Khoebo Innovation Promotion Programme

Khoebo Innovation Promotion Programme (KIPP) is a programme of the Department of Trade and Industry (the dtic) managed by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the objective of KIPP is to enable early-stage innovative SME’s to penetrate the market with their locally developed innovations resulting in a more competitive economic environment and thereby facilitating economic growth in the South African Economy. 

Eligibility Criteria

SME growth scheme;

• Viability and Sustainability - The product, process and/or technology must be economically viable and financially
  sustainable.
• Innovation - The project should be a novel or incremental innovation. The product or process should
  require little or no further development (grassroots innovators may be an exception).
• IP Rights - If applicable, the intellectual property must be owned by the South African entity.
• Small Company - The Programme will only invest in small to medium entities.
• Management - The business should either have an experienced management team with business and commercial acumen or demonstrate potential to develop such a team (grassroots innovators may be an exception). The innovator(s) should be operationally involved in the business.
• Competitiveness - The investee company should demonstrate or possess the ability to develop significant competitive advantage.
• Business Model - The business should have a scalable, sound business model that shows a clear path to revenues and profitability in the medium to long term.
• Development Returns - The successful commercialisation of the business should lead to the realisation of significant developmental returns (job creation, technology development, export potential, etc.), and lead to the Programme’s portfolio targets being met.
• Jurisdiction - The company must be a South African registered company.
• Compliance - Investees should comply with South African legislation with regards to environmental
  provisions and should be socially responsible.
• Business Support - It is recognised that the grassroots innovator may require a substantial level of
  business support, which will need to be agreed to.

Grassroots Innovator Facilitation Scheme; 

• Viability and Sustainability - The product, process and/or technology must be economically viable and financially sustainable.
• Innovation - The project should be a novel or incremental innovation AND seek to address a local/social challenge. The product or process should require little or no further development (grassroots innovators may be an exception).
• IP Rights - If applicable, the intellectual property must be owned by the South African entity or prepare to lodge a provisional IP registration.
• Small Company - The Programme will only invest in small companies and micro companies, as per the definition above.
• Management  - The business should either have an experienced management team with business and commercial acumen or demonstrate potential to develop such a team (grassroots innovators may be an exception). The innovator(s) should be operationally involved in the business.
• Market - The project or product should have a defined target market and potential for substantial future earnings and market share. The market share should be large enough to yield a significant return on the investment.
• Competitiveness - The investee company should demonstrate or possess the ability to develop significant competitive advantage.
• Business Development  -  The business should have a scalable, sound business model that shows a clear path to revenues and profitability in the medium to long term.
• Developmental Returns - The successful commercialisation of the business should lead to the realisation of significant developmental returns (job creation, technology development, export potential, etc), and lead to the Programme’s portfolio targets being met.
• Jurisdiction - The company must be a South African registered company.
• Compliance: Investees should comply with South African legislation with regards to environmental provisions and should be socially responsible.
• Minimum Information Requirement - It is recognised that the grassroots innovator may not have a comprehensive business plan, and, in that case, a minimum information requirement approach will be adopted using a predetermined checklist.
• Business Support - It is recognised that the grassroots innovator may require a substantial level of business support, which will need to be agreed to.
• Social Mission - Have a clear social good or environmental mission with identified outcomes. Geographic Location, in particular addressing unequal/skewed development particularly rural and poor province or lagging areas.
• Transparency - Commitment to transparency
• Replicability - Commitment to share and replicate more into township and rural areas where possible.
• Leveraging - Leveraging of resources and assets. Co-operation and the building of strategic partnerships. 
• Trading -  The company should be trading or have a potential to trade post IDC intervention.