpofu said the training programme was an eye opener as it gave them broader perspectives.
“We are so grateful for this life-changing opportunity. We had a narrow view and would just concentrate on the product, but we are now equipped on how to attend to other key issues such as value proposition. We now have a 360-degree view of how a business is run,” said Mr Mpofu.
GOPT Appliances founder, Ms Bernadette Tuso said the programme touched on areas such as human resources, accounting and finance and marketing.
Ms Tuso commended the facilitators, adding that even if she had not been one of the top three winners, she was still going to grow her business due to the invaluable lessons learnt during the programme.
“The programme was so enlightening such that there is consensus from all participants that our businesses are going to grow significantly. Stanbic brought in qualified facilitators who taught us the different aspects of running a business,” said Ms Tuso.
Rubicon founder, Mr Farai Musendo said it was fitting that the training took place as the ZiG currency was being introduced as the entrepreneurs were taught how to operate under the ever-changing economic environment.
Stanbic Bank’s Rise Above Incubator Programme for Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) has come full circle with three start-ups poised to receive business loans of varying amounts after coming up tops during the three-month exercise.
The three were part of a group of 15 SME owners drawn from various sectors of the economy.
Location intelligence company, Injector Analytics; manufacturer of solar compatible induction cookers, Green Orange Renewable Power Technologies (GOPT) Appliances; and construction and hardware products supplier, Rubicon, excelled during the programme and were duly named winners after a thorough adjudication exercise.
The programme identified start-up entrepreneurs and took them through a three-month training exercise on how to run a business efficiently and contribute to national employment and economic growth targets.
The three start-ups are now poised to secure loans from leading financial services institution, Stanbic Bank, which is committed to uplift SMEs and steer them to become sustainable operations.
Stanbic Bank head of enterprise banking, Mrs Auxilia Kambasha said the institution will assist the three enterprises through capacitating them in their areas of needs.
“The 15 enterprises went through a comprehensive training programme that included financial literacy, managing personal funds and how to run a business properly. We are confident that the three winners are now in a position to utilise the funds diligently enough to not only pay back but to get a meaningful return on their investments,” said Mrs Kambasha.
She said 598 applicants from all sectors of the economy responded to the call for applications when the programme was launched in February, culminating in the 15 being selected to undergo the training.
“There is so much potential in the small to medium enterprises and this programme is allowing us to hand hold them and shepherd them through the early stages of their operations. We are partnering them for growth and there is scope to do more similar programmes,” said Mrs Kambasha.
“The programme helped us immerse ourselves in the world of start-ups and this will help us structure solutions that meet the needs of the various enterprises. Their needs are diverse, and we learnt a lot from our interactions with them during the training programme,” said Mrs Kambasha.
Injector Analytics representative, Mr Tinashe Melvin Mpofu said they were delighted to have come first ahead of 14 other highly innovative enterprises.
Mr Mpofu said the training programme was an eye opener as it gave them broader perspectives.
“We are so grateful for this life-changing opportunity. We had a narrow view and would just concentrate on the product, but we are now equipped on how to attend to other key issues such as value proposition. We now have a 360-degree view of how a business is run,” said Mr Mpofu.
GOPT Appliances founder, Ms Bernadette Tuso said the programme touched on areas such as human resources, accounting and finance and marketing.
Ms Tuso commended the facilitators, adding that even if she had not been one of the top three winners, she was still going to grow her business due to the invaluable lessons learnt during the programme.
“The programme was so enlightening such that there is consensus from all participants that our businesses are going to grow significantly. Stanbic brought in qualified facilitators who taught us the different aspects of running a business,” said Ms Tuso.
Rubicon founder, Mr Farai Musendo said it was fitting that the training took place as the ZiG currency was being introduced as the entrepreneurs were taught how to operate under the ever-changing economic environment.