Investing in the Development of Enterprise Advancement (IDEA), was established in conjunction with the Foundation for Internet Development (FID) to provide a mechanism for maximising contributions made by ICT industry stakeholders towards socio-economic development and to enterprise development initiatives. The primary function of this NPC is to project match and facilitate donations made by companies within the ICT sector, be it a cash grant, loan, services and/or goods.
There are often various technical components required for a technology based business to work effectively and can prove quite costly for start-ups. IDEA collaborates with multiple stakeholders bringing them together to reduce the costs associated with development projects within the ICT sector. As a broad based black ownership scheme, IDEA retains only 15% of donations received for the purpose of operating costs. The balance is allocated to development initiatives or raising funds for projects of which the beneficiaries are 85% black South Africans.