Deadline Date: December 31, 2025
Are you an ambitious entrepreneur building something innovative and extraordinary? Do you have a disruptive product, a revolutionary service, or a bold new business model with proven market traction and the potential to scale with the injection of catalytic funding? Aged 18-35 and working anywhere in South Africa? Yes? Then the Orange Corners Innovation Fund (OCIF) GROW programme is looking for you!
The focus areas of this opportunity are funding between R200,000 – R1,000,000 to fuel your business growth; support your innovative products, processes, business models, or marketing strategies; a chance to scale up and grow your workforce; and the opportunity to drive positive change through alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
OCIF GROW is a newly launched fund under the Orange Corners Innovation Fund in South Africa, extending the Orange Corners incubation and acceleration programmes to address the financing needs of young entrepreneurs across Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The fund aims to help youth-owned innovative businesses catalyse growth by offering a hybrid financing product composed of 50% grant and 50% interest-free loan, with repayment of the loan required over 18 months. Alongside financial support, entrepreneurs also receive specialised financing and investment-readiness training to strengthen their business capabilities.
Eligible applicants include youth aged 18–35 who are graduates of the Orange Corners Designs or Orange Corners Trust programmes in South Africa, as well as any youth-owned innovative business operating in the country. Applicants must be South African citizens or permanent residents with valid South African Identity Documents and must own and manage a business within the first seven years of operation. Additional requirements include a minimum of six months trading history, annual turnover between ZAR 250,000 and ZAR 10 million, demonstrated innovation that addresses a local challenge, proven market traction, alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, and the ability to repay the loan portion of the support. Applicants must also show how additional funding will drive business growth, sales and social impact, including job creation. Selected businesses must be prepared to provide ongoing reporting to measure impact, and all businesses must be located in South Africa.
Successful candidates will participate in a Raise Ready programme designed to equip them with the confidence and practical knowledge needed to shape effective growth plans and fundraising strategies. This nine-week programme includes weekly two-hour sessions and additional coaching covering topics such as introduction to debt financing, financing growth plans, financial modelling and statements, early-stage equity, strategic grant raising and impact measurement, due diligence, contracting and negotiations, and pitching at a financing round table. After completing the programme, participants can apply for the OCIF Fund, where only the strongest applications will be selected for funding.
In addition to the hybrid financial product, beneficiaries will receive peer mentorship sessions, technical assistance consultations, individual expert sessions tailored to support business growth, regular facilitator check-ins, technical assistance valued at R35,000, and quarterly Investee Meet-ups. The fund limits each business to a maximum of R1,000,000, with allocations linked to co-developed delivery milestones. Only fully completed applications will be considered, and no staff or associates of CDI NPC, CDI Capital or Viridian may apply. Funding decisions are final, and the project seeks to select businesses that reflect the demographics of the South African population.
For more information, visit CDI Capital.
