From Cape Town to the world’s biggest tech stages: Cape Venture Bridge Cohort 1 is open

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Western Cape tech founders are building companies that can compete well beyond South Africa's borders. The Cape Venture Bridge is designed to help them prove it.

Applications are now open for Cohort 1 of the Cape Venture Bridge, an AfricArise programme supported by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT), Western Cape Government. Twenty startups will be selected. The top five will be fully funded to attend GITEX Africa in Morocco from 26 to 28 April 2027, with investor meetings arranged before they land.

Applications close on Sunday 15 November 2026 at 23:59 SAST.

What is the Cape Venture Bridge?

It's a six-month programme that prepares Western Cape tech startups for international venture capital and market expansion. It is part of the AfricArena network, which has spent ten years connecting African startups with global investors

What do selected startups get?

Each of the 20 startups in Cohort 1 receives:

Masterclasses on cross-border finance and regulation, and investor pitching
At least 12 hours of one-on-one mentorship
R125,000 in tech credits through programme partners
A place at the public pitch event in Cape Town

The top five go further, with a fully funded place in the GITEX Africa delegation and pre-arranged investor and partner meetings.

"Cape Town founders are building companies ready to compete well beyond our borders," says Dan Mabbyalas, Director of Programmes at AfricArise. "We want to see strong applications from across the province, especially from women and young founders."

Who should apply?

The programme is competitive and merit-based. Your startup should be:

Registered and operating in the Western Cape
Technology or innovation-driven (SaaS, climate-tech, agritech, fintech, e-commerce or health-tech)
Planning to enter international markets within 12 months
Led by at least two co-founders or full-time team members who can attend programme activities
Applications from women-owned and youth-owned businesses, and from founders across the whole province, not just Cape Town, are especially encouraged.

Key dates
- By 15 November: applications close
- By 19 November: Cohort 1 confirmed
- By 23 November: kick-off, with masterclasses and mentorship starting
- 18 February 2027: public pitch event in Cape Town, where the top five are selected
26 to 28 April 2027: GITEX Africa, Morocco