The Orange Corners Innovation Fund is Funding South African Youth Innovators with up to $55,000 to Expand Their Businesses

Orange Corners Innovation Fund (OCIF) is providing an exciting project for young South African entrepreneurs that aims to help them grow their businesses. Through the OCIF GROW program, the initiative will be helping South African youth innovators between the ages of 18–35 to get access to funding ranging between ZAR200, 000 (US$11, 000) and ZAR1 million (US$55, 000).

The Orange Corners Innovation Fund South African Youth Innovators program offers a range of grant money and interest-free loans with half of the funding being in the form of non-repayable grants, while the other half of the fund is arranged as interest-free loans that are payable over the course of 18 months. In addition to the amount that will be awarded, successful applicants will also be offered expert mentorship, pitch training and investment readiness. This comprehensive package will help entrepreneurs refine their business models and ensure growth.

The project is headed up by CDI Capital, a subsidiary of the Craft + Design Institute (CDI) and supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Orange Corners in South Africa initiative, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is part of the international Orange Corners incubation and acceleration framework and is designed to address the needs of young innovators not only in South Africa but also across Africa, Asia and the Middle East and creates a climate in which innovative ideas and entrepreneurs may flourish.

Orange Corners Innovation Fund is Funding South African Youth Innovators

CDI Capital managing director Ryan Rode said OCIF GROW was looking for innovative entrepreneurs who have a proven product, process or business model that has proven market value. Applicants must satisfy certain criteria to be considered for funding. These include being youth owned (with majority shareholders of 35 or younger), operating within South Africa for at least six months but no longer than seven years, having an annual turnover between ZAR250, 000 and ZAR10 million, and having innovation whose development has a real possibility of being scaled.

Orange Corners Innovation Fund South African Youth Innovators also offers tailored support through impact agency Viridian, which provides financial services for small business. Selected entrepreneurs will benefit from mentorship by industry experts and access to technical assistance to help navigate their way through challenges of growing their businesses.

Applications for this fantastic opportunity are now open until 31 March 2025, so applicants are strongly encouraged to apply to secure their seat in this incredible opportunity and scale up their innovation ventures. The Orange Corners Innovation Fund provides funding and advisory support to youth-owned businesses that are helping to shape the next generation of South African innovators.

Was this information useful? Drop a nice comment below. You can also check out other useful contents by following us on X/Twitter @siliconafritech, Instagram @Siliconafricatech, or Facebook @SiliconAfrica.