May 11, 2016

The Riversands Incubation Hub

The name may ring a bell but if you ask most people what the Riversands Incubation Hub does or where it is located, you  will probably get a blank stare. Well it is pretty easy to answer actually. What it does: Incubate business. Where it is located: Riversands, Fourways. Now that those two questions have been appropriately dealt with, here is the in-depth explanation of what goes on there.

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Francina Pholoane makes upcycled bags

The Hub is a large-scale business incubator established in 2015 through a private-public partnership between Century Property Development and National Treasury’s The Jobs Fund. The facility is managed by the Riversands Incubation Hub NPC, headed up by CEO Jenny Retief. The Hub aims to help black-owned SMEs to establish and grow their businesses.

“At Riversands we are inspired by a vision of a South African economy growing and thriving through the creation of a large number of successful small businesses whose ownership reflects SA’s population demographics,” says Jenny.

The campus has the ability to house roughly 150 business and, after only eight months of being open, already has almost 60 business in residence. While some SMEs use it purely as a business space, others take advantage of the incubation services that are on offer to all residents. The Incubation Hub provides a variety of business support initiatives such as:

  • market visibility
  • training workshops
  • networking events
  • SME administration support services
  • conference and meeting facilities
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Shakil Khan, founder of Tonka Bean Bakery, operates out of the Hub

The are a vast range of industries represented on the campus, including construction, catering, manufacturing, signage, textiles and IT. The office space is backed up by an impressive conference venue coupled with lecture halls and boardrooms that are available to use for private events, such as the TEDx Conference that will be held in November of this year.

The Incubation Hub is always interested in partners to aid and support the development. Should you be interested please get in contact with the Hub.

The Hub runs a business club with monthly networking sessions. The next one is scheduled for 19 May at 10am. Anyone is welcome to attend.