Five South African Venture Capital firms to watch in 2022

While crypto assets will continue to dominate the headlines, these VCs have laid a solid foundation for growing businesses that will transform society.

Naspers

Naspers is one of the largest companies on the continent by market capitalisation and an outstanding shares market value of $104 billion in 2021.

A 56 percent stake in Prosus has linked the company to large global technology investments, but Naspers Foundry is quickly making a name for itself as an early and growth-stage venture capital investment firm in South Africa.

Naspers reached an outstanding shares market value of $104 billion in 2021

Moves in the FinTech and EdTech space should continue with more funding available to add to a diverse portfolio companies that include Myntra, MakeMyTrip, GoIbibo, Flipkart, Udemy, Swiggy, PayU and PaySense.

Newtown Partners

Newtown Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm that actively invests in emerging, disruptive technology startup businesses. Founded and run by internationally successful entrepreneurs, Vinny Lingham and Llew Claasen, the company investment strategy has an entrepreneurial focus that goes beyond investment.

Operations in San Diego and Cape Town allow the blockchain investment and advisory services company to monitor emerging trends in different economic environments.

The Newton Partners investment strategy has an entrepreneurial focus that goes beyond investment.

The team has successfully launched, grown and sold token economics, token sale design and demand generation technology start-up businesses as entrepreneurs themselves and know what is required to succeed locally and internationally. Token sale services include token distribution strategy, marketing, distribution execution and token economy design.

Savant

Savant offers a hybrid venture capital fund and technology incubator approach with a focus on local start-ups. It offers seed incubation and funding to hardware technology companies.

For incubation it takes a minority equity stake of up to 15 percent in the start-ups to remove risk from hardware technology development and ensure that these start-ups are commercially driven.

Savant takes a minority equity stake of up to 15 percent in the start-ups

On the venture fund side of the business, it invests in early-stage technology start-ups that are investor-ready with market-ready hardware innovations and demonstrable demand. Jonga, Dose Dr. and Signal S are among the companies Savant has supported.

4Di Capital

Snapt, Aerobotics, LifeQ and Lumkani are only a handful of world-shaping companies that have received funding from 4Di Capital, a seed and early-stage focused venture capital firm.

Led by a team of entrepreneurs with personal experience of building companies, 4Di is one of the most established and regarded brands in the local venture capital market, having been formed in 2009, and is actively sought after as an investor by company founders and co-investors alike.

4Di is one of the most established and regarded brands in the local VC market

Investment territories include Africa, and the US with investment interests that stretch across mobile technology, Fintech and Healthtech.

Knife Capital

Knife Capital is a venture capital investment and advisory firm that makes investments across Southern Africa.

The firm focuses on technology-enabled ventures, but fashions itself as a vehicle that accelerates the international expansion of African innovation-driven businesses by leveraging knowledge, networks and funding.

Knife Capital focuses on technology-enabled ventures

DataProphet, iKubu, orderTalk and TaxTim have already benefited from the firm’s work, and it has become a model for other funds and incubators like Invictus. Knife Capital also provides consulting, training, and business acceleration services.

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