Maxum launches first pilot pre-incubator through JCSE at Wits campus

The Synergis team at the Maxum-JCSE pre-incubator with MD Mashudu Tshavhugwe (seated) are ltr Kefilwe Tlhabologang, Mpho Thobakgale and Axolile Daniels.

The Maxum Business Incubator at The Innovation Hub recently entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering at Wits to act as one of its pre-incubation facilities for ICT start up companies. The aim is to support these early stage companies to develop business plans prior to entering the formal business incubation phase, where the emphasis is on growth and business development.

"Many would-be entrepreneurs wishing to start a business have an idea and possibly a prototype, but lack a final product and a plan for introducing the product to the market. Pre-incubation is a phase for testing the prototype in the market, based on the feedback for refining the prototype to a final product, and developing a plan for introducing the product to the market such that this will lead to a sustainable business venture", says Jill Sawers, Manager of the Maxum Business Incubator.

"Incubators have a limited geographic reach, hence partnering with the JCSE extends the reach of Maxum's services to Johannesburg. More importantly, however, partnering with the JCSE means that entrepreneurs that are part of the pre-incubation programme will have access to state-of-the-art equipment and highly skilled, world- class expertise needed to develop the final product", says Sawers.

Rex van Olst, JCSE Chief Executive, says "companies will stay in the pre-incubator for a year where they are given office space, connectivity and access to technology mentoring at Wits in order to develop their products. Once the companies have developed their products and launched them into the market, the JCSE will encourage them to move into an incubator like the Maxum Business Incubator at The Innovation Hub, where the facilities are available for start-ups to grow their businesses and developed into self-sustainable entities."

Mashudu Tshavhungwe, Synergis MD, the first company to join the pre-incubator, says the office space and the access to technical support at Wits has been important for Synergis in the development of its leak protection software, which is being designed to prevent information theft by placing controls on a network governing the way information is handled. "Synergis is almost ready with its first beta test version and hopes to launch at a test site in the near future," he says.

Two other companies have since also joined the pre-incubator. According to Elias Mahlalela, Brainwave Projects MD, who is developing an accounting package for life insurance and funeral groups, the pre-incubator environment is helping them with the development of a billing service for policy payments via SMS using airtime, which makes it unnecessary to travel to the nearest town to make the payment.

And MovingHome's CEO, Peter van der Zee, agrees saying that the support they are getting from the pre-incubator programme has supported the development of their service offering of updating information for people who move home with service suppliers of their choice.

By assisting these small companies, van Olst says the JCSE aims to further its goals of improving the standards of software development in South Africa and promoting economic growth and employment opportunities in Gauteng.

"We are very supportive of Synergis, Brainwave Projects and MovingHome, and hope that Mashudu, Elias and Peter will shortly be approaching Maxum to join the incubation programme. We forsee that with time there will be a stream of start-up companies who have enjoyed the benefits of the pre-incubation programme at the JCSE and who wish to join Maxum at The Innovation Hub to take their start-up business to the next level", says Sawers.

Contact Martin Manmohan, Maxum Operations Manager or Prof Rex von Olst, Director of the JCSE for further information.

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