Resources for Founders and Early-Stage Ventures

A curated selection of practical resources, organisations, funding portals and publications for South African founders, university spin-offs and early-stage ventures.

These external resources are provided for general information. Funding criteria, application periods, legislation and regulatory requirements may change. Founders should obtain appropriate professional advice where necessary.

SpinOut Practical Tools

Practical templates, calculators and checklists to help early-stage ventures improve

governance, reporting and accountability.

Meeting Cost Calculator

A simple calculator to help founders, boards and teams understand the real cost of meeting overload, late arrivals and poor meeting discipline.

Download Meeting Cost Calculator

Read Founder Lesson #2

This calculator is provided as a practical planning tool. It is not financial, legal or HR advice. Please adapt the assumptions to your own organisation.

Browse resources by topic

1. Starting and Running a Business

Practical guidance on company registration, tax, statutory filings and day-to-day business administration.

3. Funding and Investment Opportunities

Explore funding portals, investor networks and finance programmes for start-ups and growing ventures.

5. Intellectual Property and
University Spin-Offs

Access resources on protecting, managing and commercialising IP and research-based ventures.

7. Research and Ecosystem Reports

Review reports, data and analysis on entrepreneurship, investment and the South African start-up ecosystem.

2. Government and Business Support

Access public-sector programmes, agencies and support services available to South African small businesses.

4. Corporate Governance and Director Resources

Find guidance on boards, director duties, governance practices, company records and legal compliance.

6. Founder Learning, Networks and Ecosystem News

Discover founder programmes, business networks, practical learning resources and start-up news.

Resources

1 Starting and Running a Business 2 Government & Business Support 3 Funding and Investment Opportunities 4 Corporate Governance and Director Resources 5 Intellectual Property and Spin-Offs 6 Founder Learning Networks and Ecosystem News 7 Research and Ecosystem Reports SpinOut Advisory Services

Where should you start when you are registering and managing a company?

You can start with BizPortal for company registration and related government business services. You can also use CIPC for company records, director changes, annual returns, beneficial ownership, and IP services. The CIPC step-by-step guides are useful when you need help with each filing.