Capetonians Pieter du Plessis and Viljoen de Kock, from Gudgu, manufacturers of sugar-free cordials have won big in South African’s biggest online pitching competition, winning R1 million in prizes – a sweet boost for their business.
The Gudgu owners will receive R650 000 in cash paid out over two years as they achieve the business milestones laid out in their pitch, and a bursary of R350 000 for a full two-year Raizcorp incubation programme as part of this year’s Engen Pitch & Polish Competition.
“This has changed our lives forever. We are so grateful to Engen, Nedbank, and Raizcorp for the cash prizes and incubation opportunity. We are hungry for knowledge and guidance on how to make Gudgu a successful and fail-proof business,” says Pieter.
This year, South Africa’s entrepreneurial pitching competition and workshop programme came back with an all-new digital format and a staggering first prize worth R1 million in a post-covid approach.
The Engen Pitch & Polish programme is a blend of competition, mentoring and learning. While contestants compete for the ultimate prize, the programme’s main aim is to impart entrepreneurial skills and knowledge – both to the contestants and to viewers as they learned alongside the 16 starting contestants.
A long time was spent in deliberation as the judges painstakingly went over the finalists’ financial and other documents. Ultimately, though, it was Capetonians Pieter du Plessis and Viljoen de Kock who pitched their way to win.
