Startup Club ZA has announced the inaugural South African Startup Week (SASW), a three-day event to be held at Makers Landing, V&A Waterfront in Cape Town from 15 to 17 April 2026.
The event is for founders, startup teams, investors and aspiring entrepreneurs and is structured around three themed days: Inspire, Create and Connect.
The announcement comes against a positive backdrop for the local ecosystem. South Africa regained its position as the continent's leader in both equity investments and deal count in 2025 for the first time since 2017, according to the Partech Africa Tech Venture Capital Report. StartupBlink's Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2025 also ranks the country first in Africa and 52nd globally, with 19.5% year-on-year growth.
What to expect in three days
The first day focused on founder stories, with speakers including Yoko, PayFast, Yebo Fresh, FlexClub and Youcook, among others, sharing insights on building and scaling companies in South Africa.
The second day is practical, featuring twelve expert-led workshops covering product development, fundraising, legal, sales, AI and founder wellness. Four hackathons sponsored by Canva, TikTok, Lovable and Octoco will run alongside the workshops.
The third day focuses on networking and capital connections, including an ecosystem run, a city-wide coffee meet-up, and a private investor lunch for active capital investors.
Matthew Marsden, founder of Startup Club ZA, said:
“We've created an event that we feel is long overdue locally, allowing founders and investors to capitalize on the real momentum in the South African startup space right now. Startup Week brings together the people building and supporting the country's most ambitious companies in one city over three days. We're proud to be playing our part in what could become a historic, annual gathering for the local ecosystem.”
The event is supported by the Western Cape Government and organized in partnership with over 30 ecosystem stakeholders including FNB, RMB, E Squared Investments, Canva, TransUnion, TikTok, Lovable, Origin Software, Makeran, Domis Attorneys, Finovate and Octoco.
A Johannesburg edition is planned for later in 2026.
Day tickets for Day 1 (Inspire) and Day 2 (Build) are priced at R525, while the Connect Run/Walk event for Day 3 is available for R50. Early bird 2-day passes are available for R900. Tickets and full week passes are available here startupclubza.com/startup-week.
According to Stats SA, based on the latest quarterly labor force survey, South Africa's unemployment rate stood at 31.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, with youth unemployment significantly higher. The events, which bring together founders, investors and ecosystem builders, are being seen as part of broader efforts to encourage job creation through entrepreneurship.
editor's Note: iAfrikan previously covered Startup Club ZA The Big Pitch 2025. You can read that coverage here: The Big Pitch 2025 – South Africa's bold new stage for startup ambition