Cape Town will later this month host Africa’s biggest tech start-up gathering, the 2021 SA Innovation Summit.

Over 150 local and global venture capital and angel investors seeking investment opportunities are expected to descend on the Mother City for the event.

Organisers say tech entrepreneurs looking to scale, but lacking capital, skills, or markets to tap into, will have the chance to pitch to investors in a match-and-invest platform, and learn from industry leaders through masterclasses and workshops.

“The ideal for any start-up is to scale and grow, not only within South Africa but also globally. It is necessary for both job creation and for our economy,” says Audrey Verhaeghe, SA Innovation Summit chairperson.

“Since launching in 2007, we’ve supported entrepreneurs by offering platforms to connect, be skilled, mentored and provided with funding opportunities, which has contributed to a number of famous start-ups, such as HearX and Wi-Group.”

“Just last year, 20 women from SEDA’s Fem-In-Tech acceleration programme, which aims to support women-owned businesses, raised R40 million in investments during and after the summit due to the exposure we gave them. The winner of the Africa Cup, PricePally, were able to raise their series A round.

“Our work contributes but ultimately the honours go to the entrepreneur that pulls through the deals. Our role is to connect, showcase and capacitate.”

The hybrid event will host early-stage entrepreneurs, serial entrepreneurs, professionals at leading corporations, and industry thought leaders, with a total of 1 500 participants expected online.

The three-day event, running from 21 to 23 September, will host 48 industry leaders.

Those attending include Ilari Lindy, lead expert at the Southern African Innovation Support Programme; Budzanani Tacheba, director of innovation and technology at the Botswana Innovation Hub; and Natalie Miller, co-founder of XRGlobal.