As world leaders and environmental experts met at the COP28 Summit, with pledges and commitments amounting to billions, some of South Africa’s brightest young minds laid out their plans to save our planet. At the Nedbank Auditorium in Sandton on Tuesday 12 December, Primestars proudly announced the winners of the Step Up 2 A Green Start Up National Youth Entrepreneurship Awards.
The Top 3 are:
- IN FIRST PLACE!!!!! THE GREEN BRICK INNOVATORS from Leap Science and Maths School in Alexandra, Gauteng. Their business idea centred on Eco- bricks and Eco-Construction. Gaogelo Sepotokele, Ntebatse Modiba and Olebogeng Kgopa are taking sustainable construction to those most vulnerable.
Their business model has a 2-phase approach:
First the production of the‘ eco-brick ‘ which is made from recyclable materials such as plastic, paper or glass brought together by a little cement.
Then those ‘ eco-bricks’ are used to build houses for those in need.
These innovators chose this product and service to address issues of improper housing, pollution, unemployment and poverty within their community and in future the country as a whole.
- RUNNER-UP was THE GREEN-TECH WARRIORS from Mehlwana Secondary School in Ogies Mpumalanga.
Their business pitch dealt with waste management. Sandile Masangu, Tshepang Magakoe and Nondumiso Mpanza are cleaning up communities the smart way, with a bin that will alert their company when it is full and is ready to be emptied.
It is all done via a specifically designed mobile app linked to the ‘Smart Bin ‘.
The trio seek to stem improper waste disposal as well as the relevant health and safety concerns related to this.
- THIRD PLACE went to HOME SPOT from Sir Pierre Van Ryneveld High School in Kempton Park Gauteng. Their business idea was centred on sustainable construction for those most in need.
Tired of the mounting garbage in their community as well as a lack of access to adequate housing, Musawenkosi Mathetha, Vuyolwethu Mtwa, Siyabonga Moyo and Ngozi Nwobi decided the way to deal with it would be to repurpose recyclable materials into wall panels to build houses.
Helping the underprivileged lead a more dignified life while tackling both the woes of under-serviced communities and a climate disaster.
The Top 10 teams, selected from across the country, gathered in Johannesburg this week for an intensive business bootcamp. These eco-warriors underwent intensive training, workshops, and mentorship sessions to refine their green startup concepts into impactful ventures. As one of South Africa’s most innovative youth entrepreneurship programmes, ‘Step Up 2 A Green Start Up ‘is an empowering initiative aimed at fostering innovation in the realm of sustainability and environmental entrepreneurship. It inspires young entrepreneurs to seek out opportunities in the green economy with a fundamental change in mindset from job seeker to job creator, producing solutions for an environmental problem identified in their relevant communities.
Since inception Step Up 2 A Start Up has impacted over 100 000 high school learners across rural and township areas. The 2023 rollout benefitted over 12 000 learners and yielded a record number of over 750 business entries received in the national entrepreneurship competition. Other milestones include the much-anticipated launch of the #StepUpAlumni network to facilitate a greater and ongoing connection with new and previous beneficiaries as well as the expansion of the programme to new areas, particularly rural communities in outlying areas, leveraging our sought-after mobile cinema model.
In the coming years Primestars will continue to expand the programme to reach more of SA’s brightest and determined youth, with the continued support from stakeholders including Nedbank, Sappi, EOH, Omnia, Allan and Gill Gray Philanthropies, The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), AECI, 3M, SAFRIPOL, BTE Renewables, Richfield, Johannesburg Business School, Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, Seed Academy, WDB Investment Holdings, Zutari, Sizwe IT, BCW, Proudly South African, Mulilo, Uber, The Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Tourvest Travel Services, Protea Hotels, Versapak, Afrika Tikkun, Buhle Waste, Airlink, Raizcorp, Entrepreneurship Employability Education etc.
Primestars founder and Managing Director, Martin Sweet says “As we approach our 10-year milestone of Step Up 2 A Start-Up, we look back and are proud of the impact legacy we have built together. But our job is not yet done, together with our various partners, Primestars will continue to empower Planet Earth’s Support Crew. Let our current and future generations work to put out the flames and chart a greener path.”
