Township startup Cloudy Deliveries takes top prize at Kasi SME Challenge

From left to right: Standard Bank representatives and the first prize winner, founder of Cloudy Deliveries, Colin Mkosi | image supplied

The challenge, now in its third year and expanded nationally for the first time, drew more than 850 applications from township entrepreneurs across all nine provinces. It has quickly become one of South Africa’s leading platforms for showcasing and funding township-based businesses.

Top five winners

• Cloudy Deliveries (Western Cape) – first place, R200,000: A township delivery service using bicycles to connect restaurants, supermarkets and local businesses with customers, while also distributing promotional materials for community enterprises.
• Ukuhamba (Gauteng) – second place, R100,000: A Black youth- and women-owned healthcare tech company producing affordable prosthetics, braces and orthotics.
• Keiskamma Hygiene Services and Projects (Eastern Cape) – third place, R80,000: Provides pest control, gardening, deep cleaning and mobile car wash services.
• Ariel Robotics (KwaZulu-Natal) – fourth place, R70,000: Develops autonomous drones for inventory management and logistics.
• Sky Drop (KwaZulu-Natal) – fifth place, R50,000: Produces potable water through atmospheric water generators.

Building township enterprise capacity

In preparation for the finals, contestants took part in a national pitch masterclass programme covering storytelling, financial fundamentals, go-to-market strategy and investor engagement. The initiative is designed to strengthen investment readiness and expand market access for township businesses.

Naledzani Mosomane, head of enterprise and supplier development at Standard Bank Business & Commercial Banking, said the finalists demonstrate the resilience and creativity required to drive inclusive economic growth.

“Through initiatives like this, we are helping township businesses to future-proof themselves, building the resilience needed to thrive,” Mosomane said.

KwaZulu-Natal as host

Standard Bank hosted the national finals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa’s second-largest regional economy, which contributes about 16% to national GDP. The bank said the choice reflected its strategy to position township entrepreneurs at the centre of the province’s growth story.

Support for finalists

The 18 finalists, drawn from two representatives per province, also received:

• Free SimplyBLU payment machines to support digitisation and scaling.
• Complimentary tickets to the South African Future Trust (SAFT) Summit in November, where they will have access to a pitch platform for potential investors.

The challenge was delivered in partnership with Saft and anchored in Standard Bank’s Enterprise & Supplier Development (ESD) programme, which provides financial and non-financial support to black-owned SMEs with turnover under R50m and high growth potential.