After 16 weeks of nail-biting competitors, the 2025 Nedbank Pitch & Polish season got here to an exciting conclusion with a life-changing win for Gauteng entrepreneur Prudence Mabaso, founding father of The Kitchen Wrap Firm. Prudence walked away with the highest prize price R1 million – made up of R650 000 in money and a R350 000 bursary for a two-year Raizcorp business-incubation programme.
Now in its fifteenth yr, Nedbank Pitch & Polish – powered by title sponsor Nedbank and organised by enterprise incubator Raizcorp – has grow to be one in all South Africa’s most impactful entrepreneurial competitions, combining high-stakes pitching with one-on-one mentorship and real-world studying. This season drew over 2 200 entries and racked up 10 million on-line views as audiences adopted the 16 keen contestants (plus a wildcard entry!) as they pitched their manner by way of a number of eliminations to succeed in the ultimate.
A enterprise born from resilience
Prudence’s firm is remodeling the house renovation trade with an modern “no-dust-and-no-demolition” kitchen wrapping answer that upgrades drained kitchen cupboards and different cabinets, giving them a trendy, trendy makeover in a fraction of the standard time. However behind the polished successful pitch lies a deeply private story.
“I actually couldn’t consider it after they known as my title,” Prudence remembers. “This win is the validation of years of persistence – beginning this enterprise after I was unemployed and a single mother, pushing ahead when sources had been scarce and discovering a option to flip an thought into one thing actual. It’s proof that resilience and religion can flip obstacles into stepping stones.”
Reflecting on her Nedbank Pitch & Polish journey, Prudence added, “Probably the most beneficial lesson I discovered from the competitors was the significance of focus and positioning. The judges challenged me to make sure that my core product – cupboard and cabinet wrapping – stays the hero of my story, even when introducing new choices. It taught me that progress doesn’t imply diluting your id; it’s about displaying how each addition strengthens your primary worth proposition.”
She plans to make use of the prize cash to purchase bulk stock, boosting margins and enabling sooner scaling, whereas additionally launching a proprietary vary of inside vinyl movies and a brand new tech platform, Renvr, to streamline quoting, bookings and challenge administration. Her five-year imaginative and prescient? To make The Kitchen Wrap Firm the continent’s go-to title for premium, non-invasive renovations.
Celebrating the runners-up
KwaZulu-Natal entrepreneur Blessing Sithole, founding father of Bakers Creationz, claimed second place and R100 000 in money. Recognized for his trendy interpretation of nostalgic snowball muffins – with over 6 000 promoting every week by way of nationwide retailers – Blessing charmed audiences together with his authenticity and fervour. “The hardest half was studying to simplify my story. However I’ve discovered that readability beats complexity, and that lesson will stick with me eternally,” he says. The prize cash will gas his rebrand and advertising and marketing drive to develop his retail footprint.
Wildcard entrants Langelihle Zulu and Tshega Mampshika, co-founders of AlgoAtWork Robotics Academy, delivered their first and solely pitch within the competitors’s remaining episode and positioned third, strolling away with R50 000 in money.
Backing South Africa’s entrepreneurs
Allon Raiz, CEO of Raizcorp, praised the calibre of this yr’s contestants, saying, “Every pitch showcased not solely distinctive options to real-world challenges, but additionally the extraordinary resilience of South African entrepreneurs. We’re proud to help visionaries like Prudence and Blessing as they take their subsequent steps in direction of constructing sustainable companies and creating jobs of their communities.”
This yr’s competitors not solely highlighted the grit and creativity of South Africa’s entrepreneurs, but additionally the highly effective position of partnerships in nurturing their journeys. From daring concepts to examined enterprise fashions, the tales shared on the Nedbank Pitch & Polish stage underscored the significance of backing entrepreneurs with each inspiration and sensible help.
“Judging this yr’s contestants has been the hardest but – the usual was fierce, the resilience plain,” says Monique Chinnah, Senior Supervisor, Section Design & Improvement, Personal & Wealth, Nedbank. “What stood out most had been the contemporary shoots of risk breaking by way of week after week, particularly from girls entrepreneurs who’re reshaping households, communities, and industries. And this is the reason at Nedbank we don’t simply sponsor entrepreneurs – we stand with them, virtually, on their journey. As a result of when folks of all genders, backgrounds, and concepts deliver their strengths to the desk, we develop greater than companies – we develop a stronger South Africa.”
