WITS Enterprise launches unit to focus on entrepreneurial development
WITS Enterprise has welcomed a new unit to its fold, The Entrepreneurial Wayz (TEWZ). The forth pillar of WITS Enterprise, TEWZ specialises in entrepreneurial development, aligning business ecosystems, developing strategic partnerships, building entrepreneurial cultures and providing business support to contribute towards building an entrepreneurial economy.
Though new to WITS Enterprise, the TEWZ team has extensive experience and expertise in entrepreneurial skills development and support as the former Centre of Entrepreneurship that was based Wits Business School for 5 years.
Building on this, TEWZ strategic focus is prac-ademic, with an emphasis on entrepreneurial development for wide and positive socio-economic impact.
TEWZ is a response to the country’s socio-economic challenges and the need to prepare young people for the 21st century global economy.
By prioritizing entrepreneurial development, we contribute to building a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, empowering young people, and aspiring entrepreneurs to think beyond formal employment and start relevant, strong, sustainable businesses.
“Through inculcating an entrepreneurial mindset, we help to facilitate the transformation of our economy from extractive to generative. Not everyone will choose to be an entrepreneur, however anyone can learn how to be entrepreneurial; to improve, iterate, innovate and adopt a mindset of value adding and problem solving,” says Chimene Chetty, Director: TEWZ.
TEWZ provides insights, skills, tools and mentoring at every stage of the entrepreneurial journey, with customised support delivered through a three tiered approach: Generator, for aspiring entrepreneurs and with a focus on entrepreneurial orientation; Incubator, for businesses getting established, and Accelerator, for businesses that are ready to scale up.
TEWZ offers short courses, master classes, research, outreach projects, business incubators, design projects, business development support, advocacy and assistance with formalising strategic partnerships. The unit works with students, entrepreneurs, NGOs, other public and private organizations and individuals looking to stay ahead of the curve.
The Entrepreneurial Wayz (TEWZ) was officially launched at Wits Enterprise on 31 July 2018. Guests were welcomed by Duncan Raftesath, CEO of WITS Commercial Enterprise. Amongst the speakers at the event was Chimene Chetty, Director of TEWZ; Professor Tawana Kupe, Acting VC Wits University and Professor Ahmed Bawa, Universities SA CEO.
“We want to introduce programmes that address entrepreneurship at university level to equip our students with entrepreneurial skills. Wits has various initiatives in place toward becoming an Entrepreneurial University where an entrepreneurial culture ensures that research ideas can be converted into solutions and graduates leave with experiences that allow them to contribute to the country’s development” said Tawana Kupe Acting Vice Chancellor Wits University, who launched the unit. He endorsed the importance of the work of TEWZ in facilitating entrepreneurial development across the University with both staff and students and with entrepreneurs.
Universities SA CEO; Ahmed Bawa, , who made the keynote address talked of the focus of Entrepreneurial Development in Higher Education (EDHE) project at universities, which is lifting the value and importance of entrepreneurship education and building the capacity of Universities to support this. He added that entrepreneurship should not only be for profit, that we need to foster the spririt of social entrepreneurship amongst our youth.
