This is in response to the fact that Cape Town is becoming a fast growing hub of vibrant tech innovators, with the Western Cape expected to play a significant role in driving job creation as an economic driver for the country.
"The emerging technology sector in South Africa is already a critical economic driver for the country, as we see a healthy demand and rapid adoption of technologies among African businesses, spanning the telecommunications, ecommerce and IT industries," says Eric Edelstein co-founder of Entrepreneur Traction.
He explains that although there is a healthy stream of opportunities for tech entrepreneurs starting up on African soil, there are also many obstacles and challenges that contribute to the high number of these businesses going under within the first 20 months of operating. "So many factors contribute towards these hi-tech start-ups failing, such as lack of business experience and support from government; limited opportunities to access capital, shortage of developers and product experts or simply a lack of confidence and hesitance to take the risks necessary to succeed.
"This, coupled with the existing fragmentation among these start-ups in the Silicon Cape region, made us aware of a need to bring like-minded tech entrepreneurs together to collaborate, innovate and problem solve collectively rather than in silos." He believes that if this inherent problem in the industry can be resolved, then South Africa's tech sector will have the ability to impact the global technology industry.
"The rapid growth in South Africa's tech start-up space has inevitably resulted in an inundation of workshops, seminars and sales pitches, in an effort to enable and educate tech entrepreneurs," adds Ariel Navarro, CEO of Entrepreneur Traction. "Although there is a solid place for education, we see a significant need for providing a quality environment for tech entrepreneurs to network with substance. We would ultimately like to see collaborations and business partnerships becoming success stories through the exclusive network that we are creating."
With access to some of the greatest minds in the tech world, locally and abroad, the company will be hosting a mystery speaker at each monthly intervention, only to be revealed at each event. To join the events, go to www.entrepreneurtraction.co.za.
