The Silicon Cape initiative kicked off in Cape Town last Thursday. The initiative is a new organisation that is devoted to developing a digital innovation hub in Africa. It is modelled on the Silicon Valley concept in San Francisco. Drivers of the initiative Vinny Lingham and Justin Stanford opened the proceedings with their own particular brand of tech presentation as conversation. So what is the initiative for?
- Develop a digital innovation hub
- Kick start entrepreneurs make
- Set up a Cape VC fund for start ups
So what does this have to do with your money? Well at the moment not much, it is a new initiative that wants to attract digital entrepreneurs and digital investors. Investors need to make a return; entrepreneurs want to make a going concern. The initiative is focussed on providing the environment to do this. The key is apparently people. The right people in the right place at the right time. This is where your money comes in.
The Silicon Cape initiative is aimed at creating, in the Western Cape, a great environment to make money. So if you are thinking of starting up a tech company now is the time and the Cape is the place. There will be a mass of new start ups coming out of this initiative and the scope to invest in them as well as start them is wide open. However there are some major constraints including regulatory and infrastructure issues that will need to be dealt with. If you are interested in the tech sector support the Silicon Cape initiative as it will be a growth area in the years to come.