Beyond the Room: Why Young Entrepreneurs Need a Pathway to the Investment Table

By Isabela Pereira | Entrepreneur | Founder & CEO, SHE FITS

There are moments in an entrepreneurial journey when you enter a room and leave seeing your future differently. For me it was being youngest at the Sixth South Africa Investment Conference held on 31 March 2026 at the Sandton Convention Centre was one of those moments.

I arrived to listen. I left wanting to build with a clearer ambition: To grow my businesses to a point where I can one day invest in other entrepreneurs.

From Investment Commitments to Economic Impact

The conference brought together government leaders, investors, policymakers and business executives to discuss South Africa’s economic future. Under the theme Investment that delivers the discussions centred on translating investment commitments into productive industries, infrastructure and employment.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced R889.8 billion in investment pledges and outlined a second investment mobilisation drive targeting R2 trillion between 2026 and 2030.

Yet the central message extended beyond the figures: investment must translate into tangible economic outcomes.

For young entrepreneurs, this raises an important question. As South Africa works to attract capital and stimulate growth, how can emerging businesses become active participants in the economy being built?

Tinashe Mpasiri and Isabela Pereira at investment conference

How I Got There

My opportunity to attend came through iniAfrica, with the help of Tinashe Mpasiri a member of the Banking On Africa’s Future Network.

That experience reinforced something I have come to appreciate throughout my entrepreneurial journey: access is not only about whether opportunities exist. It is also about whether you know about them, whether someone connects you to them and whether you are prepared to make the most of them.

I was fortunate to have that connection. However, meaningful participation should not depend solely on chance encounters. We need more deliberate pathways that prepare young entrepreneurs to access, understand and contribute to these spaces.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile and Isabela Pereira at the investment conference

What Happened Inside the Room

As one of the younger attendees, I had the opportunity to meet Deputy President Paul Mashatile. Our conversation touched on our respective experiences in China in July 2025, connecting my exposure to international business with the investment ambitions being discussed at home.

Tinashe also introduced me to Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni and Deputy Minister Nonceba Bianca Mhlauli.

My conversation with Minister Ntshavheni, particularly around education and pathways to success, encouraged me to reflect on how we prepare young people for the future.

I believe education is non-negotiable, but a university degree is not the only pathway to building a meaningful future. South Africa needs formally trained professionals, alongside self-taught innovators, entrepreneurs who learn through experience and individuals who develop valuable skills outside traditional institutions.

These pathways should complement one another.

What mattered most to me was the opportunity to engage, exchange perspectives and learn directly from people involved in shaping the country’s direction.

Getting into the room is access. Building relationships, exchanging ideas and identifying opportunities is participation. We must create conditions for young people to experience both.

From Building a Business to Understanding Investment

As the Founder and CEO of SHE FITS, a women’s activewear and wellness business, I understand that entrepreneurship requires more than an idea. Building a sustainable enterprise demands market knowledge, financial discipline, effective systems, strategic partnerships and the ability to identify opportunities for growth.

The conference challenged me to think beyond the immediate demands of building my business.

Instead of asking only how I could grow SHE FITS, I began asking how I could build a company capable of attracting investment, expand into new markets and eventually invest in other entrepreneurs.

I began to see investment not simply as something other people do, but as a destination I could work towards.

A Youth Investment and Entrepreneurship Pathway

I believe future investment conferences should consider introducing a structured Youth Investment & Entrepreneurship Track.

Before the conference, selected young entrepreneurs could receive practical preparation in financial literacy, investment readiness, pitching, understanding different forms of capital and protecting their businesses.

During the conference, curated introductions, investor roundtables and sector discussions could connect them with financial institutions, corporates, development finance institutions and potential commercial partners.

Afterwards, mentorship, follow-up engagements, procurement opportunities and business-development support could help turn initial conversations into lasting relationships.

Government, investors, established businesses and entrepreneurship platforms all have a role to play in making this possible.

Success should also be measured beyond attendance. Six or twelve months later, we should ask how many participating businesses secured customers, accessed appropriate finance, entered new markets, increased revenue or created employment.

The objective is to transform exposure into capability, connections into opportunity, and opportunity into sustainable enterprise.

Beyond the Room

I am still learning, building SHE FITS and developing my understanding of investment, markets and business growth. However, attending the conference expanded my perspective on what I could work towards.

South Africa has young people with ideas, skills, creativity and ambition. The challenge is ensuring that potential translates into meaningful economic participation and, ultimately, ownership.

I was fortunate that someone opened a door for me. I walked through it, engaged with the opportunity and left thinking differently about my future.

Now, we need to create more pathways for others to do the same.

The goal is not simply to place young people in investment rooms. It is to equip them to build companies, create employment, own productive assets and eventually deploy capital themselves.

Because the future of investment must include not only young people who witness economic transformation, but those equipped to finance, build and lead it.

About the Author

Isabela Pereira is a South African entrepreneur, speaker and Founder & CEO of SHE FITS, a women’s activewear and wellness business. She was recognised among the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans 2026 in the Entrepreneurship category.

Her interests span entrepreneurship, women’s economic empowerment, youth development, regional trade and international business. Through her entrepreneurial journey, she advocates for greater access to knowledge, networks and opportunities that enable young people to build sustainable businesses and contribute to Africa’s economic future.