Open call: BASA Business Accelerator seeks established creative businesses

The programme targets businesses that have moved beyond the start-up and incubation stages, have paying customers and demonstrated revenue, but require further support to access investment, procurement opportunities and new markets.

Rather than focusing on business ideas, minimum viable products or foundational entrepreneurship training, the accelerator is designed around commercial growth, targeted interventions and market access.

Approximately 50 established creative businesses are expected to participate in the inaugural cohorts. Applicants will be assessed on factors including:

• Commercial traction and financial performance
• Market opportunities and sales capability
• Management and delivery capacity
• Operational scalability
• Governance and regulatory compliance
• Investment and procurement readiness

Selected businesses will receive targeted coaching through specialist Scale Labs covering areas such as financial modelling, capital strategy, governance, investor documentation, supplier readiness, pricing, profit-margin optimisation, delivery capacity and corporate sales.

“The BASA Business Accelerator represents a new kind of intervention for BASA and responds to an important gap in the growth journey of creative businesses. There are businesses that have already proven that their models work, but are not yet positioned to access the opportunities available to them at scale,” said Beth Arendse, CEO of BASA.

“The role of the Accelerator is to identify what is holding those businesses back, mobilise the right expertise and networks, and create pathways to capital, markets and strategic partnerships,” she added.

The programme will offer two pathways:

• Investment Readiness: for businesses seeking growth capital.
• Procurement Readiness: for businesses seeking corporate customers and contracts.

BASA said the programme is intended to strengthen the pipeline of commercially sustainable creative businesses and support their potential contribution to economic growth and job creation.

Key dates

• Applications open: 1 September 2026
• Application deadline: 20 September 2026 at 23:59
• Target: Approximately 50 established creative businesses
• Programme duration: Four months

Applicants can submit their applications through the BASA Business Accelerator application portal.

For application queries, applicants can contact Sibusisiwe Tshabalala, Programmes Coordinator, at [email protected].