Ten-week programme, backed by TIA, will equip 20 local manufacturers with e-commerce skills, mentorship and access to a national customer base
JOHANNESBURG, 10 September 2026 — South African manufacturers with ambitions to take their products from promising local businesses to scalable brands are being given a new route to growth through Made Local, a new accelerator launched by the Takealot Group in partnership with the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA).
The 2026 Takealot TIA Local Innovation Challenge, known publicly as Made Local, is designed to help existing Takealot sellers that manufacture locally strengthen their businesses through specialised e-commerce training, mentorship and practical exposure to the mechanics of scaling an online business.
The initiative comes at a time when digital commerce is becoming an increasingly important channel for South African small businesses seeking access to customers beyond their immediate geographic markets.
Takealot Group reported that its marketplace model contributed 60% of Takealot.com’s gross merchandise value in FY26, while the platform had grown to 15,000 active sellers. The Group also reported more than 30,000 small businesses integrated across its platforms.
From making products to building businesses
For many local manufacturers, producing a quality product is only one part of the commercial equation. Moving from production into sustainable growth requires capabilities spanning pricing, digital marketing, inventory management, customer experience, fulfilment and data-driven decision-making.
Made Local is intended to address that gap.
The 10-week hybrid accelerator will select 20 entrepreneurs for expert-led training, high-level mentorship and practical experience aimed at improving their ability to grow sales and build sustainable businesses through the Takealot Marketplace.
Frederick Zietsman, CEO of the Takealot Group, said the programme was built around the belief that South Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem already possesses significant innovative capacity.
“South Africa doesn’t have an innovation problem; every day, entrepreneurs across the country are creating products with the potential to become household names.”
The challenge, he said, was helping entrepreneurs develop the capabilities and networks required to translate good products into scalable enterprises.
“Through Made Local, we are helping local manufacturers build on the opportunity they already have, giving them the tools and expertise to grow their businesses,” Zietsman said.
Turning e-commerce into an industrial growth tool
The programme reflects a broader shift in how e-commerce can support local industrialisation.
Digital marketplaces can reduce some of the traditional barriers facing smaller manufacturers, including limited geographic reach, customer acquisition costs and access to established retail channels.
Takealot says its Marketplace provides entrepreneurs and SMEs with an end-to-end sales solution, including tools for managing stock, pricing and product selection, while its broader fulfilment infrastructure can handle warehousing, delivery and returns.
For manufacturers, that infrastructure can allow greater focus on product development and production while using digital commerce to access a much larger customer base.
The Made Local programme therefore goes beyond simply placing more locally produced goods on an online platform. Its central proposition is to develop the commercial capabilities required to turn manufacturing capacity into sustainable businesses.
Performance, not popularity, will determine the winners
Unlike traditional entrepreneurship competitions where winners are selected primarily by a judging panel, Made Local will use actual business performance as a central measure.
Participants will be assessed on sales generated through Takealot.com during the live sales phase, customer ratings of their products, as well as their participation and performance throughout the accelerator.
The three strongest overall performers will share a R1.7 million prize pool.
The winner will receive R1 million, with R500,000 going to the runner-up and R200,000 to the third-place finisher.
That performance-based model places commercial execution at the heart of the competition, rewarding entrepreneurs who can translate the programme’s training and support into measurable customer demand.
Public-private collaboration for inclusive growth
Tshepo Marumule, Takealot Group Executive for Public Policy and External Affairs, said the partnership with TIA demonstrated the potential of collaboration between government, private enterprise and the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“Our partnership with TIA is a powerful example of how we can unlock inclusive economic growth and drive local manufacturing through innovation,” Marumule said.
The initiative also fits within Takealot Group’s broader economic-impact strategy, which includes supporting SMMEs through technology, platforms and business opportunities. The Group says its ecosystem is deliberately structured to create opportunities for small businesses and partners while expanding access to the digital economy.
Takealot has also identified local manufacturing and small-business development as priorities within its Township Economy Initiative, which aims to foster manufacturing, entrepreneurship and job creation in underserved communities.
Applications now open
The Made Local Challenge is open to existing Takealot sellers that have operated for more than one year and manufacture qualifying consumer products locally.
Applications opened on 9 September 2026 and close on 20 September 2026.
The programme’s central message — “You build the product. We help you build the business” — captures the initiative’s focus on bridging the gap between manufacturing capability and commercial scale.
For South Africa’s growing base of local manufacturers, that distinction could prove significant. Building a product may establish a business; building the systems, customer base and commercial capability to scale it is what can turn that business into a sustainable enterprise.
With access to a large national e-commerce audience, structured training, mentorship and a R1.7 million performance-based prize pool, Made Local is positioning e-commerce not merely as a sales channel, but as a potential engine for the next generation of South African manufacturing businesses.
