About ERPA

Entrepreneurship Resilience Programme Africa (South)

ERPA is a dynamic 6-week programme for South African entrepreneurs and business leaders ready to scale.
It focuses on finance-readiness, resilient business models, international expansion, and connecting with global players in Europe.
ERPA is a collaboration between industry experts, T Makama & Partners (Africa), Spark Ventures (Germany), and the ESCP Business School (Europe).

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Interactive Lessons

Online sessions led by top educators from ESCP Business School and industry experts from Africa and Europe. Topics include:

Business model design

Innovation strategy

Proven frameworks for scaling your busines

What You’ll Get

Weekly Masterclasses (90-120 min, hybrid)​
Live Coaching & Mentoring sessions​
Fireside Chats with experts & founders in Europe, Rest of Africa and SA​
Toolkit & Frameworks for real-world application​
Access to a growing community and accountability structures​
Final Pitch Event with opportunities for funding support from SA/ EU based DFI’s​

What You’ll Learn

Master

Build and refine modern business models that work in today’s market.

Scale

Develop clear, practical strategies to scale your venture with confidence.

Grow

Boost your business resilience, drive sustainable growth, and lead with purpose and personal excellence.

What Makes ERPA Unique

European Collaboration

Developed in partnership with a leading institution in Europe.

Practical Learning

Real-world tools and training.

Expert Mentorship

Guidance from experienced African and international mentors.

Market Readiness Focus

Position your business for growth, funding, and global expansion.

Who Should Apply

ERPA is ideal for:

Entrepreneurs with growing businesses ready to scale

Businesses with at least two years of operations and consistent revenue

Purpose-driven founders focused on long-term, sustainable growth

Please contact us here for enquiries

Speaker & Mentor Profiles

A diverse lineup of entrepreneurs, academics, and industry veterans from Africa and Europe.

Thabo Makama

founder and CEO of T Makama & Partners (TMP Africa)

Thabo Makama is the Executive Partner and Founder of T. Makama & Partners (TMP Africa), and host of the T-Junction Podcast. He is also the founder of TWKB Talentcentric and co-founder of Impact Africa Business Events. With over 18 years of experience across technology, energy, mining, and engineering sectors, Thabo is a serial innovator, strategy leader, and business coach. He holds a degree in Supply Chain Management, Advanced Human Capital Strategy and is a certified Innovation Entrepreneurship Instructor through Stanford University CPD. Thabo has mentored entrepreneurs from South Africa, the UK, and Zimbabwe, helping them scale and grow sustainable businesses.

Frederike Beha

ESCP / Spark Ventures IO

Founder/CEO of Spark Ventures IO and its project Active At Home, Expert in Digital Business Models, Strategy, Finance and Operations. Previously, she served as COO for the VC fund Join Capital, as Managing Director and CDO at KulturKaufhaus Dussmann, and spent many years as a consultant for digital transformation in companies. Frederike is also the founder of the platform Business Model Toolbox

Anna Fedulow

Founder & Syndicate Lead of Croton Capital

A diverse international business angel syndicate investing in early-stage technology companies with underrepresented founders and a positive impact on the world.Anna also serves as an independent strategy consultant and business coach for start-ups and founder teams, focusing on critical areas such as business and go-to-market strategy, and fundraising.

Laura Weritz

Director of Platform at Point Nine

A Europe-based early-stage VC, focused on SaaS and B2B marketplaces. Laura supports founders and their teams whether through community, hiring, knowledge, or hands-on help where needed. Previously, she worked with startups and VCs to help build high performing teams, systems, and tackling zero-to-one challenges. She also helped scale cargo.one from Seed to Series B—growing the team from 8 to 120+ across 20+ countries. While at cargo.one, she built and led the Marketing function and served as Chief of Staff. Laura's career started in brand consulting, advising Fortune 500s, startups, and investors on brand strategy.

Christopher Kabakis

coach specializing in storytelling and TED-style public speaking

With over a decade of experience and roles as Speaker Coach at TEDx events in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Munich. Through his consultancy Infinity Advisory GmbH, he supports leaders and teams in impactful communication and has trained international companies across Europe. Christopher is also the co-founder of Evolute Institute, an educational and training organization for business leaders and entrepreneurs dedicated to creating innovative spaces for deep inner work.