UBA (Utho Business Accelerator)

UTHO BUSINESS ACCELERATOR (UBA), is an international business accelerator, assisting South African Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) through the difficult start-up and growth by providing entrepreneurs with an array of targeted resources and services.

We have realized that in Africa, the major employer and revenue generator is the SME sector, yet this sector tends to lack institutional support. It is for this reason that UBA was set up, to support this sector in various ways.

UBA’s main goal is to identify business ideas that can produce successful companies that will leave the incubated program financially viable.

UBA is more than a consultancy – we consider ourselves a strong, extended arm of our clients’ business.

We are partners in the growth of SME businesses.

Incubation Stage Services Provided by Utho

Start-up services

• Feasibility Studies, due diligences and valuations
• Company licensing and registration, including obtaining all investment approvals
• Secretarial services
• Business Plans
• Accounting services
• Financial Advisory services
• Financial and cash management

Operational Services

• Corporate governance architecture
• Advisory services on management setup, control, and monitoring; business processes and controls, ICT and other efficiency platforms

Marketing Services

• Market identification
• Market analysis
• Advisory services on marketing plans
• Designing the right sales channel structures
• Event planning and hosting

Training Services

• Structure mentorship programmes
• Business seminars
• Consultancy training programmes

Our Clients

Our clients include:

• Start-up SMEs
• Retrenchees starting businesses
• Existing SMEs needing capacity capacity enhancement
• Financial Institutions that have a non performing SME book – we provide turnaround strategies to SMEs
• Large corporate with SME portfolios
• Government- we create specific sectorial incubators
• NGOs

Territory

UBA is undertaking incubator activities in South Africa.

Our Partners

Utho Capital (Pty) Ltd; is a corporate and project finance advisory and consulting firm, wholly owned and managed by a team of professionals with over 70 years combined hands on experience. (www.utho.co.za).

Utho Capital SMME Fund (Pty) Ltd, is a private equity fund focused on providing debt and equity to SMMEs in infrastructure

Sviluppo Basilicata:This is an Italian Business Incubator, providing technical support to UBA, and its clients to internationalize them and SMEs penetrate international markets and partnerships (www.svillupobasilicata.it).

Kukura Business Accelerator (KBA), is a Zimbabwean based accelerator, being the only European Business Network (EBN), Sub Saharan Africa approved business incubator. EBN assists KBA with world class best practices of a business incubator. KBA has been operating in Zimbabwe, and other territories for over 5 years). KBA is in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe through its Ministry of Small to Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development. KBA’s role is to assist with the development and incubation of SMEs in Zimbabwe. This feeds into UBA’s operations. (www.kbabusiness.com)

EBN: EBN is a network of around 150 quality-certified EU|BICs (business and innovation centres) and 100 other organisations that support the development and growth of innovative entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs. EBN is also a community of professionals whose day-to-day work helps these businesses to grow in the most effective, efficient and sustainable way.

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Corporation: KBA and SMEDCO undertake joint resources mobilisation and capacity building and business links as well as developing external markets for Zimbabwean SMEs. This also feeds into UBA and vice versa.