Imagine receiving a Business in a Box starter kit and being tasked with creating a product, building a brand, identifying customers, working out pricing and profitability, and developing a complete business idea — all from a box you can lift with one hand.

The 46 Grade 10 learners at St David’s Marist Inanda, Alexandra campus, didn’t have to imagine it. That is exactly the challenge they face.

Read more: Empowering women in business in Sandton

The Temba Bavuma Foundation and Empowered Futures co-designed the Future Founders Challenge: Soap to StartUp – Build A Business in a Box. Launched at St David’s on June 19, the programme combines youth entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

During the session, learners worked in teams, and each received a starter kit. Over the coming weeks, they will turn their contents into a product, develop a brand, identify customers, calculate pricing and profitability, and build a full business concept ready to pitch to judges on July 18.

The limited resources in the box, according to the foundation, are intentional. Instead of unlimited materials, the exercise reflects the real constraints many entrepreneurs face, including scarce funding, materials and support. The goal is to show that meaningful innovation does not require abundance; the real skill lies in being resourceful under limitations.

Cricket star Temba Bavuma, speaking after the launch which marked the foundation’s 10th anniversary, reflected on its journey.

Also read: Business leaders inspire township entrepreneurs

“I think what started as a vision has become a reality. Through those 10 years, we have had beautiful success stories that have come through the foundation,” he said.

He added that the foundation rests on three pillars: education, sports, and social impact. Many participants have gone on to build careers as lawyers and accountants, while others have become professional sportspeople who represented South Africa at a developmental level. Social initiatives such as clothing drives and feeding schemes have also touched thousands of lives.

Bavuma drew on his own upbringing in KwaLanga to explain why access remains at the heart of the foundation’s work. He recalled many talented peers who never received the same opportunities.

“Ten years ago, this foundation started with a belief that talent is everywhere, but access is not. Seeing that belief come to life in a classroom in Alexandra, watching these young people discover what they are capable of building, is exactly what we set out to do,” he said.

“This partnership with St David’s and Empowered Futures is a reflection of everything we stand for. We are not lowering the bar for these learners. We are bringing the bar to them.”

Follow us on our WhatsApp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest updates!