South Africa’s leading competition for aspiring High School and TVET College Entrepreneurs!

REGISTER NOW!

Welcome to the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge!

We’ve turned business and entrepreneurship into an animated 2D world of excitement where you just might learn how to rule the business world. Plus, you stand a chance to win amazing prizes!

The 2D Entrepreneurship Challenge is a fast-moving game of business domination in which you have to complete five modules (game levels) to compete for the top spot on the leader boards by launching a business in the gaming world, making tough decisions, running marketing campaigns, and ultimately creating sales and making a profit. Along the way, you’ll also make useful connections that may open doors when the time comes to test your entrepreneurial flair for real.

May the best CEO win! 💪🏻

Game Demo

Experience the 2D Game now by trying out the Demo here!

Try the Demo Here!

2D Entrepreneurship Challenge

  • The 2D Game will be live for 3 months
  • • Participants can complete the game at anytime during this time. No weekly deadlines apply.
  • • Participants claim a certificate from their Gaming Network profiles once they have completed the challenge
  • • A mobile/desktop device and internet connection is required to play the game
  • • Existing profile? Welcome back! No need to create a new profile again. New participant? Welcome aboard! Register HERE to get started

The Challenge

What’s it like to be CEO of a listed enterprise? Step inside AGEC’s 2D game, and you’ll find out. Plus, it’s completely free! We’ll have you juggling risky and rewarding corporate decisions, cutting deals, and watching your profits come flooding in… or trickling out if you’re not too careful. 😉

All you have to do is pick an avatar, then make your way to the top of the leader board by fulfilling a series of adventurous quests that take you to different places in the ever-changing world of business. You will interview many executives to hire your very own CTO, CMO and CFO in the game. You will build your start-up’s first profit making product from scratch before commercially launching it with clever marketing campaigns. You’ll negotiate strategic revenue and Profit/Loss targets with the chairperson in your Board of Directors – then win gaming points as your revenue starts to come in! Think of it as taking the very first steps in the most exciting, dynamic career you could hope for.

How to play the game?

Prizes

2D Entrepreneurship Challenge (Feb – April)🏆

High School Learners
Top 20 Overall
R100 000 in prize packages up for grabs!

High School Teachers
• Top Teacher – High Registration Rate + High Participation Rate 
R10 000 Allan Gray Unit Trust Fund
R5 000 Cash Prize

TVET Students
Top 5 Learners Overall 
R3 000 Allan Gray Unit Trust
R2 000 Cash Prize
• A Mobile Tablet Device 

TVET Lecturers & CoordinatorTop 5 TVET College Lecturers & Coordinators with a High Registration Rate + High Participation Rate at championing Colleges
R5 000 Cash Prize each

Applied Learning Challenge – Business Venture Pitching Contest (May – June)🏆

Prizes in store for High School Learners in Grades 8 to 12

• 1st Place: R40 000 Prize Package (R30 000 Allan Gray Unit Trust Fund + R10 000 cash)
• 2nd & 3rd Place: R30 000 Prize Package each (R25 000 Allan Gray Unit Trust Fun + R5 000 cash) 
• 4th & 5th Place: R18 000 Prize Package each (R15 000 Allan Gray Unit Trust Fund + R3 000 cash)

High School & TVET Learner

Learners who are in high school (Grade 8 to 12) and in TVET college (NCV 1 to 3). You will be fast-tracked on your entrepreneurial journey, thereby contributing to relieving our country of joblessness and poverty. It’s also a fast, easy and fun way to gain hardcore business skills and an accompanying certification for your CV, right from high school.

AGEC is a fully digital learning programme drawing on concepts from disciplines as rigorous as Economics, and Management, to Accountancy and Technology. It is also highly beneficial to learners undertaking courses in Languages since it aims to also introduce learners to professional communication in a formal business context, thus preparing learners for the workplace.

What are you waiting for?
Register now to join the Gaming Network, to play the game, to win incredible prizes, and ultimately, to change your future

What’s in it for you?

  • Anyone in high school (from Grade 8 to Grade 12) OR attending a TVET college can participate.
  • You don’t need to know anything about business, accounting, marketing or economics. Everything that you need to learn is provided for in the game itself (like, literally).
  • What you do need though is:
    – A passion to make money through clever tactics and strategies in the business game
    – A hunger to learn about how business actually works, and to quickly develop powerful skills in a short space of time
    – A growing need to be independent AND wealthy
    – A curiosity about your future
  • Level up! Over the course of five weeks, you will take part in a series of animated quests that build your business knowledge.
  • Earn points to win! You can do this by completing quests, conversing with non-player controlled characters, conducting market research inside the game, and working your way on to the top of the leaderboard by writing about your learning through short submissions, once a week.
  • Connect with your friends on the Gaming Network! This is a powerful social networking app that lets you stay on for fun and meaningful social interactions even after gameplay ends:
    – Create your profile and add in some photogenic profile pics
    – Search for your friends nationwide, then send them (or others) friend requests
    – Connect with them using the Instant Messenger, – Join a virtual classroom with your teacher and classmates
    – Update your status,
    – Create blog posts to write about what’s on your mind, whether educational, inspirational, artistic or whether it’s something fun and special to you 😊
    – Create your own open or private groups online, and invite others to join (e.g. “Sandton Interior Design Group”, or the “Sea Point Rotary Group” or the “Aspiring Actuaries of Umhlanga Group”)
    – And if you’re in matric, also apply for a full bursary to go University, with all costs sponsored!
    – Get your teacher to register as well as your parents
    – Get your older siblings or cousins to register – since they can help you and others with useful tips, especially if they are working as a professional (e.g. MBA, Engineer, Actuary, Chartered Accountant, Microbiologist, Doctor etc.)
  • Get Qualified! You receive a Certificate from the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge at the end of the business game to add to your CV and to showcase your professional skills and this certificate contributes to the strength of your application if you ever wish to apply for a full bursary to go to University from the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation
  • Registering on the Gaming Network gives you direct access to the 2D Business Game (you gain access to the game directly from within the app, so have to register on the Gaming Network first if you want to play the game 😊)
  • It’s all 100% free to join and play!

High School Teacher

As a teacher of the 21st Century, this is your chance to facilitate experiential learning for your class, leveraging a robust, action-oriented entrepreneurship curriculum that gives them a chance to experience business first-hand. It’s also academically rigorous, as the game includes a series of quests within each module. By choosing to champion this programme, you are making a contribution to the soundness of South Africa’s education system.

We’ll equip you with a comprehensive teacher’s pack, packed with tips for teaching each module’s content and helping you prepare your learners for the module’s quest.

Plus, you stand a chance of winning our stunning top teacher’s award.

What are you waiting for?
Register now to join the Gaming Network, to help your learners win incredible prizes, to stand a chance to win an amazing prize yourself and ultimately, to secure the future of SA’s youth 😊

What’s in it for you?

  • Do you teach any subject at a high school? From English, Afrikaans, and Mathematics, to Life Orientation, Economics, and Accountacy?
  • Do you teach a classroom full of curious high-potential children, many of whom want to explore careers in business or corporate management?
  • Do you teach kids that are already demonstrating a need for independence?
  • Do you, as a teacher want to be empowered to give the kids in your classroom, practical skills around entrepreneurship, business and management regardless of whether, in class, you teach them Languages, Life Orientation, Science or Mathematics – or any subject for matter?
  • ….Then AGEC is for you 😊
  • You can register online and invite your learners (and other teachers) to register via a digital invite.
  • Register Now! on the Gaming Network to:
    – Create your profile and add in some photogenic profile pics
    – Search for your colleagues and friends and your learners nationwide, then send them friend requests
    – Connect with them using the Instant Messenger, – Update your status and share your thoughts
    – Create blog posts to share and write about what’s on your mind, whether educational, inspirational, artistic or whether it’s something fun and special to you 😊
    – Create your own open or private groups online, and invite others to join (e.g. “Sandton Interior Design Group”, or the “Sea Point Rotary Group” or the “Aspiring Actuaries of Umhlanga Group”)
    – Create and manage virtual classrooms to interact with your learners by posting helpful hints and encouraging reminders or academic material in a private secure group (only you and your classroom learners)
    – And if you teach a classroom of matrics then, get them to use the Gaming Network to apply for a full bursary to go University, with all costs sponsored!
  • The Gaming Network and all its features listed above remain available throughout the year!
  • The Teacher Portal is a special place within the Gaming Network, and you can access it to:
    – Track each learner’s performance in your class (if you register as a Teacher) or across the entire school (if you register as Champion Teacher – so this type of registration is ideal for HoD’s, Principals, Deputy Principals, Governing Body members, School Secretaries or teachers involved in the management of the school)
    – Extract insightful data reports to monitor the performance of the learners in your classroom
    – Access your teacher’s pack from the News webpage on this website to learn about how the game is played and what will be coming up in that week of gameplay – then use that material and those insights to teach your learners!
    – Access and print the certificates of your leaners – and they all can earn certificates from the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge by participating in the game. This certificate contributes to the strength of their application if they ever wish to apply for a full bursary to go to University from the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation
    – Optionally, ensuring that your learners have the highest participation rate during gameplay, only if you want to stand a chance to win the top teacher’s prize.
  • It’s all 100% free to join! 😊

Parent/Mentor

You’ve probably given a lot of thought to what your child’s future looks like, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although it’s harder than ever to predict what’s coming next, we can help our children navigate their world with increased confidence and skill.

AGEC is a tool of transformation – it gives your child a certificate to start building their CV with but even more importantly, it empowers them with critical skills in starting and running a small to medium business in South Africa. The role played by entrepreneurs and SME’s is becoming increasingly important, especially in a post-COVID economy. This was indicated by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address earlier this year, an observation that has gained impetus as the year has progressed.

What are you waiting for?
Register now to join the Gaming Network, to watch the game, to help your child win incredible prizes, and ultimately, to secure their future 😊

What’s in it for you?

  • Do you have a curious high-potential child that wants to explore careers in business or corporate
    management?
  • Do you have a child that is already demonstrating a need for independence?
  • Do you have a need to upskill your child so that they can take advantage of opportunities that come their way, and become the wealthy high-impact professional that they were born to be?
  • …. Then AGEC is for you 😊
  • And It’s all 100% free to join!
  • You can register online and invite your child to register via a quick digital invite
  • Register Now! on the Gaming Network to:
    – Create your profile and add in some photogenic profile pics
    – Search for your friends nationwide, then send them friend requests
    – Connect with them using the Instant Messenger,
    – Update your status and share your thoughts
    – Create blog posts to share and write about what’s on your mind, whether educational, inspirational, artistic or whether it’s something fun and special to you 😊
    – Create your own open or private groups online, and invite others to join (e.g. “Sandton Interior Design Group”, or the “Sea Point Rotary Group” or the “Aspiring Actuaries of Umhlanga Group”)
    – And if your child is in matric, get them to apply for a full bursary to go University, with all costs sponsored!
    – Get your older kids to register too – since they can help the younger ones by posting useful tips based on the unique skills they have in their jobs and journeys, especially if they are working as a professional (e.g. MBA, Engineer, Actuary, Chartered Accountant, Microbiologist, Doctor etc.)
  • Your child will receive a Certificate from the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge at the end of the business game to add to their CV and to showcase their professional skills – and this certificate contributes to the strength of their application if they ever wish to apply for a full bursary to go to University from the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation.
  • The Parent Portal is a special place where you can access and track your child’s progress throughout the business game to help support them through their gaming journey.

NGO

What are you waiting for?
Register now to join the Gaming Network, to help your learners play the game and win incredible prizes, and ultimately, to secure the future of SA’s youth 😊

What’s in it for you?

  • Are you as an NPO or NGO, passionate about transformation? Especially the transformation of South African youth?
  • Do you support and coach large or small numbers of learners in your own way, across one or many schools?
  • Do you want to see the learners that your brand supports – gaining prestige and winning incredible prizes from a young age?
  • Do you want the learners that you support to earn certificates for their CVs from the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge, at the end of the challenge?
  • Do you need to raise public awareness around your organization and its value proposition to social or public-benefit causes?
  • …. Then AGEC is for you 😊
  • And It’s all 100% free to join!
  • You can register online (as an NGO) and the invite all learners under your care to register as well via a quick digital invite
  • Register Now! on the Gaming Network to:
    – Create your NGO’s profile and add in some photogenic profile pics
    – Search for your employees, colleagues, donors, partners and your learners nationwide, then send them friend requests
    – Connect with them using the Instant Messenger
    – Update your status and share your thoughts
    – Create blog posts to establish your organization as a thought leader in society
    – Create your own open or private groups online, and invite others to join
    – Create and manage a closed group (just your NGO staff and the learners under the care of your NGO) to interact with your learners and post helpful hints and encouraging reminders or academic material in a private secure group
    – And if you have any matric-learners under your care then, get them to use the Gaming Network to apply for a full bursary to go University, with all costs sponsored by the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation!
  • The NGO Portal is a special place where:
    – You can track each learner linked to your NGO to monitor their performance
    – You gain access to insightful data reports and analytics about your learners, and their progress
    – You gain access to teaching packs (one for each week of gameplay) that can be used when you are coaching your learners, in preparation for each module’s challenge
    – Access and print the certificates of your leaners – and they all can earn certificates from the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge by participating in the game. This certificate contributes to the strength of their application if they ever wish to apply for a full bursary to go to University from the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation

Government Partners

Economic instability is a pandemic that is seen to be as dangerous as COVID19. AGEC’s medium-term goal is to contribute to the economic recovery of our beautiful country by providing upcoming entrepreneurs with the skills they need to succeed in business, and to start creating the enterprises and jobs that will safeguard the nation.

Participants in our five-week challenge emerge with a deep insight into management, business, accountany, technology and a range of other key subjects, empowering them to become successful entrepreneurs in their own right, or to make them more employable. Because it is based on a robust and custom-developed curriculum, it is suitable for both in-class activities as well as for extra-curricular activities.

What are you waiting for?
Register now to join the Gaming Network, to help your learners play the game and win incredible prizes, and ultimately, to secure the future of SA’s youth 😊

What’s in it for you?

Partners from various government departments are invited to register online, especially those that are leading or supporting learners, entrepreneurs, or SME’s (Small-Medium Enterprises) in any way – academically, financially, or otherwise

Register Now! on the Gaming Network to:

  • Create a profile for the department
  • Search for employees, colleagues, partners, and beneficiaries nationwide, then send them friend requests
  • Connect with them using the Instant Messenger
  • Update your status and share your thoughts
  • Create blog posts to inform and enlighten the general public
  • Create your own open or private groups online, and invite others to join

The Gaming Network and all its features listed above remain available throughout the year!

It’s all 100% free to join! 😊

Business/Enterprise

The startup community is underpinned by a tradition of giving back. Taking part in AGEC gives you an opportunity to do this by sharing your knowledge and insights with the next generation of entrepreneurs, helping them find solutions to challenges, and sharing your learnings. At the same time, your brand stands to benefit by networking with other startups, enterprises and entrepreneurs.

You’ve gained a wealth of domain knowledge in your area of business through hard-earned experience and merit. It’s time to share that wealth with the next generation of upcoming entrepreneurs – and AGEC gives you the opportunity to do just that.

What are you waiting for?
Register now to join the Gaming Network, to give your enterprise the edge of exposure, all whilst being a part of this amazing journey of our SA next generation of entrepreneurs 😊

What’s in it for you?

  • Are you a small-medium enterprise, start-up, or listed organization?
  • Do you need to raise further awareness around your brand and its value proposition?
  • Are you feeling the need to network with other SMEs to unlock potential growth for your organization, organically?
  • Does your organization want to play an active role in mentoring other young and upcoming entrepreneurs or potential employees?
  • Would you like to provide volunteering opportunities, paid opportunities, or vacation-work for aspiring learners to get involved in your business, all whilst learning about your business domain and industry?
  • …. Then AGEC is for you 😊
  • It’s all 100% free to join!
  • Register Now! on the Gaming Network to:
    – Create your enterprise-profile and add in some photogenic profile pics
    – Search for your employees, colleagues, then send them friend requests
    – Connect with them using the Instant Messenger
    – Update your status and share your thoughts periodically
    – Create blog posts to share what’s trending in your organization or industry
    – Create your own open or private groups online, and invite others to join
    – As an existing business practitioner – you have business skills. Share your knowledge in your specific discipline – whether it’s in IT, HR, Marketing, Finance, Strategy, or Consulting – by commenting on questions of learners and sharing your perspective
    – The Gaming Network and all its features listed above remain open and available all year ‘round!

AGEC Mini Entrepreneurship Challenges

AGEC will launch an entrepreneurship themed activity via email to all registered High School learners for you to participate in.

Grade 8 to 12 learners increase their entrepreneurial knowledge and skills while competing for a spot on the leader board in each activity.

These mini challenges are a great opportunity to learn and earn fantastic prizes! Will you be one of many to achieve a ranking on the leader boards?

Learners with completed profiles on the Gaming Network will be eligible for prizes, so ensure that your entrepreneurship profile is in order!

NB* – Each school’s learner participation rate counts towards the Top Teacher Award post-gameplay. So, teachers must ensure they are also doing their part to encourage as many learners as possible in the school to participate in all launched activities for the teacher to stand a chance at the Top Teacher Prize.

Each Challenge will be announced via email, so join this entrepreneurship movement and make sure you’re registered for the challenge and keep an eye out for any activity communications from us.

More details to Get Started

Watch the following FAQ videos to get started!

High School Introduction
Registration & Login
Gaming Network
Game Play

Business Venture Winners Update

Meet our 2021 Business Venture winners. Found out more about their experience and where they are today!

1st Place

Joy of Media’s Ziyaad Banderker, Alex White & Stephanos Panagiotidis

Runner-up

Turbo Book’s Kwakhanya Mtetwa

How It Works

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