Business matchmaking debuts next week

Team Namibia and FABlab will debut a premiere business matchmaking event titled, ADDVENTURE on 6 May 2015. The event, adapted from the international ‘Dragon’s Den’ concept, will be hosted as a first for Namibia, in Windhoek.

The matchmaking platform has been created in response to a business need expressed by local entrepreneurs, who require and request for facilitated access to business support facilities and consumer markets. The partnership between Team Namibia and FABlab is intended to yield a greater impact, by bringing resources and stakeholder objectives into alignment.
The ADDVENTURE platform caters for two types of entrepreneurs: start-up innovators and established SME businesses. The start-up participants are entrepreneurs who have completed the Intensive Product Development (IPD) programme at FABlab in partnership with the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development. Through the IPD programme, these innovators have completed their product prototype alongside a business, marketing, financial and manufacturing plan.
The targeted innovators and SME businesses have been selected according to priority sectors for economic development, as outlined by the fourth National Development Plan (NDP4). Participants represent the following sectors and industries: agro-processing, cosmetic and garment manufacturing, technology (ICT), agriculture, jewellery, interior décor, green industry/waste management and community upliftment.
A total of eight SPARKS (start-up innovators) and five CONNECTS (growth-oriented SME’s) have been selected to participate in this first event. Each participant will deliver a pitch explaining their business idea, growth plan, company setup and any other information that is deemed necessary to garner support for their specific business needs. The pitches are directed to local hard-hitting representatives ranging from venture capitalists to governmental support agents otherwise known as ADDVENTURER’S.
Through this facilitated dialogue, a plenary of committed and prospecting ADDVENTURERS (development partners) will explore local Namibian businesses, offering them support based on their needs and the opinions of the ADDVENTURER’S. This initiative supports the development objectives of the government, as set out in the Growth at Home Strategy, the Fourth National Development Plan and Vision 2030. The CONNECT and SPARK participants will be announced in an ensuing statement prior to the event.