By Duduzile Mathabela, Programme Manager, Mr Price Foundation
Young businesses are more likely to succeed when entrepreneurs, funders and development partners share responsibility before, during and after capital is deployed
The funding conversation in youth entrepreneurship is changing. The focus is shifting from access to capital alone to a proactive approach to building a funding strategy that outlines how the business will secure, manage and sustain capital at every stage of its growth.
The shift to a longer-term view is particularly important in South Africa, where entrepreneurship is seen as a catalytic driver of economic inclusion and job creation. Youth unemployment among South Africans aged 15 to 34 reached 47.4% in the second quarter of 2026, with nearly 5 million young people in this age group unemployed.
Accountability therefore spans the full funding journey. Success cannot be measured by the amount of capital secured at a point in time, but by whether entrepreneurs can identify the right funding opportunities at the right time and prepare accordingly to ensure sustainable business growth.
For many young entrepreneurs, the challenges begin before they apply. Funding requirements can be fragmented and difficult to navigate. Funding requirements vary between funders, application processes are highly technical, and the financial jargon used in the funding processes is not always familiar or accessible to first-time entrepreneurs. As a result, young businesses often struggle to position themselves for investment.
Building funding readiness should therefore be built into the broader funding strategy within enterprise development. Mr Price Foundation’s Funding Readiness Masterclass Series, delivered in partnership with Startup Grind, responds to this need. The series helps entrepreneurs understand the funder landscape, interpret funder expectations and requirements, strengthen business and financial fundamentals, assess market opportunity and identify the most appropriate sources of capital for their stage of business growth.
This distinction matters because capital is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Businesses require different types of funding depending on their maturity, business model and growth objectives. An effective funding strategy relies on matching the right capital and financier to the right stage of business growth.
The real measure of success is not how many entrepreneurs participate in programmes or how much funding is disbursed. It is whether these interventions change the business’s trajectory. This includes growth enabled by capital, more robust business capability, new customers or contracts gained through market access, and whether that progress is sustained 12, 24 or even 36 months after the intervention.
Accountability therefore exists on both sides of the investment relationship. Entrepreneurs are responsible for building businesses that deploy capital effectively and sustainably. Development partners and funders have a corresponding responsibility to ensure the capital and support they provide align with the business’s needs and stage, and to remain focused on outcomes beyond disbursement.
This shifts attention from participation metrics and funding volumes towards business performance and long-term impact. It challenges the entrepreneurship ecosystem to focus on more impactful initiatives that contribute to sustainable enterprises and job creation.
The Bindzu Youth Fund provides one example of how commercial performance can sharpen programme evaluation. Its first cohort offers a useful comparison between funding awarded and business growth. The winner, Kamogelo Selepe, founder of AI-powered marketing technology business ArcaneEdge, recorded 486% revenue growth during the programme’s assessment period before receiving the R1 million top award.
That is the kind of evidence the broader entrepreneurship development ecosystem needs to generate more consistently. A stronger common measurement standard would mean tracking programme cohorts at 12, 24, and 36 months, as well as business indicators such as survival rate, revenue growth, market access, sustainable employment creation, and follow-on investment.
Over time, this would build a more robust evidence base around entrepreneurship development in South Africa, showing which interventions deliver the greatest impact at different stages of growth, where businesses lose momentum, and how funding performs when combined with market access, technical capability or specialist support.
It would also enable programme design to evolve based on evidence rather than assumption. As organisations learn more about the key drivers of sustainable business growth, they can direct resources to interventions that consistently deliver stronger outcomes for entrepreneurs.
Mr Price Foundation has set itself the ambitious goal of empowering 500,000 young people by 2035. Achieving that number requires more than expanding access to programmes. It requires a clear understanding of which interventions create pathways to viable economic participation and inclusion.
Ultimately, progress is measured by what happens after capital is deployed. A more accountable youth enterprise ecosystem will help entrepreneurs navigate the funding landscape, connect businesses with appropriate capital and support for their stage of growth, and monitor performance closely enough to identify key drivers of growth. In doing so, the conversation shifts from access to capital alone to building businesses that are intentional in their growth and their lasting economic value.