Innovation Bridge Portal

What Innovation Bridge Portal does

Innovation Bridge Portal is a South African Government initiative operated as a free, web-based digital platform that connects the African innovation ecosystem. Jointly led by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) and the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), with co-funding from the European Union's Ecosystems Development for Small Enterprises (ESDE) programme and strategic support from the World Bank Group, the portal serves five user types — Innovators, Entrepreneurs, Investors, Ecosystem Supporters and Government — by providing curated directories, advanced faceted search (filterable by industry, country, TRL 1-9, IP type, opportunity type and investment stage), funding opportunity listings, an annual Technology Matchmaking and Showcasing Event, and a News & Insights editorial channel. As of the latest data, 168 South African innovators, 153 South African investors and 254 ecosystem supporters are registered, alongside international innovators from at least 11 countries across Africa, Europe and the Americas.

The platform is built on Drupal and hosted on South African on-premise infrastructure (not cloud-based), integrating Google Analytics, YouTube embeds, AddToAny social share buttons and Google/LinkedIn OAuth login, with email subscription and system-generated alerts. It is organised around three flagship sub-initiatives: MeDDIC (a Medical Device and Diagnostic Innovation Cluster with its own R800,000-R1,000,000 RFA seed funding instrument, hosted by SAMRC under its Global Health Innovation Accelerator); the G20 Open Innovation Platform of Platforms (hosted under South Africa's 2025 G20 Presidency, covering 13 G20 members, 5 EU member states, the AU and 6 guest countries, with a 'STI for All' compendium of over 1,000 policy initiatives compiled with HSRC, OECD and UNESCO on the EC-OECD STIP Compass); and the DSTI Innovation Fund microsite (a catalytic public fund aligned to the Decadal Plan 2022-2032). The portal exposes 189 patents and 130 know-how assets for licensing, runs three thematic innovation campaigns (Health, Circular Economy, Digital Innovation), and curates 46 active funding opportunities sourced from entities including the Gates Foundation, EU, SADC, the dtic and African Bank.

The business model is non-commercial: the portal charges no subscription, listing or transaction fees, and is funded via South African government appropriation to DSTI/DSBD, EU ESDE co-funding and World Bank support, with additional partner amplification from TIA, NIPMO, CIPC, SAMRC, PIC, SASME and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It is not a separately incorporated company; the legal entity is the Department of Science and Innovation / Department of Small Business Development, Republic of South Africa, headquartered in Pretoria.

Name

Innovation Bridge Portal

Legal name

The Department of Science and Innovation and Department of Small Business Development, Republic of South Africa

Website

https://innovationbridge.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Innovation Bridge Portal is a free, government-backed web platform jointly operated by South Africa's DSTI and DSBD, co-funded by the EU, that connects African innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem supporters via curated directories, funding calls, and the G20 Open Innovation Platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Ecosystem Platform

NAICS

Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290)

akta.pro primary industry

General Web Portals & Start Pages (BPAMAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comparison Shopping & Price Discovery Portals (BPAMAAAJ), Domain, Website & App Discovery Portals (BPAMAAAM)

Keywords

• Innovation ecosystem platform
• Technology matchmaking portal
• Startup funding directory
• Government innovation portal
• Medical device cluster

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. South African Government appropriation (DSTI / DSBD): Primary funding from the South African Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) and the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), as a national initiative. The portal is offered free of charge to all users and does not charge subscription, listing, or transaction fees.
2. European Union co-funding (Ecosystems Development for Small Enterprises Programme, ESDE): Co-funding from the European Union through the ESDE programme; supports the portal's operation. Content does not necessarily reflect EU views.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Innovation Bridge Portal is a free, publicly funded digital platform that connects innovation ecosystem stakeholders across South Africa and the African continent. It provides curated directories of innovators, investors, and ecosystem supporters with advanced faceted search, centralises funding opportunities, events, and innovation campaigns, and operates dedicated sub-portals (MeDDIC, G20 Open Innovation Platform, Innovation Fund) to support technology matchmaking, commercialisation, and ecosystem coordination.

Product overview

No product overview could be extracted because the supplied source material did not contain any WX-prefixed source identifiers from which to attribute facts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MeDDIC (Medical Device and Diagnostic Innovation Cluster): National initiative/portal section aimed at stimulating and advancing a sustainable South African medical device and diagnostic ecosystem.
• G20 Open Innovation Platform
• Innovation Fund (DSTI)

Products and services

• Innovation Bridge Portal (Main Platform) A free, publicly funded digital platform connecting South African and African innovation ecosystem stakeholders (innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, ecosystem supporters, and government). Offers curated directories, advanced faceted search by industry, country, TRL, IP type, opportunity type, and investment stage, plus centralised listings of funding opportunities and events.
• MeDDIC (Medical Device and Diagnostic Innovation Cluster) Sub-portal A dedicated sub-portal for the South African medical device and diagnostic industry, providing categorised directories (manufacturers, device developers, ecosystem supporters, investors, medical devices under development, marketplace) and a structured RFA-based seed funding instrument. Open to South African citizens and permanent residence holders only.
• G20 Open Innovation Platform A unified digital gateway consolidating the innovation ecosystems of G20 member countries, EU member states, the African Union, and guest countries, providing researchers, businesses, policymakers, and investors a single entry point to explore innovation initiatives. Integrates 17 SDG-aligned collaboration pages and an 'STI for All' compendium covering over 1,000 policy initiatives.
• DSTI Innovation Fund Microsite A self-serve microsite showcasing the DSTI Innovation Fund, including overview, implementing partners, venture capital funds, funded startups and projects, open and closed calls, reports and insights, and contact. Aligned to the Decadal Plan (2022-2032).

Quantifiable outcome

• 168 South African innovators, 153 South African investors, 254 South African ecosystem supporters registered on the platform
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers30 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• World Bank GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporter of the initiative alongside the EU; logo displayed on Home and About pages, providing strategic and convening support.
• CIPC (Companies and Intellectual Property Commission)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency that supports IP/commercial registration aspects of the innovation ecosystem; logo displayed as a supporting partner on Home and About pages.
• NIPMO (National Intellectual Property Management Office)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host (with DST and TIA) of the Innovation Bridge Technology Matchmaking and Showcasing Event; supports IP management for publicly financed IP. Logo displayed on Home and About pages.
• Technology Innovation Agency (TIA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner for the DSTI Innovation Fund; co-supports the MeDDIC initiative (Seed Fund implementing partner); co-hosted the 2017 Innovation Bridge event; logo displayed as an Innovation Fund partner.
• South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts MeDDIC under its Global Health Innovation Accelerator (GHIA) program; implementing partner for the TIA Seed Fund; co-funds medical diagnostic and device development. Logo displayed on MeDDIC.
• African Union (AU)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating regional political/economic union on the G20 Open Innovation Platform; featured as a flag icon and dedicated country resource page linking to AU innovation initiatives.
• G20 member, EU member and guest countries (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Egypt, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEach G20/EU/guest country is represented on the G20 Open Innovation Platform as a participating nation; the 'STI for All' compendium was compiled by South Africa's Human Sciences Research Council in collaboration with the OECD and UNESCO using the EC-OECD STIP Compass as the main data resource.
• DSI (Department of Science and Innovation)flagshipOthersCo-custodian of the Innovation Bridge Portal alongside DSBD; supports the MeDDIC initiative, Technology Innovation Agency, and the Hydrogen Society Roadmap / HySA programme through which EPCM's CoalCO2-X project operates. Logo on MeDDIC.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• F6S: Global founder, investor and accelerator community platform that connects startups with funding and support programmes — directly comparable marketplace model and free-to-use GTM.
• Crunchbase: Company and investor data platform with structured profiles, funding-round data, and ecosystem discovery — closely parallels IBP's innovator/investor directory function.
• AngelList / Wellfound: Startup-investor matching platform with curated profiles and deal-flow tooling — directly comparable in connecting entrepreneurs to capital providers.
• Gust (formerly Funded.com): Global platform connecting startups with angels, VCs and accelerators, including standardised funding applications — overlapping startup-investor marketplace dynamic.
• Dealroom.co: Startup and investor intelligence platform curating deal flow, funding data, and ecosystem mapping — comparable curated data layer and investor matching role.

Broad incumbents

• LinkedIn: Professional network incorporating startup/investor discovery, jobs and company profiles — much broader incumbent with overlapping ecosystem-signalling functionality.
• WIPO IP Portal: World Intellectual Property Organization's global IP/innovation data infrastructure — broader multilateral incumbent serving a similar IP-discovery and policy function at global scale.

Regional players

• Innovate UK: UK's national innovation agency funding and connecting UK innovators, investors and ecosystem support organisations — directly analogous public-sector innovation ecosystem builder.
• Startup India (DPIIT): Indian government-led innovation platform connecting startups with investors, mentors and funding — same government-led, multi-stakeholder marketplace model in a different geography.

Emerging players

• Startup Genome: Ecosystem development and analytics organisation producing the Global Startup Ecosystem Report and tools for ecosystem builders — comparable ecosystem-strengthening mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bridge_portal
• Facebookfacebook.com/InnovationBridge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Innovation Bridge Portal