• Four South African winners have been announced for the 2023 iteration of the Xero Beautiful Business Fund.
• Each of the four small businesses will gain access to R250 000.
• A total of 28 winners were announced for the event, across seven different countries.

Earlier this year Xero announced the launch of its Beautiful Business Fund, with the company outlining a funding pool of R8 million for small businesses both in South Africa and the other key regions that Xero operates in.

Now the winners for the Fund have been announced, with 28 in total across South Africa, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Xero received more than 5 500 entries by way of a 90-second video detailing how they would put the funding to use in terms of sustainability and community connection.

Four winners were picked for SA, with each small business being awarded R250 000 in funding. One of the South African winners, Constantia Food Club (pictured above), also won for innovating for sustainability category taking home an additional R540 000, to bring its total to R795 000.

“The winners have shown an incredible passion and tenacity that’s behind so many small businesses in South Africa. We’re honoured to be able to help these small businesses unlock the next stage of growth. As we acknowledge Global Entrepreneurship Week, this is what it’s all about – working together to help entrepreneurs explore their potential, contribute more to their communities, and help drive the economy forward,” added Colin Timmis, country manager for Xero South Africa, in a release shared with Hypertext.

The four South African winners are:

Constantia Food Club – A food buying club that connects small local growers and producers directly with customers in Cape Town.

Oranjezicht City Farm Market – Connects small-scale organic farmers and food producers to thousands of customers.

Mygrow – Provides a software solution based on neuroscience that builds emotional intelligence in employees, psychologically reconfiguring teams for optimal performance.

Curate – Focuses on reshaping the landscape of photography and videography content creation using a technology-enabled platform that connects content creators and clients.