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BDC names second Business Den recipient

BDC Managing Director Cross Kgosidiile
BDC Managing Director Cross Kgosidiile

Government’s investment arm, the Botswana Development Corporation (BDC), has named the second winner of its Business Den.

The winner is local technology entrepreneur, Onalethata Tautona, who walked away with P500, 000. Through his company, UniPay, the recipient seeks to introduce cashless payments in public transport. Tautona’s winning project will be housed under the Business Den for 18 months, nurtured through continuous monitoring, evaluation and mentorship. This period of growth and maturation will pave the way for its ultimate graduation from the programme.

Business Den is a programme geared towards ambitious, innovative and driven young entrepreneurs, offering them a unique opportunity to secure grant-based funding of P500,000 coupled with invaluable mentorship. BDC introduced the programme with the primary objective of fostering entrepreneurial talent amongst the youth. To achieve this, the competition is open to youth aged 18 to 35 with robust and innovative business ideas for new or existing ideas for expansion. Proposals are welcome across sectors, including but not limited to technology, energy, manufacturing, services, tourism and industry. This initiative mirrors the objectives of the Corporation and Botswana’s economic transformation priorities.

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