Are you the driving force behind a hot tech startup? Want to know how you can greatly accelerate your business efforts?

We’re offering local tech startups the opportunity to receive three days of FREE, hands-on mentoring and coaching with Permjot Valia, prolific angel investor and one of Europe’s top startup mentors.

While good ideas form the foundation of innovation, it’s critical to know when and how to break into the market. That’s where the knowledge of those who have personal experience in assisting with or investing in startups can make a difference to whether your ideas will reach commercial success. This is an excellent opportunity for local startups to get the edge they need.

The main focus of the workshop will be to help local startups to fast-track their businesses towards commercial success, and compete in the international arena.

How to apply

To ensure that each startup receives the maximum value from the experience, space is limited to just ten startups. Interested parties that would like to attend the workshop must apply via our website.

All applications will be screened to determine which startups are most suitable to attend. The final team startups selected to participate will be chosen by us. Applications close on 22 April. The selected candidates will be announced on April 28.

The Startup Acceleration Workshop will run from 9 – 11 May, and takes place in Cape Town. More detailed information can be on our website.

The Net Prophet Startup Accelerator Workshop is proudly supported by Old Mutual.

Be part of the action – general registrations for Net Prophet 2011 are now open. There’s a good chance that they’ll be gone soon – so don’t delay. Registrations can only be done via our website. Go there now to book your place at what promises to be Africa’s premier technology startup event.

Once you’ve registered, you can make use of our handy Check Registration tool on our website, which enables registrants to double-check if they are registered for Net Prophet 2011.

News to watch
This year we’re not holding back. In the next few weeks we’ll be making announcements about exciting developments:

The Prophet list – Standby for the announcement of our stellar lineup of local and international speakers and contributors.

The Net Prophet Startup Accelerator Workshop – This new addition to Net Prophet will help startups dramatically fast-track their businesses, by learning from experienced mentors who have walked the road to success before. Details coming soon.

Technology showcase – One of the greatest home-grown technology masterpieces of our time will be on exhibition at this years event. Can you guess what it will be?

Meet our bursary recipients – Thanks to the generous contributions from those who attended last year’s event, we are now able to introduce you to the beneficiaries of the Net Prophet bursary.

D DAY (For those that have been hiding under a rock)
Date: 12th May, 2011
Venue: Mutual Park, Pinelands, Cape Town, South Africa

If you are traveling from foreign countries, and need letters of invitation for visa applications, please contact info@netprophet.org.za.

Quite a number of super-keen folk have been pushing us for a registration date.

The bad news is that we’re not quite ready to open the full registration process just yet. The good news is that we’re opening 100 spots for those that just can’t wait any longer.

WARNING: Be careful who you tell. Last year, our Early Bird registrations were all snapped up in just 30 minutes. By the time you read this post, the EB registrations may already be full. If this is the case, please don’t despair – there will be an official round of registrations to follow next month.

All the details on our speaker lineup, official registration dates and such will follow very shortly… all will be revealed. In the mean time, go ahead and book your spot at Net Prophet ahead of the masses.

Register now on our website.

Not sure if you’re registered? Make use of our handy Check Registration tool.

Coming to a decision on how best to allocate the funds from our Net Prophet bursary has not been an easy journey. Along the way we’ve engaged with numerous organizations who have graciously educated us on the many challenges faced by previously disadvantaged and financially needy students wanting to study in the field of IT, and how these challenges affect how a willing donor should give.

We’ve learnt that it is simply not good enough to give – you need a good giving strategy. This strategy needs to take into account a range of factors, which extend far beyond the student’s grades or willingness. Social support structures, pervious school IT infrastructure, language barriers, geographical constraints and available mentorship are just some of many factors that donors need to consider in order to ensure that a student succeeds at a tertiary education level and successfully enters the job market.

After much careful research and consideration, we’ve created two bursaries in partnership with the University of Cape Town, that will cover the second year tuition fees for two students studying IT related degrees. The funds raised from our upcoming 2011 event will then go towards their third year tuition, and (hopefully) additional students starting their second year’s tuition in 2012. Our goal is to support the students right to the point where they can enter the job market. RAMP Group will also provide an Internship program for the students to help them gain industry experience before they graduate.

The selection of the students will take place during the university registration period, which is in February 2011. Following the selection of the students, we’ll introduce them to the Net Prophet community, and you’ll get a chance to meet them at Net Prophet 2011 where they’ll share some more about their individual stories at the conference.

Thanks again to all those who gave generously at our 2010 conference, and made this bursary a reality.

Follow us on twitter or subscribe to our blog to receive updates as they happen.

D-Day: 12 May
Diarize it, sync it, write it on a piece of non-digital media if you must. It’s official: preparation for Net Prophet 2011 is all-systems-go, and takes place on the 12th of May 2011. The first round of registrations will open in February, 2011. We suggest that you follow us on twitter or subscribe to our blog to receive updates as they happen.

2010 has been a huge year for Net Prophet. Unprecedented delegate growth (more than double from 2009), increased delegate diversity, wider national and international recognition, additional funding from our generous sponsors and the establishment of the Net Prophet Bursary are just some of the highlights that come to mind as we reflect on the past 11 months.

On the back of the momentum we’ve gained so far, we’re excited to see how Net Prophet grows in 2011, and can’t wait to share with you some of the surprises we have lined up. Expect great things.

A special word of thanks to our 2010 sponsors who have generously renewed their support of Net Prophet for 2011: Old Mutual (Platinum Sponsor), RSAWEB and White Wall Web (Silver Sponsors). Contact us to find out more about sponsorship opportunities.

The conference will once again take place at the magnificent Mutual Park, Pinelands, Cape Town.
All details regarding registration, speakers (prophets), times etc will follow in due course. Follow us on twitter or subscribe to our blog to receive updates as they happen.