‘Rize’ up and get a business going

The third season of Rize Mzansi is upon us and you can bet your last coin that it is going to be the best season yet. The show looks at ways to boost businesses of young entreprenuers who have incredible ideas. It is something along the lines of Dragon’s Den but it is tailor-made for the South African viewer. Here you get dreamy-eyed young people who pitch their business ideas to local investors and if both parties agree, a deal is struck and a business is started.

We caught up with the host, Aaron Moloisi.

“After the successes of the previous seasons, we got a lot of entries for the show this year and it was very encouraging,” said Moloisi. This, he said, shows that there are loads of young South Africans who are looking for opportunities to establish their businesses or business ideas.

“What I loved the most was that there were no common ideas coming to the table. We got pitches that really showed that we have creative people in the country. They ranged from advanced cellular technology to farming. I am glad I wasn’t in the selection process.”

From the hundreds of entries that came to SABC1, only 52 were selected for the 13-part show. Given the growth of the show, the number of investors this time around has increased, leading to the show changing its format.

“The good news is that while previously we had one winner on the show, now there can be more than one. In each episode we see different people pitch their ideas and if any of them manage to impress the investors, they will get their deal on the spot. So we are not waiting for a build-up to the big finalé, but each episode has a possible winner,” he explained.

The panel of investors who will be on the show include Nazeem Martin and Gerrie van Biljon who are the managing director and executive director of Business Partners Limited respectively; the dynamic duo Ran Neu-Ner and Gil Oved, the founders and chief executives of South Africa’s biggest activations agency, The Creative Council; and Khutso Mampeule, founder and chairman of Lefa Holdings.

The success stories of these investors, most of whom are under 40, even made Moloisi dream about a business idea or two.

“You must understand that it is not easy to meet these people on a given day. They are millionaires and their time really costs them money. But they are very cool in the way they carry themselves. We are always together on the show and I am busy thinking to myself what area of business would I like to pursue, and they advise me free of charge.

“It is not like I plan to walk away with a few million, but I realise that I am in the presence of incredible minds and I want to learn from them as much as I can,” said Moloisi.

The same learning is also channelled to the viewer on Rize Mzansi. Given that not all of us can be contestants on the show, there is a lot that can be learnt from simply watching the programme.

- Rize Mzansi airs from tomorrow at 9pm on SABC1.