Johannesburg is one of South Africa’s largest cities and is home to nearly 5 million people. The country’s commercial hub, it boasts Africa’s busiest international airport and the largest and busiest “port” in export-import facility City Deep, which handles 30% of South Africa’s exports. Also home to the largest stock exchange in Africa, Johannesburg is well equipped to build a startup ecosystem to rival South Africa’s better-known scene in Cape Town.

The South Africa Startup Act is proposed legislation designed to support growth within the country by encouraging the development of policy that will benefit high-growth startup founders and unlock the full potential of entrepreneurial skills of the people in South Africa.The Smart City Innovation Challenge, developed by the City of Johannesburg in partnership with Tshimologong Innovation Precinct, aims to find and develop startups that are responding to challenges faced by the city. Wits University and Anglo American have partnered to fund the refurbishment and expansion of the Johannesburg Planetarium into a new multidisciplinary research, training, and events hub.

The MultiChoice accelerator provides training in entrepreneurship skills and exposure to a network of global investors for startups working in Healthtech, Agtech, Fintech, Edtech, the circular economy, and the creative industries. The Founder Institute, the world’s largest pre-seed startup accelerator, welcomed its fifth cohort in Johannesburg in 2023. Smart Cities Summit takes place each year in June, and TECHSPO Johannesburg took place in October. Notable funding includes renewable energy company Pele Green Energy’s $134.6 million round in December 2023 and clean energy company Decentral Energy’s $12.1 million round in April 2023.