VentureLab

From learning to earning.

VentureLab gives aspiring entrepreneurs the practical skills, tools and support they need to start, build and grow a real business.

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A young trader at his stall hands a packet to a woman with a basket of vegetables.
From the START course: Themba at his stall.

What is VentureLab?

Business skills for the real world.

VentureLab is practical entrepreneurship education for people who want to create an income, start a business, improve the one they have, or build the skills to become more economically active.

Most businesses start small: a table, a few packets, one good corner. What makes the difference is knowing what to buy, how to price it, and how to keep the money. Those skills can be learned, by doing: you learn a skill in your language, on the phone in your pocket, then go and use it, the same week.

  • Practical
  • Mobile-first
  • Real-world
  • Accessible
  • Action-oriented

Who is VentureLab for?

You don’t need to have a business already.

  • I have an idea

    “I have an idea but don’t know where to start.”

  • I want to earn

    “I want to create an income stream or start something small.”

  • I already sell

    “I’m already making sales and want to become better at business.”

  • I want to grow

    “I have a business and want to take it to the next level.”

The VentureLab approach

Learn. Apply. Test. Earn. Grow.

Not a set of courses: the way every VentureLab lesson works.

  1. 01 Learn Understand practical business concepts.
  2. 02 Apply Put what you learn into practice.
  3. 03 Test Try ideas in the real world.
  4. 04 Earn Turn skills into real economic activity.
  5. 05 Grow Keep improving and building.

The courses

Three courses. One goal.

Wherever you are in your business journey, there is a VentureLab course designed to help you move forward.

START Open now

Start your business journey.

For people starting from scratch. START teaches the fundamentals of business through reselling: buying goods and selling them at a profit, in your own area, from the first week.

8 modules · Best for: Beginners

See the 8 modules
  1. Mindset, how reselling works, and market research in your area
  2. Sourcing products, pricing and profit
  3. Marketing and branding
  4. Sales: understanding people, building trust
  5. Market Day: selling for real
  6. Sales routines, customer service and money management
  7. Problem solving, and growing your range and profit
  8. Six smart resale strategies, and the final assessment
Apply for START
BUILD Coming soon

Turn an idea into a real business.

For people who want to find the right business idea, test it against the market and the numbers, and shape it into a business concept before they put money in.

8 modules · Best for: People with a business idea

See the 8 modules
  1. Entrepreneur mindset: your why and your goals
  2. Generating business ideas
  3. Shortlisting ideas that fit you
  4. Checking financial and operational viability
  5. Market and competitor research
  6. Your first offer, what makes you different, your business concept
  7. Refining and choosing your idea
  8. Presenting your business idea

Opening soon. Apply now and the readiness assessment will place you.

GROW Coming soon

Take your business further.

For people ready to run a business properly: getting it ready, building a brand, finding customers, knowing your numbers and planning for growth and funding.

8 modules · Best for: Existing businesses

See the 8 modules
  1. From idea to business
  2. Business readiness
  3. Brand and marketing
  4. Getting customers: content, TikTok and digital sales
  5. Know your numbers
  6. Sell, serve and grow your customers
  7. Growth and funding plan
  8. Pitching your business

Opening soon. Apply now and the readiness assessment will place you.

Not sure? When you apply, a short readiness assessment suggests the course to start with.

How learning works

Learn on your phone. Apply it in real life.

  • Short lessons

    Learn one practical concept at a time, with a short video in your language.

  • Practical activities

    Don’t just watch. Each lesson has a task to do, and you tick it off when it’s done.

  • Real business exercises

    Research your own area, set real prices and record your real sales and costs.

  • Progress tracking

    See which weeks you have finished and what comes next.

A young man at a table working on his phone.

Your facilitator

You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Every VentureLab group has a facilitator: a real person who meets with learners, not a classroom teacher. On START the facilitator checks in with the group every week.

  • Human support. Someone who knows your name and your business.
  • Accountability. What you agree to do is written down and waits for you on your home screen.
  • Group support. You learn alongside people doing the same thing.
  • Help when you’re stuck. Bring the problem to your next check-in.

My sweets are not selling this week. What can I try?

Look at where and when you sell. Stand where people wait, such as the taxi rank after work, and ask two customers what they would buy instead.

Example only

AI Business Coach

Your business questions don’t have to wait.

Ask about your lessons, a business concept or a challenge in your business, and get help when you’re stuck. The coach helps you understand and apply what you are learning.

  • Short, practical answers in your own language
  • It knows which course you are on
  • A set number of questions each month, for the things that matter
  • Your facilitator is still there for the bigger conversations

Built for real life

Built for the way people actually live and work.

A trader sells from a small table beside a busy taxi rank at sunset.

  • Mobile-first

    Made for a phone. Add it to your home screen like an app.

  • Light on data

    Videos only load when you press play, with a Low data setting. Homework is filled in on the page, with nothing extra to download.

  • South African context

    Taxi ranks, spaza shops, stalls and rands, not someone else’s economy.

  • Practical examples

    Every idea is shown with a trader doing it, step by step.

  • Easy to get into

    Sign up with your phone number and ID number, and sign in with a 6-digit PIN. No email needed.

  • Local languages

    Lessons, videos and the app itself in English, isiZulu, isiXhosa and Sesotho.

What you’ll actually build

You’re not just watching videos.

By the end of START you have done the work of a real small business, not just read about it.

  • Research of what your area needs
  • Products chosen and a supplier
  • Prices that leave a profit
  • Your costs, worked out
  • A marketing approach and an advert
  • A way of selling that builds trust
  • Real sales, on Market Day
  • A record of your sales and money

Certification

Finish the course. Earn your certificate.

  • Course completion. Finish every module; your facilitator checks your work.
  • Your certificate. Issued by your facilitator. Download it as a PDF and share it on WhatsApp.
  • Verification. Each certificate has its own number and QR code. Anyone can check it at venture-lab.co.za/verify.
Sample START certificate: Learn to Sell, certificate of completion. Sample BUILD certificate. Sample GROW certificate.

Sample certificates

For organisations

Want to help people build businesses?

NPOs, companies, churches and training centres run VentureLab with their own groups. You provide the room and a facilitator. We provide the programme and the platform.

  • Enrol learners

    One sign-up link for everyone you recruit. Each student uses one of your organisation’s student tokens.

  • Run programmes

    Classes with your own facilitator, and a readiness checklist before you launch.

  • Track progress

    Each learner’s weeks completed, sales and profit, on your dashboard.

  • Support learners

    Facilitator check-ins and agreed actions, recorded where you can follow them up.

  • Measure outcomes

    Impact reports as a PDF for funders and a spreadsheet for your team.

  • Only your people

    You see your own learners and nobody else’s.

For organisations: apply to host Organisation sign in

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Who can join VentureLab?

Anyone who wants to learn practical business skills. You can sign up on your own, or through an organisation that runs VentureLab. You need a South African ID number to sign up, and everyone starts with a short readiness assessment.

Do I need a business already?

No. START is built for people starting from nothing. You learn by buying and selling for real from the first weeks.

Do I need a laptop?

No. VentureLab is made for a smartphone with internet. You sign up with your phone number and ID number, and sign in with a 6-digit PIN.

What is the difference between START, BUILD and GROW?

START is for beginners and teaches business through reselling. BUILD is for finding, testing and shaping a business idea. GROW is for running and growing a business. The readiness assessment when you apply suggests where to begin.

How long does each course take?

Each course has 8 modules. START runs one module a week, so 8 weeks. The timing for BUILD and GROW will be confirmed when they open.

What languages are available?

English, isiZulu, isiXhosa and Sesotho. You choose when you sign up and can change language at any time.

How does the AI Business Coach work?

You type a question about a lesson, a business idea or a problem, and it gives a short answer in your language. It knows which course you are on. Each learner has a set number of questions a month, so use them for the things you are really stuck on.

What happens if I get stuck?

Ask your facilitator at your next check-in, or ask the AI Business Coach. If you are in an organisation’s programme, their team can also see where you are and help.

Do I receive a certificate?

Yes. When you finish every module, your facilitator checks your work and issues your certificate, which you can download. Each one has its own number and QR code, so anyone can check it is real at venture-lab.co.za/verify.

Can organisations enrol groups?

Yes. Organisations apply to host, receive student tokens and a sign-up link for their learners, and see their own group’s progress and impact reports.

Does it cost anything to apply?

No. There is no application fee.

Your business doesn’t have to start big.

It just has to start.

Apply to VentureLab Explore the courses