Now Open: SA Tech Challenge 2025 (South Africa)

The SA Tech Challenge is the most lucrative and exciting tech opportunity in South Africa to date. It is a collaboration between The Department of Science Technology and Innovation (DSTI) The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), The Innovation Bridge Portal (supported by the CSIR), The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) and Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct.

Aims

• The challenge aims to integrate the various government departments to support scale up businesses in the tech sector.

Categories

• You must select ONE of the following categories when applying:
  • Digital Platforms: Online spaces or infrastructure that facilitate interactions between different groups of users, transforming how they live, work, and interact.
  • Fin-Tech: Financial technology that improves and automates the delivery of financial services, where finance and technology intersect.
  • Secured Digital Infrastructure: Protection of underlying systems and networks that enable digital operations, encompassing measures to safeguard data, applications, and hardware from cyber and physical threats.
  • Circular Economy: A model of production and consumption that minimizes waste and maximizes resource utilization, shifting away from the traditional “take-make-dispose” pattern.
  • Innovations for Connectivity: Technological advancements aimed at improving and expanding how they connect and communicate, driven by demand for faster, more reliable, and ubiquitous connectivity.
  • Innovations for Development: Creation and implementation of new ideas, technologies, and strategies that improve social, economic, and environmental wellbeing, particularly in developing contexts (Agri tech, Health-tech, Ed-tech).

Funding Information

• Overall winner: R1 million
• Second overall winner: R750,000
• Third overall winner: R500,000
• Fourth, fifth, and sixth overall winners: R250,000 each
• Additionally, all category winners will receive post-competition support in intellectual property protection, development, and growth.

Eligibility Criteria

• They are looking for formal Micro, Small and Medium (MSME) technology enterprises from South Africa who meet the following criteria:
  • Enterprise Stage – Must be post-revenue with less than 250 employees and less than R250 million annual turnover.
  • Technology Readiness Level (TRL) – Your technology or solution should be at a minimum of TRL 7 as per The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) guidelines. It should be post-prototype, with demonstrated use by clients and implemented in relevant environments.
  • Impact – Must address at least one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with potential for regional/global growth with quantifiable social outcomes.
  • Ownership – Companies should be owned and headquartered in South Africa and meet all compliance requirements as per CIPC and SARS.

Evaluation Criteria

• Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
  • Innovation (30%): The originality and uniqueness of the solution
  • Impact (20%): The potential social, economic, or environmental impact
  • Scalability (20%): The potential for regional/global growth
  • Feasibility (10%): The practicality of implementing the solution and the team’s capability
  • Team (10%): The expertise and experience of the team
  • Presentation (10%): Clarity, engagement, and professionalism of the pitch delivery

For more information, visit Innovation Bridge.