Motsepe Foundation's Golden Circle Initiative for Youth-Led Startups

The Motsepe Foundation has committed five million rand, over five-years, towards the elevation of 25 South African youth-led start-ups. With a focus on social entrepreneurship, the initiative will support the acceleration and capacity-building of high-impact entrepreneurs.

The Golden Circle initiative for youth-owned businesses was launched by the Motsepe Foundation in 2022, offering entrepreneurs start-up capital to support their growth. In 2025, coordinated alongside the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the initiative will be relaunched to provide startups with one-on-one mentorship, as well as insights from venture capitalists, creative directors, legal experts, and serial entrepreneurs.

The CEO of the Motsepe Foundation, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe said, “An ecosystem for patient capital and early-stage innovation support is not yet developed in South Africa to match international start-up momentum. With the Golden Circle, we recognise that South African entrepreneurs have the necessary ideas but lack the support they need to upscale and gain global exposure.”

Who can apply?

If you are a daring entrepreneur, between 18-35-years, this programme is for you. The Golden Circle is looking for entrepreneurs who are:

1. Meeting an important social need, aligned to a single or multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that is under-addressed.

2. Innovative in the product / service, or in how problem is framed, or in how business operates. 

3. Offering an approach, business/ product that is potentially scalable.

4. Uses technology effectively and innovatively to remove constraints to the business or to the ability of beneficiaries to access / use the business.

5. Have potential to create decent work opportunities for youth, in particular NEETs.

6. Committed to diversity and inclusion.

Entrepreneurs must represent an operation with appropriate legal status, be in existence for at least 3-years, and with at least 3 full-time employees. 

Programme Structure 

Phase 1: Venture Launch 

5-week online programme. 

Focused on validating venture concepts, this phase is ideal for those developing for-profit scale-ups to solve community problems. Participants who complete this phase will receive a UCT GSB accredited certificate and an invitation to pitch for Phase 2, where 5 startups will be selected.

Phase 2: Venture Scale 

12-week intensive. 

This phase accelerates the development of validated ventures, culminating in a Pitch Day where participants present to potential investors, venture capitalists, and capacity builders.

Phase 3: Mentorship

12-week one-on-one coaching. 

This final phase will provide one-on-one guidance to ensure personalised support for venture scale on-going after the intensive. 

If you meet these criteria REGISTER HERE. Entries close on 28 March 2025.

In 2015, the Motsepe Foundation initiated a partnership with the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship to advance the social entrepreneurship agenda in Africa. Since 2015, this partnership has identified and expanded the work of entrepreneurs across the continent and globally. In 2021, the Motsepe Foundation initiated a partnership with the Milken Institute to advance technological solutions that accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a spotlight on Africa. Both initiatives represent international partnerships with Motsepe Foundation to build an ecosystem for global North-South knowledge, skills and technology transfers. The Golden Circle represents a pipeline initiative that aims to support more local young entrepreneurs into this growing global ecosystem.