An entourage from the innobiz DUT Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation recently attended the Annual Conference of the Purchasing Consortium Southern Africa at the Sandton Convention Centre where their skills in procurement policy and framework were sharpened.
The innobiz DUT Centre entourage that attended the Annual Conference of the Purchasing Consortium Southern Africa.
Led by the innobiz DUT Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Ms Nontokozo Ngcobo, the entourage consisted of Ms Senamile Dlangalala, Mr Khonzinkosi Magcaba, Ms Yvonne Phungula, and Mr Khulekani Zikhali.
Purco SA, which describes itself as a non-profit procurement consortium created by and working for the Higher Education sector in South Africa and Namibia, has a membership encompassing higher education institutions and their allied bodies including all South African and Namibian public universities, TVET Colleges and private education providers.
Amongst some of Purco SA’s allied members include bodies such as the African Health Research Institute, the CSIR, and the National Research Foundation among others.
Delving into the primary objective of bringing her team and operational entrepreneurs to this Purco SA Annual Conference, explained that the Centre’s primary objective for attending the conference was access to market and access to finance as Purco SA was a powerful consortium for procurement, finance, and ICT decision-makers from nearly all South African universities and TVET colleges.
“By bringing our operational entrepreneurs here, we are providing a unique, targeted platform to connect them directly with ‘big players’, the people who make high-value purchasing decisions in the higher education sector. This is about converting their innovative ideas into real, large-scale contracts and strategic partnerships,” Ms Ngcobo explained.
The Centre’s presence was also felt at the conference with the innobiz DUT Centre boasting a big central stand, while also featuring ten individual stands for its entrepreneurs. Ms Ngcobo shared what the strategy behind this dual approach was.
“The big INNOBIZ stand serves as our central hub and a statement. It showcases the collective strength of the DUT entrepreneurship ecosystem and the quality of businesses we incubate. It’s a focal point for institutional engagement.
The ten individual stands are critical for the entrepreneurs themselves. These are their personal shopfronts. It allows each of them to showcase their unique business, pitch their product or service one-on-one, and build direct relationships. They are practicing business development and networking in a high-stakes, professional environment, which is invaluable experience you can’t get in a classroom,” Ms Ngcobo asserted.
She elaborated on the goal of networking with big players, explaining the significance of conference as a platform that the entrepreneurs can use to create long lasting connections and opportunities.
“We aim for connections that lead to genuine growth. Purco delegates are typically Heads of Procurement, Finance Managers, ICT Directors, and Facilities Managers from universities. These individuals are responsible for multimillion-rand budgets for services and supplies,” Ms Ngcobo explained.
She further stated that the innobiz DUT Centre’s entrepreneurs were looking for:
- Direct Supply Contracts: Selling their goods or services directly to a university or TVET college.
- Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with established suppliers and big companies who are also exhibiting here.
- Investment and Mentorship: Gaining visibility with industry leaders who can offer investment or high-level business mentorship, accelerating their growth beyond the start-up phase.
The innobiz DUT Centre Manager Ms. Nontokozo Ngcobo in conversation with the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mr. Buti Manamela at the Annual Conference of the Purchasing Consortium Southern Africa held at the Sandton Convention Centre recently.
In conclusion, Ms Ngcobo added that it was important to expose student entrepreneurs, particularly those who were starting out in business, to an environment like the Purco Conference.
“It is absolutely critical. This exposure is not a luxury; it’s an essential part of their entrepreneurial education. Through envisioning and benchmarking they see the scale of success and understand the high standards required to engage with large institutions. It sets a benchmark for their future growth,” Ms Ngcobo said.
She also added that it was also essential that the entrepreneurs were exposed to such platforms in order to understand the market realities.
“They learn that entrepreneurship is not just about a good idea, it’s about networking, pitching, administration, and compliance, the ‘hardcore business issues’ we talk about at innobiz. It is also about mindset development because it fosters a global, adaptive mindset. They realise their business is part of a larger ecosystem and that success is often dependent on collaboration and learning from industry leaders. This experience is the perfect complement to their academic learning, transforming them into the adaptive, opportunity-creating graduates DUT strives to produce. We look forward to seeing the connections made here turn into sustainable business success,” Ms Ngcobo added.
