A partnership between Telkom’s FutureMakers programme and Aions Creative Technology (Aions) is helping South African tech startups do more than just survive, they’re scaling, attracting investments, and building the foundations for long-term success.
The collaboration is focused on boosting early-stage, black-owned and women-led businesses through hands-on support, strategic insight, and access to critical funding.
“This partnership is about cultivating a new generation of scalable, investable tech businesses,” says Tshepo Phetla, Head of Business Development at Telkom. “We’re seeing first-hand how the right interventions can fuel success, especially for young, black and women-led enterprises.”
Empowering Startups Through Strategic Partnership
The collaboration between FutureMakers and Aions was established in 2023, with a funding commitment of R58 million. It supports startups in moving through the seed and early-stage development stages, helping them scale operations, sharpen business strategies and become investment-ready.
This partnership not only provides financial backing, but also delivers the operational infrastructure and business mentoring needed to fast-track growth.
“We’re here to build, not just fund,” says Mitchan Adams, founder and CEO of Aions. “Our mission is to drive exponential value creation. We want to increase startup valuations within three years and create real momentum for founders to scale.”
Established in 2015, the FutureMakers programme is Telkom’s enterprise and supplier development (ESD) initiative, aimed at supporting black-owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within South Africa’s ICT sector.
With a focus on innovation and transformation focus, the programme helps businesses access markets, grow skills and scale operations. To date, FutureMakers has supported more than 2600 SMMEs, contributing to the creation of over 67 000 jobs.
The programme was developed in line with the BBBEE codes of practice for the ICT Sector.Telkom’s ESD programmes fall into two categories:
Enterprise Development (ED) – programmes aimed at developing black-owned ICT MSMEs in the ideation and acceleration stages.
Supplier Development (SD) – programmes to support black-owned MSMEs in the Telkom supply chain.
Aions is a venture builder that focuses on job creation by developing sustainable, black-owned businesses in the tech sector. The company co-invests alongside corporates to economic growth, tackle unemployment, and foster innovation.
To date, Aions has invested more than R30 million in startups such as Delivery Ka Speed, Credipple, Tubby’s, and Franc. Its partnership with Telkom further strengthens its capacity to support high-potential ventures with both capital and capability.
Portfolio Companies in the Programme
Two of the startups benefitting from the FutureMakers-Aions partnership are Franc and The Awareness Company (TACO).
Franc: Simplifying Investing for South Africans
Franc is a user-friendly investment platform designed for South Africans looking to invest in tax-free savings accounts, high-performing ETFs, and goal-based products with minimal friction.
Since joining Aions’ portfolio, Franc has:
Extended its financial runway to over 12 months
Secured a strategic partnership with Kaelo Money
Preparing to launch Franc Hustle, a new product designed for freelancers and small business owners
The company is also working on a retirement annuity and employee wellness platform.
“With Aions’ support, we’re no longer just surviving,” says co-founder Thommas Brennan. “We’re building something far bigger than we ever imagined.”
The Awareness Company (TACO): Using AI for Sustainable Solution
Founded by Priaash Ramadeen, Shazia Vawda, and Estelle Lubbe, TACO is behind HYDRA, an artificial intelligence-powered platform helping infrastructure and property clients improve sustainability, security and operational efficiency.
Since it partnered with Aions, TACO has:
Strengthened its sales processes
Deployed successful pilot projects at mining and solar sites
Significantly enhanced its platform through Azure scaling and improved cybersecurity
TACO has already secured five mining clients and is in discussions with a major insurer and several property groups for broader rollout.
“We’ve been able to focus on growth and execution, thanks to the hands-on support Aions provides,” says Ramadeen. “From scaling our tech stack to refining customer success strategies. It’s been a game-changer.”
Investing in the Future of South African Innovation
With local innovation ecosystems needing both capital and capability to thrive, the Telkom-Aions collaboration presents a compelling blueprint for what’s possible when corporates actively support high-impact entrepreneurship.
The results to date suggest this model is working—and for South Africa’s next generation of tech founders, it could be the difference between simply having an idea and building a scalable, investable business.
Lungile is the Digital Editor for Startup.Africa, with a knack for storytelling, technology and innovative ideas. Working with Startup.Africa, she takes simple ideas and turns them into amazing stories.
Lungile Msomi
