Pretoria, South Africa – The Global Entrepreneurship Network announced the opening of a new Startup Huddle chapter in Pretoria, South Africa, to support the growth of the local startup community while crowdsourcing advice and support for its entrepreneurs. Startup Huddle Pretoria joins a global network of more than 60 Startup Huddle chapters world wide and will host its first event on 28 August 2025.
In addition to providing direct support to entrepreneurs, the Startup Huddle program addresses a critical element of success for all entrepreneur ecosystems – connectivity. According to GEN research, startup communities with higher levels of local connectedness translate to an increased number of startups – and that founders with high levels of connectivity grow their revenue twice as fast as those with lower levels.
“This initiative comes at a critical moment as Pretoria’s entrepreneurs, especially youth and township-based founders, face both great potential and significant challenges in accessing networks, funding, and mentorship”, said Dr. Patrick Ebewo.
At each Startup Huddle event, local founders give six-minute presentations outlining challenges facing their companies. Each presentation is followed by a 20-minute conversation with an audience of peers, mentors, educators and advisers who provide constructive criticism focused on finding solutions and increasing founder know-how. With new founders cycling through each gathering, and previous presenters joining the audience to give back, the community continues to expand while connections deepen.
“With Startup Huddle Pretoria, we aim to build a thriving and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem that connects early-stage entrepreneurs with mentors, investors, corporates, academia, and policymakers. This platform is designed to foster growth through constructive feedback, interactive pitching, and consistent ecosystem engagement; ultimately empowering entrepreneurs to strengthen their business models, increase visibility, and access new opportunities for funding and support.
By bringing Startup Huddle to Tshwane, we envision a ripple effect of impact: accelerating SMME growth, encouraging strategic partnerships, and attracting both local and international investment. This initiative will position Pretoria as a leading hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa. Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (especially SDGs 4, 8, 9, 10, and 17), Startup Huddle Pretoria serves as a catalyst for collaboration, enterprise development, and long-term economic inclusion,” Ebewo said.
Startup Huddle Pretoria is supported by TUT Centre for Entrepreneurship Development. To learn more about Startup Huddle Pretoria or to join a local event, visit www.startuphuddle.co.
About Startup Huddle
Run by the Global Entrepreneurship Network in partnership with local organizers, Startup Huddle is a program designed to help one entrepreneur at a time while strengthening the local ecosystem. Entrepreneurs discover challenges to the solutions they face through purposeful engagement with a broad array of voices from their local community. Currently, there are local Startup Huddle chapters in more than 50 cities around the world. For more information, visit www.startuphuddle.co.
About the Global Entrepreneurship Network
The Global Entrepreneurship Network operates projects and programs in 200 countries to make it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business. By fostering deeper cross border collaboration and initiatives between entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policymakers and entrepreneurial support organizations, GEN works to fuel healthier start and scale ecosystems that create more jobs, educate individuals, accelerate innovation and strengthen economic growth. For more information, visit www.genglobal.org.