Pitch Registration

Annually, the Green Youth Network Celebrates the success of young, under-served green entrepreneurs whose businesses and ideas transform lives. Annually, as part of the Green Youth Indaba, Young South African innovators, Green entrepreneurs, Green start-up companies, Green small companies, Universities, students, and science councils are invited to showcase their Green Technology Businesses and green ideas.

This years Green Innovators Pitch will be held at the Green Youth Indaba Conference at the Durban ICC – 28th June which will focus on: “Green Innovations and Sustainable Skills Development for Inclusive Growth.”

The Pitch Is Focused On (6) Key Pillars:

Sustainable Mobility
Agriculture
Green Building
Renewable Energy
Water Conservation
Waste Management and Recycling

The main aim of the Pitch is to not only inspire South African youths in promoting entrepreneurship in green business technology, but to allow them exposure and access to green funders, mentors, experts, and advisors, so as to help these young entrepreneurs boost their competitiveness and contribute significantly to the economic growth of South Africa.
In addition to networking with innovators and venture capital investors from across the country, participants pitch their new business ideas to a panel of esteemed judges and experts for a chance of winning up to R100, 000 in prizes & mentorship programmes.

In Year 2022, the Green Innovators Pitch saw over 200 applications! After a rigorous selection process focusing on criteria such as Innovation, Sustainability and Profitability (to name a few), only thestrongest 40 Business Ideas and Businesses remained.

The 40 were invited to a Pre-Pitch Workshop, which was aimed at assisting candidates with crafting solid business models and strategies, and capacitating all pitchers with the necessary skills to articulate their great ideas. The main purpose of this workshop,however, was to select the Top-Five candidates who would pitch their ideas at the Green Youth Indaba held on the 29th of June in Pretoria.

Due to the brilliant ideas presented, seven candidates made it to the Indaba! After delivering compelling presentations to our audience and a panel of judges (comprising of The Innovations Hub’s Climate Innovation Centre Senior Manager, Mr. Billy Bokako;the Director of the Department of Science and Innovation, Dr. Henry Roman; and the Corporate Services Executive of the Energy and Water SETA, Candace Moodley) the Green Innovators Pitch 7.0 winners were announced!

In 3rd place, we had Ms. Lungile Marhungane for Jeslu Puro-Water, a business that provides high-quality water solutions using a Green Water Purification System that utilizes crushed macadamia nut shells and turns them into a fibre, which is then used to purify water as opposed to using chemicals. She was awarded a R5000 cash prize.

Winning a cash prize of R7000 for RRT Green Constructions, a Renewable Energy and Green Construction company that specializes in the supply and installation of Solar Systems and the manufacturing of building materials from construction waste – Ms. Reshoketswe Molepo was the first runner-up!

The number 1 spot was taken by Ms. Sisi Nxumalo, who won R10 000 for her Innovative green brand SoulShooz, which turns automotive and exercise waste into cool, comfortable, ecoconscious shooz. In collaboration with local recyclers, SoulShooz collects worn-out tyres, wetsuit material, rejected car seatbelts and other offcuts (all of which would have landed up in landfills across JHB and SA) from communities. These materials are used to create shooz, turning trash into treasure and creating sustainable employment, one step at a time.

In addition to their cash prizes, the Top Three were absorbed into the various Incubation programmes offered by The Innovation Hub.