SAP is once again looking for promising start-up companies interested in developing software solutions using the SAP HANA high-performance in-memory database and computing platform.

Over the last three years, the SAP Start-up Focus Forum has engaged with more than 2,600 innovative startups across the globe and brought 200 of their validated technology solutions to market. In support of this global initiative, SAP Africa will be hosting the third iteration of the African chapter in Johannesburg on 7 and 8 April.

This programme forms part of SAP's global strategy to empower start-ups and entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, while helping fledgling businesses build applications on the SAP HANA cloud platform and accelerate their go-to-market strategy.

"Getting ahead in today's competitive Digital Economy is no mean feat but many of these start-ups demonstrate the potential to harness digital transformation through technology in the industries in which they plan to do business," said Elke Simon-Keller, Innovation Lead at SAP Africa. "The primary benefit of attending the SAP Startup Focus forum is that entrepreneurs and small business owners will be able to meet and learn from successful start-up founders who are currently thriving in the SAP programme. Another exciting aspect of attending the event is that every start-up will have the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a distinguished panel of venture capitalists, enterprise customers, accelerators and SAP executives."

Start-ups that secure a place in the programme can avail themselves of SAP HANA test and development licenses, development toolkits and ongoing technical support from SAP throughout the development process.
As part of the selection process, SAP will identify relevant start-ups which are then invited to join a development accelerator (DA). The objective of a DA is to build a Proof of Concept (PoC) and, eventually, a product with explicit business value. Start-ups will be selected based on feasibility and viability. The DA kicks off with an intensive boot camp on SAP HANA development topics.

Once software development is underway, SAP will further support the start-ups with regular software architecture reviews, technical support and consulting. Once past the PoC stage, the best software solutions will be promoted to the public and will be featured in promotional materials. Once start-ups are ready with their product, they will progress to SAP's Go-To-Market stage.

Additional benefits of participating in the SAP Startup Focus Forum include the ability for entrepreneurs to interact with media professionals and learn how to better promote and connect with like-minded startup owners. In addition, attendees will gain insight into all the operational details of running a start-up, including how to raise capital, hire teams and understand how to leverage SAP HANA and the ecosystem of customers for viable commercial opportunities.

For more information and to register to attend the event, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/sap-startup-focus-forum-johannesburg-south-africa-tickets-21006695592

For more information, visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapafrica