In this episode of The Cutting Edge, Susan Moloisane (CE of Edge Growth Solutions) sits down with Tokollo Mahapa (Management Consultant at SyTra Consulting) and Xolani Nxanga (Guard Risk - Microinsurance & InsureTech). Together, they expose the brutal realities facing South Africa's financial services SMEs and reveal why traditional business models are at risk of becoming obsolete in the digital age. Tune in as they share why adaptation and evolution are crucial for survival and growth in today’s rapidly changing landscape. This hard-hitting discussion uncovers the survival strategies every financial intermediary, advisor, and insurance SME must implement before their competitors do. 🟢 Ideal for: South African financial advisors, insurance intermediaries, SME owners in financial services, and entrepreneurs looking to build legacy businesses in the evolving financial sector. 🎙️ Listen to the podcast on your preferred platform by clicking here 👉[http://bit.ly/3TtbZrh] #️⃣ Find us on LinkedIn 👉[https://bit.ly/4eKGUaF] 🌐 Visit our website 👉[https://bit.ly/4g6GImS] #financialadvisors #digitaltransformation #southafricanbusiness #smedevelopment #financialservices #clientexperience

In this episode of The Cutting Edge, recorded live at an event organised by 100WF and hosted by Edge Growth Ventures, moderator Zinathi Gquma (Business Day TV anchor and host) leads a powerful discussion on how innovation within SMEs is reshaping South Africa's economic landscape despite an underwhelming growth. 4 business growth experts shared their insights on: ↳ Why SMEs must embrace innovation as a strategic pillar, not just a buzzword, to compete with established players. ↳ How technology adoption enables smaller companies to operate at scale with fewer resources and respond more quickly to customer needs and demands. ↳ The critical funding gap for innovative ventures and why South Africa's venture capital landscape remains underdeveloped compared to global capital ecosystems. ↳ Why true innovation means selling your ideas, not just creating them. ↳ How a lack of corporate support for SMEs is holding businesses back from growing. Featured in the panel: - Noluvo Nela - Partner, Edge Growth Ventures - Cleola Kunene - JSE Head of SME Development - Sizwe Ndlovu - CTO, Pineapple Insurance - Zinathi Gquma - Business News Anchor & Moderator 🟢 Essential listening for entrepreneurs, funders, ecosystem builders, and policymakers committed to unlocking South Africa's economic potential through SME innovation and development. #️⃣ Find us on LinkedIn 👉 [https://bit.ly/4eKGUaF] 🌐 Visit our website 👉 [https://bit.ly/4g6GImS] ABOUT 100 Women in Finance: 100 Women in Finance (100WF) is a global nonprofit organisation dedicated to strengthening the finance industry by empowering women to reach their professional potential at every stage of their careers. With over 35,000 members across 30+ locations worldwide, 100WF delivers on its mission through education, peer engagement, and impact initiatives, all guided by its Vision 30/40, a goal for women to hold 30% of senior investment and executive roles by 2040. #smeinnovation #southafricaneconomy #businessgrowth #entrepreneurship #economicgrowth

In this episode of The Cutting Edge, Susan Moloisane (CEO of Edge Growth Solutions) sits down with AI expert Tanye ver Loren van Themaat and Jason Krause (CEO of Art of Scale - an AI-powered business scaling platform). Collectively, they break down why South African SMEs can't afford to wait on AI adoption and provide actionable steps to start integrating and building AI-powered systems into your business that can deliver 10X growth - even if you know little about AI right now. This strategy-packed discussion covers: ↳ Why businesses that delay AI adoption will permanently fall behind competitors (and how this affects employee retention) ↳ How to identify AI-ready employees who can drive transformation from within your organisation ↳ Simple frameworks for mapping your business systems before implementing AI solutions ↳ Why AI implementation requires rethinking your entire business model, not just adding technology ↳ The critical shift from "technology as afterthought" to "technology-first problem solving" ↳ How investors should evaluate businesses based on their digital transformation readiness ↳ Practical tools for teaching employees systems thinking and critical judgment in an AI environment. 🟢 Ideal for South African business owners, leaders, executives and investors in SME development who need practical strategies to implement AI without getting overwhelmed.

In this episode of the Cutting Edge, Senior Programme Manager from Edge Growth Solutions (Mbuso Radebe) sits down with Township Economy Expert, Sifiso Moyo, to shed light on the R900 billion opportunity that most corporate ESD strategies miss completely within South Africa’s Township Economy. Together, they strip away common misconceptions about township entrepreneurship and reveal the strategic shifts needed to create genuine economic impact beyond traditional funding models. This eye-opening discussion covers: ↳ Why the township economy is NOT just about spaza shops (and what sectors actually drive sustainable growth) ↳ How partnering with local intermediary organisations can dramatically transform your ESD outcomes ↳ How catalytic funding works better than startup capital for township businesses ↳ Why addressing infrastructure challenges must precede business skills training ↳ How to design sector-specific interventions that actually solve real township business problems ↳ Which successful township businesses exemplify scalable growth models worth replicating ↳ What the Township Economic Development Act means for your procurement strategy (and the opportunities most corporates miss) 🟢 Essential listening for transformation executives, procurement leaders, and ESD practitioners who want to move beyond surface-level township interventions and build sustainable economic ecosystems.

In this episode of the Cutting Edge, Nyaniso Rapiya (ESD & Preferential Procurement Manager at Seriti Resources) and Nabeela Vally (Business Development Head at Edge Growth) break down how mining houses can transform their ESD & SME Development initiatives from compliance exercises into engines of local economic growth. Collectively, they tackle the tough questions facing South Africa’s mining sector and share proven strategies that create resilient and self-sustaining SMEs. This discussion covers: ↳ How to evolve your ESD approach beyond basic mentorship and funding ↳ Why traditional SME support models often fail to deliver sustainable growth ↳ Which metrics actually matter when measuring SME development ↳ Where to find opportunities for cross-sector collaboration ↳ When to introduce funding vs capability building ↳ How to integrate ESG principles into supplier development programmes ↳ What it takes to build SMEs that thrive beyond life of mine 🟢 Ideal for mining executives, procurement leaders, and ESD practitioners who want to move beyond tick-box transformation and build genuinely sustainable local supply chains.

In this episode of the Cutting Edge, Edge Growth Business Development Manager, Nabeela Vally sits down with Adjunct Faculty and Practice Director at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) - Anne Cabot-Alletzhauser. Together, they delve into the very relevant outcomes of the recent study conducted by GIBS titled “Enhancing Enterprise and Supplier Development Ecosystem Effectiveness in South Africa,” they examine how misaligned goals, quick fixes, and fragmented collaboration often leave SMEs dependent on support instead of building toward sustainable growth. They also explore actionable strategies and opportunities to create a stronger, more effective ESD ecosystem that empowers SMEs to develop independently and sustainably.

Join the electrifying discussion as Chief Executive of Edge Growth Ventures Janice Johnston teams up with green energy experts to dive into the transformative green economy and its vast potential to drive sustainable development through groundbreaking innovations. Contributing to the conversation is Ziyad Cassim, the SA Country Representative for the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), a collective movement dedicated to fast-tracking the green energy transition and eradicating energy poverty in emerging economies. Presenting a founder’s perspective is Tumi Mphahlele, the visionary co-founder and COO of i-G3N, a pioneering energy solutions company and leading lithium battery manufacturer. Together, the trio tackle the challenges and opportunities of transitioning towards a greener future.

Edge Growth Investment Principal Noluvo Nela engages African Enterprise Network founder Sinazo Vabaza Tundube and Chumile Holdings founder Violet Lupuwana in an analysis of South Africa’s SME funding ecosystem that inspects the opportunities to improve access to finance for small businesses. Sinazo’s experience implementing Finance Readiness Masterclasses for SMEs across the country positions her to impart invaluable insights to investors, including corporate organisations, on fuelling funding readiness and access to finance for SMEs. Violet shares her experiences as the founder of a thriving transport, logistics and tourism business, revealing the funding obstacles SME founders face on their path to growth.  

An introduction to Season 2 of The Cutting Edge Podcast hosted by Edge Growth - leaders in Enterprise and Supplier Development, Impact Investing and SME development.

Edge Growth Business Development Manager Nabeela Vally engages AlphaCode Head of Operations Amina Patterson and founder and CEO of Vocalysd.ai Kelly Hoffman in a compelling conversation that examines how the concepts of entrepreneurship, innovation and tech converge to solve complex problems. The trio discuss the pivotal role that tech entrepreneurs play in developing solutions that tackle these challenges by balancing technological innovation with a human-centred approach. Amina provides insight into how South Africa’s SME development landscape can better support tech entrepreneurship, while Kelly imparts key learnings drawn from her entrepreneurial journey as a tech founder.

Nabeela Vally, Business Development Manager at Edge Growth, and Trevor Naidoo, Founding Director of ProcureSense, conduct a riveting dialogue that examines the importance of market access as a critical driver for innovation, SME growth, job creation and economic stimulation in South Africa. The duo introduce strategies that will aid corporates to foster innovation and drive disruption within their supply chains by moving beyond compliance and conventional procurement to adopt an integrated, forward-thinking and value-based approach to enterprise development, supplier development and preferential procurement. In addition, Trevor and Nabeela determine the barriers to access to market that challenge South Africa’s SMEs and offer advice to entrepreneurs on how to tap into market access opportunities.

Edge Growth Head of Client Lillian Keetse engages INSETA Research Specialist Zakariyya Desai and INSETA Learning Division Manager Kgothatso Modise in a compelling conversation that explores how corporates can rethink their SME development strategies to better support the needs of small businesses in South Africa. Zakariyya and Kgothatso provide real-world examples that demonstrate the ways in which INSETA has leveraged research, impact assessment and collaboration to determine how the organisation can evolve to improve their approach to SME development. On a matter that challenges the industry, the trio assesses the need for tailored SME support that effectively meets the unique needs of individual SMEs.

Edge Growth Senior Investment Associate Philani Mzila leads Vumela Fund Trustee Mike Sage and Kusini Water founder Murendeni Mafumo in a dynamic discussion that explores the potential to lift the barriers to funding and unlock capital for South Africa’s SMEs. Providing a dual perspective on the complexities of capital raising, Mike Sage presents an investor's outlook whose insight on the topic is complemented by the learnings of Murendeni Mafumo obtained through first-hand experience as a founder in pursuit of access to funding. The trio examines the obstacles and opportunities of capital raising for small businesses in South Africa, offering key takeaways to the benefit of both impact investors and SMEs.

Nabeela Vally, Edge Growth Business Development Manager and Colleen Ebbitt, Vice President, Programme Officer for J.P. Morgan Global Philanthropy (EMEA), engage in an enthralling discussion that calls attention to the potential that impact investing holds to unlock greater SME support and social innovation in South Africa. The pair unpack the meaning of impact investing and the influential local and global trends that are shaping it. Offering interesting insights to impact investors, corporate leaders and policymakers, Nabeela and Colleen examine the importance of collaboration between the private and public sectors to mobilise impact investments that drive inclusive socio-economic development.

Julian Warbreck, Product Lead at Edge Growth, and Lerato Bopape, Founder and CEO of Concise Flow, conduct a riveting dialogue that reports on the strengths and weaknesses of South Africa’s SME development landscape from the perspective of an SME founder. The duo cast a light on the opportunities that exist to better SME development to the advantage of both corporates and SMEs. As Lerato chronicles her experience as a participant of an SME programme, she offers a multifaceted perspective on SME development that imparts key learnings to the benefit of various SME ecosystem players, from corporate executives and ESD service providers to founders and entrepreneurs.

Edge Growth CEO Daniel Hatfield and FNB Head of SME Development Heather Lowe lead a compelling conversation as to how shared value can translate from a theoretical concept to an actionable and advantageous corporate strategy. Daniel and Heather explore shared value in relation to enterprise and supplier development, SME development, social enterprise, innovation and socio-economic development. The duo examines the challenges and opportunities that exist for shared value creation rooted within a South African context and illustrated through real-world examples that offer invaluable insights for corporate organisations to consider and integrate into their own strategies.

An introduction to The Cutting Edge Podcast hosted by Edge Growth - leaders in Enterprise and Supplier Development, Impact Investing and SME development.