SA startup DentX raises R1m for vehicle repair pricing platform

SA startup DentX has raised R1-million from angel investors Frederik Gerner and Bas Hochstenbach — founders of the entrepreneurial investor team E4EAfrica.

DentX helps users get competitive quotes for vehicle body damage repairs. The Johannesburg-based startup was founded last year by Jonathan Asiamah (pictured above), Benjamin Hinson and Nolo Mokoena.

The startup said in a statement today that the funding will be used to introduce a new data-driven vehicle repair pricing platform that changes the way vehicle owners and insurance partners source quotes for repairs.

Ventureburn sought comment from Asiamah on when the deal was concluded, among other questions, but had not received a response at the time of publication.

DentX will launch in Gauteng in December

DentX participated in Akro Accelerate’s inaugural cohort which was held in partnership with the SA SME Fund and Akro Capital earlier this year (see this story).

Gerner said in the same statement that he and Hochstenbach know the DentX team very well as they have mentored them since they got selected for the Akro accelerator. “We are very confident in the team, and in their business plan,” he added.

Hochstenbach said that there is a big opportunity for increased cost efficiency and quality of service in the market space that DentX is going to play in.

Asiamah, who is the startup’s CEO, said that he and the other co-founders had built DentX to help customers fix their vehicles and get better value for money.

He explained that the startup is disrupting the panel-beating industry by doing away with processes that are time-consuming and frustrating to the customer.

“Our new technology and fresh approach creates a friction-less digital vehicle repair pipeline that gives vehicle owners the peace of mind they deserve.

“We’ve sourced quotes with cost savings between 50% to 80% for vehicle owners, across many vehicle brands and damage types through our platform,” he added.

The startup said its platform will will be available across Gauteng via web and its DentX iOS and Android apps in December.

DentX plans to expand its platform to Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and Durban from February.

Read more: Cape Town’s Akro announces names of eight startups selected for its first cohort

Featured image: DentX co-founder Jonathan Asiamah (Supplied)