Have you ever watched that TV programme called Dragon’s Den? Well, Corculture is South Africa’s answer to this – but without all the drama, just serious business. If you’re an entreprenuer like me and you want to take your company to the next level – this is what you’re looking for!

Corculture is a private investment group that is constantly looking for opportunities to invest in privately owned companies throughout the world, not just locally.

Their funders are not your average bunch of entrepreneurs either – they include high net worth individuals and private equity companies, and that means that no deal is too small for them to handle.

As you’d expect, Corculture‘s funders look to invest in early stage, high growth opportunity companies, with proven track records and a strong management team.

Naturally, these companies need to have a solid foundation, and be ready to take the next step in their growth phase towards increasing sales, and running a completely professional outfit.

So how does it work? Corculture will conduct an intensive screening process on all entrepreneurial proposals that they receive. Once approved, the entrepreneur’s business is listed on their specialised software platform, and their investors are notified of the new listing – which only they have access to.

During this process, two key fundamental aspects of the proposal will be measured: the financial potential of the business, as well as the experience and credibility of the entrepreneur. After this, early and late stage companies that pass the in-depth analysis are then posted on the website for the 30 private equity and venture capital funders to view and connect with. That’s the Dragon’s Den vibe I was talking about.

But don’t take my word for it – why not take a look at how the application process works, HERE, and if you think you have something in mind that they might want to invest in, check out their “How do you shape up?” section, HERE.

Remember gang, an idea is only as good as the effort you put into it.