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18 July 2017

The challenge

In spite of South Africa’s successes in large-scale projects and the country boasting the fastest growing green economy in the world in 2015, small growing businesses (SGBs) are oftentimes under-resourced or inexperienced. They face challenges in identifying and testing business models and/or in making the links to global assets required to create competitive advantage. GreenCape and the World Bank, with support from the government of the United Kingdom, have sought to address this challenge.

Two questions drive our work in this space:

  1. How can we support green SGBs in South Africa to identify and test international business models?
  2. How can we help them link with experienced global companies to unlock value and create new opportunities?

Cross Border

In 2017, GreenCape and the World Bank’s Climate Technology Program (CTP) launched a cross-border business matchmaking facility, Cross Border, that links global companies to local green businesses in South Africa. By leveraging CTP and GreenCape’s expertise and connections in the local ecosystem, the programme provides market insights and technical support to trade missions organised by embassies and investment promotion agencies, as well as matchmaking facilitation between foreign companies and South African firms.

CTP and GreenCape aim to innovate the traditional trade mission and business matchmaking model through a unique service offering that combines market intelligence, business model diagnostics and access to a local and global network of clean-tech firms and green organizations.

High-potential partnerships are identified through a preliminary analysis of the sector and the firms’ market needs. After conducting a first-level due diligence on the local companies identified, the facility provides interested foreign firms with curated lists of potential business matches and proceeds to facilitate connections through events, meetings, seminars, and direct introductions.

Cross Border aims to help unlock the investment and employment potential of green SGBs and to contribute to improving the resource efficiency, carbon intensity and resilience of the national economy through the development of new business models.

The identified services 

Services offered through Cross Border are for green firms, entrepreneurs, consultants, and trade missions interested in the South African market (inbound) or South African green firms looking abroad (outbound). Current services range from:

  • Contacts, introductions and matches to South African green firms
  • Matchmaking activities for trade offices, missions and other inbound interest
  • Tailored market research insights
  • Business model diagnostics to strengthen matchmaking
  • Needs analysis of firms seeking matches
  • Curated and facilitated introductions
  • Post introduction deal support and facilitation

There is no cost for our engagement

By facilitating partnerships and the diffusion of innovative green business models, Cross Border aims to stimulate and catalyze the growth of local and regional green markets.

To see the Cross Border brochure click here.

To see the Cross Border pitch deck click here.

To sign up for business matchmaking via our online sign up form, click here

Read more on the future of business matchmaking.