CALLING ALL DESIGN ENTREPRENEURS

CALLING ALL DESIGN ENTREPRENEURS

The Ventures Foundation by Sanlam Private Wealth is inviting entries from South Africa’s brightest emerging creative entrepreneurs ready to grow their businesses through mentorship, expert guidance and international exposure.

The programme is open to designers with an established studio and a clear creative direction. To enter, applicants are asked to design a luxury textile piece, prototyped as a rug, offering a contemporary interpretation of African luxury. Entries are assessed on both craftsmanship and entrepreneurial readiness, with a focus on designers building towards sustainable, scalable practices.

Twelve creative entrepreneurs will be shortlisted for a series of focused workshops and masterclasses addressing key aspects of creative entrepreneurship, including brand positioning, production, pricing and market access. From this group, five finalists will be selected for an intensive mentorship experience with Sanlam Private Wealth, a panel of leading industry experts and the Craft and Design Institute (CDI).

GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY

One finalist will travel to Maison&Objet in Paris with a mentor to experience one of the world’s leading design fairs. The visit offers first-hand exposure to global markets, industry conversations and international networks, providing valuable perspective for designers positioning their work beyond South Africa.

MEET OUR PANEL

Tracy Lee Lynch – visionary creative director at Clout/SA where she champions South African designers and makers through bold interior projects, curated collections and design showcases.

Laurie Wiid Van Heerden – founder and lead designer of Wiid Design, a renowned studio defined by craftsmanship, material innovation and sustainability that creates enduring designs for projects worldwide.

Mpho Vackier – founder and creative force behind TheUrbanative™, a studio known for pushing the boundaries of contemporary furniture design in South Africa.

Zizipho Poswa – Cape Town-based ceramic sculptor whose monumental hand-coiled forms celebrate African womanhood. Her pieces are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, LACMA, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art among others.

Charl Edwards – co-founder and creative director of Lookbook Studio and editor of House and Leisure. He brings together visual storytelling and narrative direction to help shape and curate distinctive local identities and stories.

Claude Morris – business strategist and coach dedicated to helping entrepreneurs grow, sustain and evolve their businesses with clarity and confidence.

Lentsoane Lekalakala – head of Sanlam Private Wealth’s Johannesburg region. As a seasoned investment professional, Lentsoane brings a pragmatic, long-term lens to evaluating opportunities.

Entries close on 15 March 2026. Full details and submission guidelines are available at sanlamprivatewealth.com.