BASA Business Accelerator targets the creative businesses ready to scale

For many creative entrepreneurs, getting a business off the ground is only the beginning. The bigger challenge often comes when a business has paying customers, generates revenue and has proven its model, but lacks the capital, networks, systems or market access needed to move to the next level.

Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), in partnership with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), is seeking to address this gap through the newly launched BASA Business Accelerator, a four-month programme aimed at helping established creative businesses scale.

Applications opened on 1 September 2026, with the programme targeting approximately 50 creative businesses in its inaugural cohorts.

Unlike programmes focused primarily on start-ups and early-stage entrepreneurs, the BASA Business Accelerator is aimed at businesses that have already demonstrated commercial traction.

This distinction could be particularly important within South Africa’s creative economy, where many entrepreneurs may have established products, services and customer bases but still struggle to access larger markets, investment and corporate procurement opportunities.

According to BASA, participating businesses will be assessed on areas including commercial traction, financial performance, market opportunities, management capability, operational scalability, governance, compliance, investment and procurement readiness, sales capability and delivery capacity. The assessment will then help determine the type of support each business requires.

The programme will provide targeted coaching through specialist Scale Labs, covering areas such as financial modelling, capital strategy, governance, investor documentation, supplier readiness, pricing and margin optimisation, delivery capacity and corporate sales.

For creative entrepreneurs, these areas can make the difference between operating primarily as a small business and building an organisation capable of taking on larger contracts and investment.

BASA CEO Beth Arendse says the programme is intended to identify the barriers preventing established creative businesses from accessing opportunities at scale and then connect those businesses with the expertise and networks required to overcome them.

“There are businesses that have already proven that their models work, but are not yet positioned to access the opportunities available to them at scale,” Arendse said.

The Accelerator will offer two main pathways. Investment Readiness will support businesses seeking growth capital, while Procurement Readiness will focus on businesses looking to secure corporate customers and contracts.

South Africa’s creative industries include businesses operating across music, film, publishing, design, fashion, visual arts, performing arts, cultural tourism and other creative fields.

For many of these businesses, sustainability is about more than producing good creative work. They also need sound financial systems, effective pricing, governance structures, sales strategies and the ability to deliver consistently at scale.

This is where interventions such as the BASA Business Accelerator could play an important role.

Rather than treating creative entrepreneurs solely as artists or emerging entrepreneurs, the programme recognises the commercial potential of established creative businesses and seeks to position them for investment, procurement and strategic partnerships.

That shift is significant because a stronger pipeline of commercially sustainable creative businesses can contribute to job creation, economic participation and the broader development of South Africa’s creative economy.

Creative businesses interested in participating have until 20 September 2026 at 23:59 to submit their applications.

Applications are available through the BASA Business Accelerator application process. For application queries, prospective applicants can contact Sibusisiwe Tshabalala, Programmes Coordinator, at sibusisiwe@basa.co.za.

For established creative businesses that have already moved beyond the start-up phase and are now asking, “How do we grow from here?”, the Accelerator presents an opportunity to consider the next stage of the journey — from proven creative enterprise to a business positioned for larger markets, investment and sustainable growth.

Imbizo Magazine will continue to highlight opportunities, programmes and developments that can help South Africa’s creative entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses and strengthen the country’s creative economy.