South African Students Pitch Business Ideas on USSAVI Demo Day

The innovative business ideas of 57 talented students across seven South African universities will be on display at the inaugural Demo Day, which will take place virtually Friday, Aug. 30.

Demo Day is sponsored by the United States-South Africa Virtual Incubator (USSAVI), and will bring together investors, industry leaders and innovators for an engaging day of presentations and networking.

USSAVI is a collaborative effort based at Guilford College and supported by a grant from the U.S. Embassy in South Africa. The incubator is the brainchild of Guilford President Kyle Farmbry and was conceived as part of the United States-South Africa Higher Education Network.

The program’s mission is to empower South African college students to develop innovative solutions to pressing social and economic challenges. Through an immersive six-month program, USSAVI has provided students with the skills, resources and mentorship needed to launch and pitch their ventures.

Meredeth Summers, Director of the USSAVI Program and Chief of Staff at Guilford, says she can’t wait for students to present their ideas at Demo Day.

“These brilliant entrepreneurs have shown remarkable creativity and resilience in addressing complex social issues through their business ideas,” Meredeth said. “The Demo Day represents not just the end of their training, but the beginning of their journey as social entrepreneurs.”

Twelve teams have undergone an intensive three-month training program facilitated by Mashauri, Ltd, an international organization dedicated to supporting higher-ed institutions in giving students an entrepreneurial mindset. Under the guidance of Mashauri Ltd. co-founder and CEO Simon Gifford and program manager Clint Davies, students learned to identify social entrepreneurship problems and develop innovative solutions.

Judges will have the opportunity to witness firsthand the innovative solutions developed by these young entrepreneurs and deliberate to determine the winning team(s).