Do I need a company to pitch Artive Ventures?

No. You can pitch an idea or early project. If we build a venture together, it gets its own company with the shares agreed in writing.

Is this legal or tax advice?

No. These are starting checklists with links to the official sources. Rules and thresholds change, so confirm with the source or a professional before you act.

Are office hours really free?

Yes. It’s a conversation about your idea or problem. Nothing is agreed on the call, and you don’t need to pitch first.

For founders

The groundwork, in one place.

The registrations, rules and tools South African commerce founders run into in the first year, as plain checklists, with links to the official source for each. Then book time with us if you’re stuck.

Book office hours

Rules and thresholds change. Check the official source before you act; this is a starting point, not legal or tax advice.

01 Register the business

Register a private company, (Pty) Ltd, with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). BizPortal handles name reservation and registration online.BizPortal
A new company registered with CIPC is given an income tax reference number by SARS, so you don’t register for income tax separately.SARS
File the company’s annual return with CIPC every year, and keep its beneficial ownership details up to date.CIPC
Open a business bank account in the company’s name, and keep company and personal money apart from day one.

02 Tax and payroll

Register for VAT once your taxable sales pass SARS’s compulsory threshold over 12 months, or earlier by choice. Check the current threshold with SARS.SARS VAT
Companies pay provisional tax twice a year on their expected profit, and file an annual return.
When you employ people, register for PAYE (and the Skills Development Levy, where it applies) with SARS, for the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) with SARS and the Department of Employment and Labour, and with the Compensation Fund (COIDA).Employment and Labour

03 Customer data (POPIA)

The head of the business is its information officer by default. Register them with the Information Regulator.Information Regulator
Collect only the personal information you need, say why in a privacy notice, and keep it secure.
Email and SMS marketing to people who aren’t your customers needs their opt-in consent first, and every message needs an easy way to opt out.
If personal information is lost or accessed by someone who shouldn’t have it, tell the Information Regulator and the people affected.

04 Selling online

Under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, an online store must show who you are, how to contact you, the full price, delivery and returns terms, and your privacy policy.
Online buyers can generally cancel within seven days of receiving goods, under the same Act’s cooling-off rule. Write your returns policy around it.
The Consumer Protection Act applies too: fair terms, honest pricing and the right to return faulty goods.
Choose a payment gateway on total cost and how fast you get paid, not just the headline fee.Compare SA payment gateways

05 B-BBEE for small businesses

An Exempted Micro Enterprise, with annual turnover of R10 million or less, can show its B-BBEE level with a sworn affidavit instead of a verification audit.B-BBEE Commission

Our toolsTest the idea first.

Office hoursStuck? Talk to us.

Book a short call with the Ventures team about your idea, a pilot or the groundwork above. It’s free, there’s no pitch needed, and nothing is agreed on the call.