Although it’s common for women entrepreneurs to receive feedback, advice, and mentorship, their male peers are far more likely to receive sponsorship. Sponsorship may come in the shape of funding, resources and services, but it always leads to the same things – gaining exposure, being discovered by people in your industry and having your name live in the minds of people who will bring in opportunities and income. So, for Women's Month, Vodacom chose to sponsor one woman in business. Of the many women-owned businesses that were nominated, these are the top three entries and you get to vote for the winner! The winner will receive R300 000 in funding towards their business.
Zizi Ntobongwana of shebafeminine.co.za
Sheba Feminine is a South African social impact and tech company founded in 2017. As an organisation sustainably created by women, Sheba has created an expansive organic and biodegradable menstrual care range. Products include organic cotton and biodegradable tampons, sanitary pads, pantyliners, menstrual cups, and bamboo wet wipes. Sheba Feminine has also curated an online space where its community can access reproductive and sexual health education.
When did you start your business and what motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
I first conceptualised Sheba while sitting on the toilet during my period and noticing my tampon box didn’t have an ingredient label. Sheba Feminine started taking shape in 2017 after I interrogated the multi-billion dollar feminine hygiene industry. I found the industry is flooded with brands started and owned by people who don't menstruate, and their products are filled with plastics, fragrances and other additives that are bad for the body and horrible for the environment.
Sheba Feminine was born from a need to contribute to living sustainably as well as to place higher expectations on the companies producing menstrual care products – they should be transparent about what goes into making them. A love for people and the environment is what pushed me into entrepreneurship. I felt I had to do something about what I’d found from my research instead of waiting for something to be done.
How will the R300 000 sponsorship benefit your business?
One of the hardest things about the menstrual product industry is the lack of access to market linkages. So, as a product in an industry saturated with multinational brands, marketing is one of the most key things necessary to grow. With the monopolisation of fewer major players, this sponsorship could catapult our brand towards our dream to be a household brand and one of the major players. This would be huge for us as a local brand.
The sponsorship would also fund our next big project, a video advert. My dream is to create an ad that reflects the lived experiences of people who menstruate. Oftentimes we don't see ourselves or our experiences reflected in mainstream advertising of menstrual products. Menstruation is deliberately misrepresented as a result of the stigma associated with it. These ads attempt to “sanitise” the experience, making it difficult to see ourselves in the advert. For example, adverts show people wearing white dresses and doing cartwheels while on their period. As someone who menstruates, that looks risky. I want to make an ad that changes how people see menstruation. We’ll hopefully spark different conversations and perspectives around periods that are more honest about the actual experience.
This sponsorship will also allow us to finance product development and expand customer outreach, increasing the legitimacy of the brand and growing the relationship between us and our consumers. Sheba’s vision is to create a centralised platform for Africa’s reproductive and sexual healthcare – a place where we can all access the information we need to make well-informed and healthy decisions for ourselves and the planet. This sponsorship will bring us closer to that vision.
Follow Sheba Feminine on Instagram and Twitter.
Kea Ncube of Agri Services
- Agri Services is a scientific farming solutions business that provides:
- Agricultural consultation
- Skills development through farmer training workshops
- Remote farm management
- Livestock data management (statistical inferences and advisory) for informed breeding decisions
- Meat (poultry and goat) and eggs sales
When did you start your business and what motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
My business started in January 2020. My motivation began as a child growing up at my parents’ farm and watching my father face animal-production challenges and battling to reach maximum yield from the farm. I’ve always been looking for a solution that can help farmers. Venturing into a career as a genomics specialist, I learned that genomics (study of the genetic material in a cell or organism) is the answer to the questions I’ve had since childhood.
I’m very passionate about the application of science, so I looked for ways to apply my knowledge and help farmers. During my doctoral studies, I went to the USA to learn about livestock improvement through the African Goat Improvement Network; a collaboration between the Agricultural Research Council, Biotechnology Platform and United States Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Research Services. There I acquired in-depth knowledge of how to apply statistical and genetics inferences for maximum yield. This then helped my vision of scientific farming solutions.
The meat division came about as a result of my love for goat meat and how difficult it is to find it. My father made a killer goat stew, as we had goats in the farm, but you could never just go to a store to get goat meat! I studied goat meat genetics as part of my doctoral studies and have a publication on it as well. I then decided to fill the gap by selling the meat. I work with farmers who have high-quality goats and I deliver the meat to people, since it’s still not easily accessible.
How will the R300 000 sponsorship benefit your business?
It will assist with expanding the business and its reach. One of my passions is youth and rural development; with the money I receive I’ll be able to sponsor workshops for disadvantaged communities and host workshops for unemployed rural youth, who will be able to use the skills they learn to start their own farms.
Instead of outsourcing the software and equipment I use for farm and data management, I’ll be able to purchase my own equipment, such as a livestock scale, and blood collection kits, as well as license statistical software, such as SAS for data management. It will also assist me with purchasing a mobile freezer for my deliveries – especially long distance.
Follow Agri Services on Facebook.
Sandiso Sibiso of COOi Studios
COOi Studios started in May 2019 as an innovation accelerator partner for corporates, start-ups and government organisations. We help enterprises accelerate innovation to deliver exponential growth using our highly tuned innovation, design and technology methodologies. We work with business leaders to drive innovation culture and rapidly deliver emerging technology innovations (AI, VR, AR, IoT, robotics and 3D printing).
How will the R300 000 sponsorship benefit your business?
We’ve seen the negative impact of being reliant on a single revenue stream, which is why we’re pivoting our business to be both a service and product provider. We will use the prize money to build and pilot enterprise innovation management and delivery software.
Follow COOi Studio on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram.
