Grindstone Joins Forces With EnterpriseSG to Grant Singapore Tech Startups Access to South Africa

Grindstone, a South African accelerator, and Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) have announced a pilot program that would allow Singaporean tech start-ups to enter the South African market.

The program will be administered by the Global Innovation Alliance (GIA), a network of Singapore and foreign partners in significant innovation hubs in 15 cities worldwide, according to a statement viewed by TechCabal. The Singaporean government’s enterprise development agency is called Enterprise Singapore.

The hybrid pilot program connects Singapore entrepreneurs and SMEs with possible international partners and business possibilities through seminars, specialized one-on-one mentoring with industry experts, networking opportunities, and an abroad immersion trip.

Selected businesses will go through an 8-week program that includes structured interventions like company assessments, access to expert coaches, course materials and workshops, networking, and introductions to funding sources.

Director of Grindstone Catherine Young noted that Grindstone supports expanding start-ups’ access to markets and financial options in order to aid in their scaling.

“As growth engineers, we work hard to expand our networks to provide funding and market access for the start-ups we deal with, and the Grindstone global expansion has allowed us to bring the world to Africa and Africa to the world. We look forward to collaborating with EnterpriseSG on this project, which will help us strengthen networks between Singapore and South African start-ups, she added.

Jonathan Lim, director of the Global Innovation Network, said for EnterpriseSG that the continent of Africa is appealing to Singapore tech companies not only because of its sizable consumer market but also because of the rapid digital adoption, industrialization, and urbanization that have occurred there, which have created new needs and opportunities.

“There is opportunity for Singaporean businesses to work with partners already established in the market to jointly develop innovative solutions. We also encourage African businesses and startups to use Singapore as a hub for innovation and expansion in Asia, the official added.