Telkom FutureMakers opens township incubator as applications close 18 October

Applications for the Telkom FutureMakers Township Innovation Incubator Programme opened on 18 September and close on 18 October 2026, with the programme aimed at founders in township and rural communities who are building ICT-enabled businesses around a social problem.

As MyBroadband reported on 18 September, the programme is open to South African innovators between the ages of 18 and 35 who are based in a rural or township community, have an ICT-enabled idea or early-stage business, and are addressing a social challenge in that community. Preference will be given to black-owned businesses, women and people living with disabilities.

Selected participants receive incubation support, mentorship and business development guidance, along with access to networks that can help them refine a business model and find routes to growth.

What the programme actually offers

The support is not cash. It is the layer that sits between a working idea and a business that can survive its second year: how to price a product, how to structure a company, how to enter a new market, how to find the right partner and how to prepare for growth.

That gap is where most small ventures in the townships stall. A founder may understand the problem better than anyone, already have customers and a working solution, and still not know what to charge or how to register, bank and invoice properly.

How to apply

Applications run entirely through the FutureMakers WhatsApp chatbot.

Save 081 760 7475 on a phone, send “Hi” on WhatsApp, and follow the prompts. No account creation is required, because the applicant’s mobile number serves as the account. That matters for founders who do not have a laptop or reliable email, which is a real barrier in rural areas where data costs and device access decide who gets to apply for anything.

Applicants do not need a finished business plan. They do need to be able to explain the problem they are trying to solve, the solution they are developing and why it can make a difference.

Why this matters for the township economy

South Africa’s township economy is estimated to be worth tens of billions of rand a year, and most of it is spent in businesses that never leave the township. Programmes that put mentorship and market access behind those businesses are how local spending starts to circulate instead of leaking out.

Telkom has run FutureMakers since 2016, and the programme has worked with hundreds of small ventures over that period, from tech start-ups to community-focused services. The incubator is the latest phase of that work.

The closing date is 18 October 2026. Applications are open now through the WhatsApp chatbot on 081 760 7475.

Source: MyBroadband, Telkom FutureMakers calls on township and rural entrepreneurs to turn big ideas into growing businesses