Grindstone 4

The Grindstone Accelerator is a structured entrepreneurship development programme that assists high-growth innovation-driven companies to become sustainable and fundable. Grindstone supplies 10 companies annually with knowledge, networks and funding readiness through growth measurement, gap analysis and deep interventions designed to build a foundation for growth, transfer skills, create relevant business networks and enable these companies to take advantage of market access opportunities.

Business support resources and services will include elements of training, corporate advisory, coaching, mentorship and funding. Specific interventions for each company include doing a YueDiligence assessment, building a partner universe, developing pitch decks and teaser documents, financial modelling, intellectual property assessment, strategic and financial valuation as well as populating a data room.

In addition to Knife Capital’s Funding Readiness Course: Find-Make-Grow-Realise, there will be 6 x 1-day workshops over the year…

1. Culture & Strategy

2. Sales & Marketing

3. Market Positioning & Messaging

4. IP, Product & Technical

5. Finance, Valuation and Exit

6. Legal compliance & HR

Through Grindstone, Knife Capital forms long-term partnerships with scale-up entrepreneurs for a shared upside. The business model is a combination of a capital growth incentive from investing in some participating companies cultivated through the programme (on arms-length funding terms), and market-related transaction fees if a third-party investment is secured. Programme partners contribute in services, time and sponsorship. Partners include ENSafrica, FNB Business, M&C Saatchi Abel, Billybo Group, Think room, MPULL Marketing and Creative CFO.