Three South African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), namely LEEP Solutions, House Harvest and Green X, which are all developing sustainability solutions for the property sector, are finalists in the 2026 Green Seeds Competition, which aims to bring green innovation to the built environment.

The SMEs will compete in the final round, concluding the 12-month accelerator programme funded by JSE-listed real estate investment trust Attacq and implemented by industry initiative Property Point.

The programme is designed to accelerate practical green building solutions for real-world property environments. The shortlist comes as landlords and tenants face growing pressure to cut energy and water use, address ageing infrastructure, and demonstrate clearer progress on sustainability, says Attacq.

Green X, founded by Jason Samuels, focuses on how people use buildings. Its platform uses building data and WhatsApp-based prompts to help tenants spot energy and water waste, report faults, and take part in sustainability challenges.

House Harvest, founded by Gugulethu Mahlangu, proposes a system that links stormwater treatment to food production. Its model combines engineered wetlands and aquaponics, a method of growing plants and fish in the same water-based system.

House Harvest says the approach could help save water, produce food closer to where people work, and reduce pollution flowing into rivers.

LEEP Solutions, led by Lynne Kuter, has developed a platform that uses smart, Internet-connected sensors to monitor indoor air quality and building performance in real-time.

The sensors track factors such as temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, airborne particles and chemical pollutants, and the system can also help detect water leaks and monitor energy and water use.

“South Africa has strong entrepreneurial talent, but promising solutions tend to stall at concept stage because entrepreneurs lack access to markets, decision-makers and live environments to test their ideas,” said Property Point founder Shawn Theunissen.

“This competition was designed to close the gap between green ideas and real commercial use, which is why partnerships between established companies and entrepreneurs matter.”

The competition reflected the need for sustainability solutions that worked in day-to-day property operations, says Attacq social executive Janine Palm.

“Property owners are under pressure to make buildings more water and energy efficient while still delivering value for tenants. The Green Seeds Competition aims to identify solutions that can be tested in live property environments and, where they prove commercially viable, taken beyond a single pilot. The finalists are tackling real operational challenges.”

The three finalists will pitch their solutions to the Attacq board of directors. The winning business will continue through the accelerator, receiving business support and exposure to potential opportunities in the property sector.

Ten businesses entered an intensive bootcamp focused on AI and design thinking, progressing through a competitive multi-stage process that included two pitch rounds and a rigorous third-round assessment.

Green X, House Harvest and LEEP Solutions were selected based on the strength and originality of their ideas, their ability to execute, their growth potential, and their projected return on investment, Attacq says.