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R1 million Nedbank Pitch & Polish Competition Winner Announced

Pitch Polish Contestants Prudence Mabaso@2x 100 1024x576

R1 million Nedbank Pitch & Polish Competition Winner Announced

November 19, 2025
Business explorer lg (1)

After 16 weeks of nail-biting competition, the 2025 Nedbank Pitch & Polish season came to a thrilling conclusion with a life-changing win for Gauteng entrepreneur Prudence Mabaso, founder of The Kitchen Wrap Company. Prudence walked away with the top prize worth R1 million – made up of R650 000 in cash and a R350 000 bursary for a two-year Raizcorp business-incubation programme.

Now in its 15th year, Nedbank Pitch & Polish – powered by title sponsor Nedbank and organised by business incubator Raizcorp – has become one of South Africa’s most impactful entrepreneurial competitions, combining high-stakes pitching with one-on-one mentorship and real-world learning. This season drew over 2 200 entries and racked up 10 million online views as audiences followed the 16 eager contestants (plus a wildcard entry!) as they pitched their way through multiple eliminations to reach the final.

A business born from resilience

Prudence’s company is transforming the home renovation industry with an innovative “no-dust-and-no-demolition” kitchen wrapping solution that upgrades tired kitchen cabinets and other cupboards, giving them a stylish, modern makeover in a fraction of the usual time. But behind the polished winning pitch lies a deeply personal story.

“I honestly couldn’t believe it when they called my name,” Prudence recalls. “This win is the validation of years of persistence – starting this business when I was unemployed and a single mom, pushing forward when resources were scarce and finding a way to turn an idea into something real. It’s proof that resilience and faith can turn obstacles into stepping stones.”

Reflecting on her Nedbank Pitch & Polish journey, Prudence added, “The most valuable lesson I learned from the competition was the importance of focus and positioning. The judges challenged me to ensure that my core product – cabinet and cupboard wrapping – remains the hero of my story, even when introducing new offerings. It taught me that growth doesn’t mean diluting your identity; it’s about showing how every addition strengthens your main value proposition.”

She plans to use the prize money to buy bulk inventory, boosting margins and enabling faster scaling, while also launching a proprietary range of interior vinyl films and a new tech platform, Renvr, to streamline quoting, bookings and project management. Her five-year vision? To make The Kitchen Wrap Company the continent’s go-to name for premium, non-invasive renovations.

Prudence’s company is transforming the home renovation industry with an innovative “no-dust-and-no-demolition” kitchen wrapping solution that upgrades tired kitchen cabinets and other cupboards, giving them a stylish, modern makeover in a fraction of the usual time. But behind the polished winning pitch lies a deeply personal story.

“I honestly couldn’t believe it when they called my name,” Prudence recalls. “This win is the validation of years of persistence – starting this business when I was unemployed and a single mom, pushing forward when resources were scarce and finding a way to turn an idea into something real. It’s proof that resilience and faith can turn obstacles into stepping stones.”

Reflecting on her Nedbank Pitch & Polish journey, Prudence added, “The most valuable lesson I learned from the competition was the importance of focus and positioning. The judges challenged me to ensure that my core product – cabinet and cupboard wrapping – remains the hero of my story, even when introducing new offerings. It taught me that growth doesn’t mean diluting your identity; it’s about showing how every addition strengthens your main value proposition.”

She plans to use the prize money to buy bulk inventory, boosting margins and enabling faster scaling, while also launching a proprietary range of interior vinyl films and a new tech platform, Renvr, to streamline quoting, bookings and project management. Her five-year vision? To make The Kitchen Wrap Company the continent’s go-to name for premium, non-invasive renovations.

Celebrating the runners-up

KwaZulu-Natal entrepreneur Blessing Sithole, founder of Bakers Creationz, claimed second place and R100 000 in cash. Known for his modern interpretation of nostalgic snowball cakes – with over 6 000 selling each week through national retailers – Blessing charmed audiences with his authenticity and passion. “The toughest part was learning to simplify my story. But I’ve learned that clarity beats complexity, and that lesson will stay with me forever,” he says. The prize money will fuel his rebrand and marketing drive to grow his retail footprint.

Wildcard entrants Langelihle Zulu and Tshega Mampshika, co-founders of AlgoAtWork Robotics Academy, delivered their first and only pitch in the competition’s final episode and placed third, walking away with R50 000 in cash.

Backing South Africa’s entrepreneurs

Allon Raiz, CEO of Raizcorp, praised the calibre of this year’s contestants, saying, “Each pitch showcased not only unique solutions to real-world challenges, but also the extraordinary resilience of South African entrepreneurs. We are proud to support visionaries like Prudence and Blessing as they take their next steps towards building sustainable businesses and creating jobs in their communities.”

This year’s competition not only highlighted the grit and creativity of South Africa’s entrepreneurs, but also the powerful role of partnerships in nurturing their journeys. From bold ideas to tested business models, the stories shared on the Nedbank Pitch & Polish stage underscored the importance of backing entrepreneurs with both inspiration and practical support.

“Judging this year’s contestants has been the toughest yet – the standard was fierce, the resilience undeniable,” says Monique Chinnah, Senior Manager, Segment Design & Development, Private & Wealth, Nedbank. “What stood out most were the fresh shoots of possibility breaking through week after week, especially from women entrepreneurs who are reshaping families, communities, and industries. And this is why at Nedbank we don’t just sponsor entrepreneurs – we stand with them, practically, on their journey. Because when people of all genders, backgrounds, and ideas bring their strengths to the table, we grow more than businesses – we grow a stronger South Africa.”

Success Stories

Florence Duval

Florence Duval is a seasoned strategist with over 25 years of experience leading sustainability, stakeholder engagement and social impact initiatives across public and private sectors. 

As CEO and founder of IN TOUCH, she guides cross-sectoral teams to deliver high-impact advisory solutions that strengthen institutions, enable public-private partnerships and secure both the legal and social licence to operate. Her expertise spans compliance, community development, issue management and sponsorship development – always anchored in sustainable development principles. 

A former mining executive and committed social activist, Florence is known for her ability to build meaningful partnerships, navigate complex regulatory environments and drive transformative impact through purpose-driven leadership

Monique Chinnah

Monique is a curious, serial questioner who wants to take the mystique out of business and finance to make it practical and relevant to entrepreneurs. ‘Why?’, ‘Why not?’ and ‘How can we help, for real?' are her favourite questions.

She is the Senior Manager of Segment Design and Development in Retail Relationship Banking at Nedbank, and she is responsible for ensuring that small businesses are fully supported through Banking and Beyond® solutions and most particularly as the product owner of the SimplyBiz® platform. Monique believes that keeping business strategy simple, real and practically implementable is fundamental to success. She also believes in the power of fun. If you don’t like what you’re doing, don’t do it!

Monique draws on her own entrepreneurial journeys and extensive management roles in various industries to ensure that solutions are conceptualised and delivered with small-business owners’ needs in mind.

She believes in life-long learning and being a sponge through immersions in over 300 000 businesses, various tertiary and educational programmes, and she is a YouTube and social-media hustler. In 2012 she was awarded a scholarship through Goldman Sachs UK to attend the 10 000 Women entrepreneurial programme through the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and she has been recognised with several Top Achiever Awards in Nedbank.

Allon Raiz

Allon Raiz is regarded both locally and globally as a pioneer and maverick in the business-incubation industry. He is the founder and CEO of Raizcorp which, according to The Economist, is the only genuine incubator in Africa and which currently supports over 500 businesses.

A two-times PhD dropout, Allon is the best-selling author of three entrepreneurial books. He hosted the first national radio show on entrepreneurship in South Africa in 2004; wrote and hosted the first South African prime-time entrepreneurship reality television show; and created and published an entrepreneurial cartoon strip. Allon is currently hosting his 15th season of the popular The Big Small Business Show on Business Day TV.

Allon is a co-founder of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation South Africa and Rural Roots, and is on the advisory and judging boards of numerous local and international NGOs and entrepreneurial awards. His passion for and focus on the development of entrepreneurs attracted the attention of the World Economic Forum (WEF) which, in 2008, recognised Allon as a Young Global Leader.

As an accomplished international speaker, Allon was invited to speak at the 2011 WEF Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland. In 2011, he became a member of the WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Fostering Entrepreneurship, making him one of 15 recognised global experts in the field. More recently, he became a member of the WEF’s Global Future Council.

In 2013, Allon received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Oliver Transformation and Empowerment Awards. The following year, he became the country winner, regional winner and continental winner of the Titan Award for Building Nations.

Between 2014 and 2016, Allon guest lectured at Oxford University where he was recognised as the Oxford University Saïd Business School’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence.

In 2015, Allon received an invitation from the White House, on behalf of President Barack Obama, to speak at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit held in Kenya.

Nonkqubela Maliza

Nonkqubela Maliza is the director of Corporate and Government Affairs at Volkswagen Group Africa. She has held the position since 2006 and also chairs the VW Community Trust and VWSA BEE Initiatives Trust. 

Prior to this, Nonkqubela was a senior executive at Metallon Corporation, a pan-African mining and financial services company with operations in South Africa and Zimbabwe. She also served as a chief director at the Department of Trade and Industry and has strong experience in the financial services sector. 

Nonkqubela holds an MBA from the University of Cape Town, a BA Honours in Economics from Rhodes University and a BA in Psychology and Economics from Rhodes University.