important update on Grindstone Boost
As you may know, Grindstone Boost has received support from USAID Southern Africa Mobilizing Investment, enabling us to provide comprehensive back-office services to innovation-driven startups.
However, due to a recent Executive Order by the new US Presidential Administration, all US foreign assistance programmes are currently under a 90-day review.
As a result, we are unable to accept applications at the moment. While this is beyond our control, we remain fully committed to supporting startups across South Africa and beyond. We really appreciate your understanding during this time and will keep you updated with any changes as soon as we know more.
The goal
Grindstone Boost is a comprehensive back-office solution designed to help innovation-driven startups and scaleups in South Africa. In partnership withUSAID Southern Africa Mobilizing Investment, Grindstone Boost provides subsidised services to address the common operational challenges startups face, such as limited capacity, the high costs of specialised services, and administrative burdens. By tackling these issues, we enable you to focus on the strategic growth and long-term success of your business. Get investment ready by improving compliance, streamlining operations and increasing sales with Grindstone Boost.
HOW?
Grindstone Boost was built to address the day-to-day operational challenges that could be limiting your startup’s success.
These challenges include:
- your limited capacity
- high costs of external contractors for specialised functions such as finance and legal
- operational and administrative burdens
- lack of marketing and sales functions
Grindstone Boost will provide targeted and practical back-office solutions to increase your startup’s capacity so that founders can focus on the strategic direction of the business rather than getting bogged down in the day-to-day operations. By utilising some of these solutions, you will get additional capacity to work ON your business (instead of IN your business).
These solutions will help startups and scaleups across South Africa to reach investment readiness by improving compliance and operational efficiency and increasing sales.
cost
Grindstone Boost subsidises the cost of service providers, making professional back-office support more accessible. Costs for each company are based on its size, maturity, and specific service needs. This tiered structure ensures affordable support that scales with your business, helping you manage operational expenses effectively while maximising your impact
grindstone boost outline
Grindstone Boost is a back-office solution that allows you to access fractional time from our specialist service providers. You can request services from the platform (under various pillars like legal, finance, and marketing) and pay subsidised rates to receive these services. With Grindstone Boost, you can enjoy customised back-office support to address your business gaps effectively.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Any startup or scaleup that meets our qualifying criteria:
Your company has specific gaps in any of the following business pillars:
- Legal
- Operations
- Technology
- Branding, Marketing & Sales
- Finance & Accounting
Eighty startups and scaleups will be chosen to join the programme in a rolling intake of cohorts, so don’t wait to apply!
Applications will close as soon as we have selected all 80 companies.
Apply below to join!
What makes Grindstone Boost different?
Startups and scaleups will have access to professionals who will actively execute and provide hands-on guidance for each business across specific needs ranging from legal to operations, tech, marketing and finance.
Here are some examples of how Grindstone Boost could be used:
01
Your app development company may be focused on delivering fantastic apps but may not know where to start when submitting your tax returns for the last three years. Grindstone Boost will link you to service providers that can help you get these updated and submitted.
02
You might have a winning marketing plan but need a clearly formulated Go-to-Market campaign. Grindstone Boost will ensure the delivery of a structured GTM strategy, its creative execution, and its implementation across your digital marketing channels.
This strategic and practical assistance from Grindstone Boost will not only streamline administrative burdens and provide expert coaching but also enhance your startup's compliance and credibility in the eyes of potential investors. Ultimately, Grindstone Boost aims to contribute to a consistent pipeline of investment-ready startups in South Africa, making your business more attractive for potential investment.
Are you ready to boost your startup? Apply today to join Grindstone Boost and transform your business. (We are unable to accept applications at the moment)
Grindstone Boost highlights
Customised back-office support
Dive deep into your business gaps with expert guidance in the Finance, Marketing, Operations, Legal, and Technology pillars, addressing specific pain points on a case-by-case basis. Our tailored approach ensures you get the precise help you need to overcome challenges.
Sustainable
growth
Enhance your potential for future funding and partnerships by focusing on the long-term success of your business. We help you build a solid foundation to ensure your business thrives.
Exclusive
access
Get selected to be one of the 80 startups to receive this specialised support in 2025 and take your business to the next level. Benefit from unparalleled resources and expert guidance.
Continued
success
Become part of a community where over 96% of startups thrive post-acceleration, leading the change in the South African entrepreneurial ecosystem. Stay connected with peers and mentors for ongoing support.
FAQ's
Grindstone Boost is a platform where you can request services (under various pillars like legal, finance, and marketing) and pay subsidised rates to receive these services.
It is not a typical accelerator programme. It is a back-office solution, allowing you to access fractional time from our specialist service providers. You won’t have to attend workshops or go through any content like some of our other programmes.
After applying for the acceptance process, you will get a contract to sign, which is not a quote or an agreement but a contract that confirms your company aligns with the contractual requirements of Grindstone Boost.
Once you have signed your contract, we will send you a company survey to give us more information and context about your startup. Once submitted, you will receive a link to the service request form, which you use to request the services you require through Grindstone Boost.
Should you be selected to join Grindstone Boost, the contract you sign outlines Grindstone Boost’s standard operating procedures, lead time for services, billing procedures and payment structures. Should you have any additional queries, you are welcome to discuss these with a member of our team before signing or submitting a service request.
There are no conflicts with joining Grindstone Boost and potential investors. The programme can make the company more investable as it addresses the usual issues that investors require before investing in startups.
After you follow the above steps, you can submit a service request form. After submitting your service request, you will receive a quote from the service provider(s). You must decide whether you accept or decline the quote. The quote will include the Grindstone Boost subsidy amount, so you can easily establish the amount you must pay for the service once the subsidy has been deducted.
It is entirely up to you to either accept or decline the quote. The service provider will not commence their work until you approve. Please do not contact the service providers directly – you must follow the Grindstone Boost processes to receive the subsidised services.
Having initiated a service request with a Grindstone Boost service provider, we will send you a confirmation email, including a Calendly link for the respective service provider, to allow you to book a preliminary consultation to size the assistance needed for quotation.
It is 100% okay if you receive a quote and don’t want to proceed with the service. The service request form is precisely that: it’s a request for a quote, not a commitment to proceed. After you receive the quote, you will confirm whether you’d like to proceed. If you decide not to proceed, we may ask you why not, so we can improve our offering. For example, if the quote is too expensive, this information will help us negotiate prices with our service providers going forward.
Once you have applied and been onboarded, you will receive a service provider summary document outlining the service providers and the services you can request through Grindstone Boost. We have onboarded highly regarded service providers and trusted professionals experienced in working with startups and scaleups. In addition, we are constantly updating and improving our back-office services to add new service providers to this list.
Not necessarily; as this is not a typical accelerator programme, no mentoring sessions are built into the programme. However, if you would like a session with a business mentor, this is one of the services offered on the platform. You can request a mentoring session (if this is something you would like) with a particular focus, for example, for pitch training or to evaluate an investment opportunity.
You have access for one year or until you’ve reached the maximum subsidy you qualify for from Grindstone Boost – whichever comes first.