The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) is partnering with South Africa’s Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) to help 10 technology-focused small and medium-sized businesses prepare for investors and gain access to new markets and sources of funding.
The 16-week pilot programme, launched on September 30, will focus on companies working in health, agriculture and fintech. Participants will receive support on investment readiness, pitch development and market access, alongside opportunities to connect with investors and industry players through JSE networks.
The programme is part of the JSE’s effort to get involved earlier in the growth journey of promising businesses, rather than only engaging companies once they are ready to raise larger amounts of capital or pursue a stock-market listing.
The 10 participating companies were selected based on their existing products or services, level of operational maturity and commercial potential, according to the JSE and TIA.
During the programme, the businesses will work on their investment pitches and funding materials while gaining exposure to potential commercial partners and investors. They will also take part in a market access day and sector-specific sessions.
By the end of the programme, the JSE and TIA expect participants to have investor-ready pitch materials, new market connections and a pipeline of potential funding opportunities.
Some of the businesses may also become eligible for AltX screening, which assesses companies for potential listing on the JSE’s alternative market for smaller and growing businesses. However, completing the programme does not guarantee funding or a stock-market listing.
For TIA, the partnership is aimed at tackling a long-standing challenge in South Africa’s innovation ecosystem: helping locally developed technologies move beyond development and into the market.
“One of the key challenges in the innovation value chain is ensuring that new technologies and innovations are commercialised and access the markets,” said Patrick Krappie, executive for innovation enabling at TIA.
Krappie said the partnership with JSE Rise, the exchange’s SME investment-readiness programme, supports TIA’s role in connecting locally developed innovations with markets, customers and capital.
The JSE said the initiative expands its SME Rise programme into technology sectors that it considers important to economic growth.
Small and medium-sized businesses account for 91% of formal businesses in South Africa, provide 60% of jobs and contribute up to 34% of GDP, according to Deputy Finance Minister Ashor Sarupen.
“We are pleased to expand our suite of SME Rise development solutions to support sectors that are critical to driving economic growth,” said Vuyo Lee, the JSE’s chief marketing and corporate affairs officer.
Lee said the programme is intended to give South African technology companies the skills, networks and opportunities needed to compete in regional and global markets.
It also gives the JSE a chance to engage with high-growth businesses earlier in their development.
Traditionally, companies reach capital markets after developing their products, building a customer base, generating revenue and putting the governance and financial systems expected by investors in place.
The JSE is now testing whether helping businesses prepare for those requirements earlier could improve their chances of eventually accessing larger pools of capital.
Recent examples show that technology companies can reach South Africa’s public markets. Fintech company Optasia listed on the JSE Main Board in November 2025 at an implied market capitalisation of R23.5 billion ($1.4 billion), while technology group 4Sight moved from AltX to the JSE Main Board in January 2025.
For the JSE and TIA, the new programme is an attempt to bring more innovative businesses closer to that stage by helping them build the commercial, investment and market foundations they need as they grow.