SME South Africa Podcast

This episode dives into growth readiness and accessing funding. We take a closer look at the vital role that funding intermediaries play in closing the funding gap, as they help businesses become funding-ready and improve their chances for approval. Furthermore, Sprenger unpacks common challenges such as cash flow that she has noted cause entrepreneurs to turn to debt, but what can also help them...

In this episode, we will talk to Mapule Pathela about why being a high-growth business is no longer optional but a survival strategy. She unpacks what entrepreneurs miss when they fail to see that growth-mindedness leads to long-term survival and resilience, as well as the importance of post-investment support. About our Guest Heading the post-investment function at IDF Capital, Phathela has an MB...

In this episode of the SME South Africa Podcast, Omega speaks to Ruan Fourie, CEO of AAA Consortium, about purchase order funding and what makes an SME fundable after winning a tender. Ruan unpacks why winning a purchase order is only the beginning, how funders assess whether an order is real and deliverable, and why supplier readiness, tax compliance, margins and delivery timelines matter. The co...

This episode of the SME South Africa Podcast dives into mezzanine debt, flexible finance, and what makes established growth-stage businesses fundable. The conversation unpacks why many medium-sized businesses fall into the missing middle: too mature for early-stage funding but not always aligned to traditional bank lending. Mokgome explains how Kholo Capital supports businesses with growth and acq...

This episode is built around one big idea: that the way South Africa funds its SMEs is broken — and fixable. We want our audience to walk away understanding what that fix looks like, why it has taken this long, and what Sourcefin has built to close the gap. About the Guest Jedd Harris is the Chief Strategy Officer for Sourcefin . With Sourcefin having deployed close to R2 billion in funding, Jedd...

This episode focuses on the critical need for entrepreneurial education to bridge South Africa’s R350 billion SME funding gap. Guest Jameel Khan explains the "missing middle"—businesses earning R1 million to R50 million that struggle to scale due to strict requirements and poor financial record-keeping. The discussion covers funding readiness, strategic matching and overcoming the fear o...

Lerato Sebata has spent her career sitting at a table most people don't even know exists — the one where procurement policy, business strategy and real-world implementation actually collide. As founder and CEO of ROI Group, she's seen firsthand what happens when inclusive procurement works and, more often, what happens when it doesn't. In this episode of the SME South Africa Podcast, L...