About Edge Growth
In 2006, AfriCap (then the only private equity fund exclusively focused on attracting global capital into private equity investments in SME’s in Africa) asked the founding Director of Edge Growth to develop an SME Growth Management framework. The framework was implemented in 3 of AfriCap’s portfolio companies with such great success that this virtual incubation engine (now know as the ‘Growth Accelerator’) became the seed of a specialist Enterprise Development business that spans from Organisational ED strategy to SME support services to the SME itself. Although we pride ourselves in being the leading ED advisory partner in South Africa we believe it equally important that the company is grounded in the reality of what it takes to work with an SME to overcome the most difficult challenge faced by a small business- sustainable growth.
Edge Growth offers services to both investors and entrepreneurs.
Depending on the size of your organization and ED budget, Edge Growth tailors a solution to provide for your unique needs and company strategy. Edge Growth's extensive knowledge in the ED space provides the platform to advise and assist our partners in how best to invest Enterprise Development funds to achieve maximum returns. We design strategies to ensure both financial returns for our corporate clients and social (B-BBEE) impact for the nation. Due to Edge Growth's pioneering research into global Enterprise Development best practice and strategies for the South African market, we were invited to be a key note speaker at South Africa’s first four ED conferences (IED, Ownership Solutions and Knowledge Resources) in South Africa, and was the opening and primary speaker at the second, third and fourth conferences.
Edge Growth has combined all our service offerings into an ED fund, providing businesses with a holistic Enterprise Development solution. We develop a strategy to suite our client’s needs and then identify and select high potential businesses in which to invest on their behalf. Edge Growth then structures and provides the SME support required to unlock the company’s potential.
We provide growth financing and business development/SME support to high potential SMEs in order to unlock growth in the company. Edge Growth’s understanding of the different forms of enterprise development and their ability to assist different types of enterprises, enables us to match SME needs with the right SME model to ensure maximum growth impact and results.
Edge Growth's own SME Growth Accelerator is a uniquely powerful approach to rapidly realizing growth in an SME. It is based on the world’s leading business strategy, management and business growth tools and is the key to unlocking explosive growth in SMEs. Through our virtual SME incubator, a sophisticated and effective support system, designed specifically for the challenges of the African market, we enable growth leadership, focusing limited and precious resources where it matters most.
Edge Growth's Model was first acclaimed at South Africa’s first national ED conference, hosted by the Institute of Enterprise Development in April 2008, since then Edge Growth has been asked to speak at numerous conferences on the subject. This incubator was recognised by the country’s leading practioners as the way to help small businesses make the transition to significant, globally competitive, medium-sized enterprises. Whilst other forms of enterprise development are equally important, Edge Growth's approach is the only model which is able to prepare local SMEs and suppliers to be globally competitive and leap the growth hurdle which they face when evolving from small to medium sized businesses.
Read more about the services we offer
Edge Growth’s core purpose is to create jobs within South Africa, and utilises the talents, experience and passion of a dedicated team to do this. Jobs give people hope, dignity and a means to become a provider and contributor within their community. Jobs create stability within people and stability within the community.
“Poverty is unnecessary. People are capable of getting themselves out of
poverty. All they need is opportunities. They are not waiting for charity or
handouts. Charity is good, but it is not good enough. If you turn it into a
business proposition, then it’s very powerful, because it can run on its own
steam."
Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank, Founder and Managing Director.
Enterprise Development has the opportunity to change the fate of our nation; it is widely recognised as the most powerful way to create jobs. However it is a highly complex field; transforming companies into successful businesses with the opportunity to create jobs, requires specialised skills in both planning and execution if it is to have any impact. “To fail to plan is to plan to fail” and this is particularly true of ED.
For this reason, Edge Growth has developed its processes and systems on global best practice and relies on a passionate and specifically skilled team to apply these on a case by case basis to the needs of each SME. Our approach is not generic, nor is it cheap, but when evaluated against the social and financial cost of a failed project, it is a sound investment that dramatically improves the chances and magnitude of success. Success is measured by impact and impact by results and Edge Growth has developed its reputation for creating impact throughout Africa.