The story of Stellenbosch Small Business Academy Through its Small Business Academy (SBA), Stellenbosch Business School gives life to its vision of meaningful engagement with society and contributes in its area of expertise – namely business education. The purpose of the Small Business Academy is to make a difference to the lives and businesses of small-business owners in low-income communities. The nine-month SBA Development Programme is currently delivered in the Western Cape, Stellenbosch and Eastern Cape areas. Alumni of the SBA programme are supported via the SBA Growth Initiative. The SBA also undertakes research on small business development. Stellenbosch Business School works with corporate and public sector sponsors and other stakeholders to deliver the SBA Development Programme to small-business owners, and to support and guide them for nine months. The SBA Steering Committee is the governing body of the SBA. Currently, the main (Gold) sponsors are Distell and the Joe Gqabi Economic Development Agency (JoGEDA). Absa is another sponsor in the Western Cape and Silulu Ulutho Technologies from Khayelitsha is a founding sponsor. The SBA was launched in 2012.