The Great Debate: Infrastructure Investing in SA vs the Rest of the Continent
29 June 2022 It’s a well-known fact that infrastructure investment is urgently needed across Africa, including in South Africa. The African Development Bank estimates that the continent’s infrastructure financing needs will be as much as $170 billion a year by 2025, with an estimated gap of around $100 billion a year. And in the private…
Read MorePositive outlook for the PE industry’s impact on SAs socioeconomic development
The Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) recently hosted its first in-person private equity (PE) conference since before the pandemic hit our shores in early 2020. Over 400 local and international delegates attended the two-day event which took place at the beautiful Ashanti Estate in Paarl, Western Cape. Tanya van Lill, outgoing…
Read MorePAPE FUND 3 INVESTS IN ENTERSEKT
PAPE Fund 3, a mid-market South African private equity fund, has this week acquired an equity interest in Entersekt, a global leader in device identity and payment authentication. The transaction achieved financial close in Franschhoek, during the final night of the SAVCA conference on Thursday 24 May 2022. Entersekt was founded in Stellenbosch in 2010.…
Read MoreMahlako Energy Fund – Pioneering Energy Investment within the Mining Sector
Johannesburg, 2 June 2022 – Mahlako Energy Fund has concluded its investment in a landmark industrial independent power generation project for the Harmony-commissioned 30MW solar photovoltaic (PV) portfolio. This project is one of the first under Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act of South Africa. The amended regulations allow for investment in new generation…
Read MoreWestbrooke sells its interest in tapestry home brands to TFG limited
The shareholders of Tapestry Home Brands, led by Westbrooke, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with The Foschini Group (TFG) for the sale of the entire share capital of Tapestry Home Brands (Tapestry), a prominent home furnishings group, for a cash purchase consideration of R2.35 billion. The proudly local Tapestry group is…
Read More2022 BUDGET: Private Sector Partnerships Needed to Foster Economic Growth
24 February 2022: In his maiden Budget Speech, delivered on Wednesday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana ushered in a series of initiatives that the Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) believes will offer the people of South Africa some reprieve whilst looking to support economic growth. Increased infrastructure investment SAVCA welcomes government’s decision…
Read MoreSAVCA Statement on the 2022 State of the Nation Address
Government and Private Sector to bolster efforts at increasing investor confidence and economic growth During Thursday evening’s State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined various areas of improvement within the scope of his Cabinet, as he highlighted the growing need for both the private sector and government to collaborate more vociferously to bolster…
Read MoreSouth African HR software startup Wamly targets international expansion after securing Knife Capital investment
24 January 2022 Wamly, the one-way video interview software startup has secured a 2nd round investment from South African venture capital firm, Knife Capital. The deal sees Davey Gant, Knife Capital partner based in UK, joining the Wamly Board of Directors. Wamly is one-way video interview software that connects great companies to talented people and…
Read MoreVenture Capital has the power to address SA challenges – but more Investors are needed
There is a strong business case for venture capital (VC) investing in South Africa, not least because of the opportunity it presents for positive social and economic impact. This was discussed extensively by a number of key industry players at the Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) VC Conference 2021 held in…
Read MoreInstitutional Capital needed to grow SA Venture Capital sector
Innovation to drive economic rebound The 2021 SAVCA Venture Capital (VC) Conference was held on 15 November 2021. In a continuation from the March private equity conference, the overarching theme for the venture capital conference was “re:imagine” as we work towards re:imagining the role VC can play in rebuilding our economy. The topics covered ranged…
Read MoreSAVCA appoints two new Board Members at 2021 AGM
The Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) hosted its virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 6 October and welcomed two new directors to its board: Thiru Pather and Vuyo Ntoi. SAVCA CEO, Tanya van Lill commented, “it’s a privilege to welcome two such highly esteemed industry professionals to our board. They each…
Read MoreA ‘Turbulent but Encouraging’ Year Ahead for South Africa’s Private Equity Industry
SAVCA Private Equity Industry Survey highlights the need for more African investment and increased exit volumes With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic amidst a turbulent macroeconomic landscape, Sub-Saharan Africa was expected to go deep into contractionary territory in 2020. Highlights from the SAVCA 2021 Private Equity Industry Survey showed this prediction to be accurate,…
Read MoreVenture Capital industry Insights: “South African venture capital continues to grow”
SAVCA releases 2021 Venture Capital Industry survey highlights and tackles pivotal issues Survey Highlights: 74 Fund managers invested R1.39 billion into 122 entities through 167 investment rounds in 2020 (up from 69 fund managers investing R1.23 billion in 2019) At the end of 2020, the SA VC industry had R6.87 billion invested into 841 active…
Read MoreBUSINESS RESCUE AND DISTRESSED ASSET INVESTING
Considerations for creditors, shareholders, and private equity firms. According to Statistics South Africa, 216 businesses were liquidated in March 2021, 50% higher than the number recorded just a year ago. It is against this backdrop that the Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) recently hosted a panel of experts to discuss the…
Read MoreGrindstone Ventures launches $6.5m venture capital fund for SA tech SME development
Female-led African venture capital fund Fills need for post-seed, pre-Series A funding for the African continent Aligned to President’s vision of a startup nation in South Africa Cape Town, 9 November, 2021— Grindstone Ventures today launched a US $6.5m (R100 million) fund dedicated to seed funding predominantly South African innovative technology startups who have completed,…
Read MoreAfrica REN launches the construction of the largest solar plant in Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, October 20, 2021 – Africa REN, a pioneer in clean infrastructures in Africa, announces it has launched the construction of the Kodeni Solar power plant, near Bobo-Dioulasso, in Burkina Faso. With an installed capacity of 38MW, Kodeni Solar will be the largest solar power plant in the country as well as the…
Read MoreSA’s school management and communication EdTech company d6 targets global growth with investment from Knife Capital and Hlayisani Growth Fund
Stellenbosch, South Africa – Tuesday, 12 October 2021. Willem Kitshoff, CEO of the EdTech company d6 Group, today announced that the cloud-based management platform for schools has received a capital injection from Knife Capital, Hlayisani Capital and NuState Ventures. d6 is currently the most widely used cloud-based school communication and management platform in South Africa…
Read MoreSummit Africa achieves final close on its first private equity fund
The alternative asset management firm’s private equity fund secured R1.6 billion in commitments for long-term investment. The fund has been approved for the 2X Challenge qualification— a commitment by the development finance institutions (DFIs) of the G7 to mobilise USD15 billion by the end of 2022 toward investments that support women’s economic empowerment in emerging…
Read MoreIndustry 4.0 solution business Stone Three raises expansion funding from Knife Capital
PRESS RELEASE: 4 October 2021 Stone Three / Knife Capital Stone Three is a leading industry 4.0 solution business that combines expert services with the power of machine learning to solve problems that increase operational productivity and keep people safer, healthier and happier. These end-to-end solutions for AI-augmented digital productivity, health and workplace safety include…
Read MoreDPI raises one of the largest Africa funds at US$900m to invest in innovation-led companies
London, 04 October 2021 – Development Partners International (DPI), a premier investment firm focused on Africa, today announced that African Development Partners III Fund (ADP III), has exceeded its US$800 million target, and is set to hold a final close at US$900 million, with an additional US$250m of dedicated co-investment capital. This brings a total…
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