New season, new stakes, same fierce competition
Big dreams need big opportunities.
This is yours.
Welcome to Nedbank Pitch & Polish
Where bold South African entrepreneurs meet brilliant business minds and battle it out, pitch by pitch! Now in its 15th year (yes, really – we started in 2010!), this one-of-a-kind competition throws 16 contestants into an intense entrepreneurial learning experience, complete with one-on-one business mentorship powered by Raizcorp. Then it's lights, camera, pitch! Contestants face the judges and deliver the pitch of their lives. Those who survive the elimination move on to the next round, sharpening their skills, building their confidence – and taking viewers along for every high-stakes moment. With a prize worth R1 million (and their reputations) on the line, this is where big ideas get polished into million-rand realities.
16 hungry entrepreneurs
3 intimidating judges
Prize worth R1 million
Nedbank Pitch & Polish is more than just a competition
It’s where innovative ideas meet expert business mentorship, game-changing funding and entrepreneurs like YOU have a shot at a prize worth R1 millionSTAY UP TO DATE
Subscribe to our YouTube channel stay up to date with Nedbank Pitch & Polish
2025 JUDGES
Monique Chinnah
Senior Manager: Segment Design & Development, Retail Relationship Banking at Nedbank
Meet your host:
Hlubi Mboya-Arnold
Hlubi Mboya-Arnold is an award-winning actress, social entrepreneur and business leader committed to driving meaningful change across Africa. She is the Executive Director and Producer of Future CEOs, a platform dedicated to entrepreneurial education for underserved communities, and Chairperson of Sunshine Cinema, Africa’s first solar-powered mobile cinema network empowering youth changemakers.
A passionate advocate for women in business, Hlubi serves as the Southern Africa Brand Ambassador for Lionesses of Africa, the fastest-growing community of women entrepreneurs on the continent. She is also a founding member of SWIFT (Sisters Working in Film & Television), which promotes gender equity in media.
With a background in business development at Morebo Financial Services and an Executive MBA from Henley Business School, Hlubi combines creative impact with business acumen to champion socio-economic transformation across Africa.
Back to 2009
The very first Pitch & Polish programme took place in 2009! Take a trip back in time to see some of the highlights over the years . . .
ADVICE FROM OUR PAST CONTESTANTS
Think you know how to pitch? Think again.
Forget everything you’ve been taught about pitching your business – you’re doing it all wrong.
To land clients, attract investors and actually grow your business, your pitch needs to do more than just sound good – it needs to work. A messy pitch can waste your time and shut the door on future funding.
Enter: Allon Raiz. In this bite-sized podcast series, he’ll guide you step by step on how to craft a pitch that’s impossible to ignore. Now, let’s polish that pitch.
