Gateway for Business is a business growth summit and year-round membership programme for South African entrepreneurs and businesses, organised by Executive Conference Events (ECE) in Johannesburg. It runs in four tracks, Discover, Build, Grow and Scale, and connects businesses with buyers, funders, mentors and experts.

The first edition takes place in Gauteng, South Africa, in the third quarter of 2027. The exact dates and venue will be announced soon. Register your interest to be told first.

Two days. Day 1 is for learning in four tracks, with workshops and business clinics. Day 2 is the Business Access Programme, with pre-arranged meetings with buyers, funders and mentors.

The 2027 summit is planned for 500 to 600 participants, plus partners, buyers, funders, speakers and exhibitors. The programme aims to grow towards 1,000 participants by 2029.

The 2027 theme is Opportunity: where is my next opportunity, and how do I take it? Each track asks its own version of that question.

Gateway for Business is owned and organised by Executive Conference Events (ECE), a Johannesburg-based events company founded in 2022 and led by Founder and Managing Director Didi Liebenberg. ECE runs conferences, exhibitions, B2B matchmaking and hosted buyer programmes across more than 30 African countries.

No. Gateway for Business is planned as a 20-year programme, from 2027 to 2046, with a summit every year, a year-round membership and a growing Business Knowledge Library.

Anyone from someone exploring a business idea to the owner of a growth-stage company: young people, job-seekers and side-hustlers (Discover); new and early-stage businesses (Build); established small businesses and SMEs (Grow); and proven businesses ready for larger markets or investment (Scale).

Discover if you are exploring an idea or a skill; Build if your business is new or less than two years old; Grow if you have steady customers and some staff; Scale if your model is proven and you are ready for corporate contracts, investment or new markets. The Growth Assessment at registration confirms your track. See the four tracks.

Ticket prices will be published when registration opens in 2027. There are tickets for each track, and sponsored places funded by partners for entrepreneurs who could not otherwise attend.

Yes. Partners fund sponsored places, including travel support where needed, for entrepreneurs selected through partner cohorts and community outreach in townships, campuses and rural areas. Tick the sponsored-places box when you register your interest.

No. The Discover track is for people who have not started a business yet, and the Build track helps you register and set up properly.

A one-page plan every participant completes at the end of Day 1. It sets out three priorities from your Growth Assessment, the actions for each, the people and resources that can help, and a date for your 90-day check-in. We follow up at 90 days, six months and twelve months.

A short online questionnaire you complete when you register. It places you in a track, scores your business across eight areas (strategy, finance, marketing, sales, systems, people, digital and procurement readiness) and personalises your summit programme.

Pre-arranged 20-minute meetings between qualifying businesses and buyers from corporates, government entities, large suppliers, retailers, hospitality groups, mining companies, banks and manufacturers. Meetings are matched in advance using participants’ Growth Assessments and buyers’ requirements.

Meet the Buyer is open to businesses in the Grow and Scale tracks that complete the Growth Assessment. Having your CIPC registration, a SARS tax compliance status PIN, a B-BBEE certificate or affidavit and, for government buyers, Central Supplier Database registration ready will make your meetings far more useful.

Gateway for Business does not lend or invest itself. It connects you with banks, development finance institutions, alternative lenders and investors in the Funding and Finance Zone, and helps you prepare to apply.

Yes. The Mentorship Lounge on Day 2 matches participants with mentors, and sponsored cohorts work with corporate mentors for six to twelve months.

A starter kit for new businesses: a Rizzen tablet with a protective cover, mobile internet from Rain, business apps already set up, free sign-up on invoicing and customer-management (CRM) platforms, a Yoco online account to accept card payments, guidance on getting a business phone number that works over the internet, a printed guide to setting up business email and a website, and 12 months’ free Gateway for Business membership. See Business in a Box.

Yes. Individuals and companies can sponsor one box or many, and either nominate the entrepreneurs they want to support or let us match boxes through our outreach. Sponsors receive a short report on recipients at 90 days.

Apply on the Business in a Box page and tell us about your business. Sponsored boxes are allocated as sponsors fund them, with priority for Discover and Build participants who couldn’t otherwise afford the kit.

The price is being finalised with our technology partners. Register on the Business in a Box page to hear first.

As a Founding Partner leading one area of the programme on a three-year term (2027 to 2029), or through purpose-led packages such as sponsoring a cohort of start-ups, opening procurement through Meet the Buyer, or leading the Technology Zone. Request the partner prospectus.

It can, depending on how the contribution is structured and verified. Partners should confirm treatment with their verification agency. ECE structures cohorts and reporting to support enterprise and supplier development, socio-economic development and skills development reporting.

Apply on the exhibit page. We’ll send the brochure and floor plan once the venue is confirmed, then you choose your stand and confirm your booking.

Register on the buyers and funders page. We match you with assessed small businesses that fit what you source or finance and send you a meeting schedule before the summit. Buyers and funders attend as hosted guests.

Apply on the media centre page. The team confirms accreditation by email before the summit.

We welcome practitioners who run, buy from, fund or advise businesses. Apply on the speaker page.

Your details are used to run Gateway for Business and, with your permission, to match you with partners. Published reports use aggregated data only. We process personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Read the privacy notice.