Top 30 Food and Beverage Startup Investors in South Africa (November 2026)

Portfolio highlights

• Novel Farms — Novel Farms uses microbial fermentation to develop cruelty-free, inexpensive and tunable bioscaffolds for the production of cell-based meat products. Novel Farms mission is to craft the taste and texture of the gourmet meats and transform cell-based meat consumption into a sought-after culinary experience for the next generation of consciouseaters.
• Minus — A sustainable coffee alternative, combining the taste, look, and smell of coffee with a smaller footprint to ensure a brighter future for coffee and the planet.
• Unicorn Biotechnologies — Unicorn Biotechnologies has built the turing machine for biology that read and writes scientific endeavour in iterative loops automatically by combining state of the art hardware, software and machine learning approaches.

Portfolio highlights

• Planet42 — Having your own car has never been easier. Planet42 is a vehicle rental company offering rent-to-buy car service for private clients.
• LifeCheq — LifeCheq partners with insurers and advisory firms to deliver AI-enabled distribution, boost adviser productivity, and transform how financial advice is delivered.
• SweepSouth — Book a home cleaning online from your mobile, tablet or computer. SweepSouth connects you with a cleaner in minutes. Cleaners are experienced, reliable, efficient and insured.

Portfolio highlights

• ALVA — Presenting ALVA, we are creating a range of game-changing electric vehicle that combine thrill, power and style with eco-friendliness, smart savings and a better future
• Samruk Kazyna — Samruk Kazyna is an investment management company that is responsible for managing government assets, investors and stakeholders.
• Battersea Power Station — Eat, Drink, Shop, Work, Play, Live at #BatterseaPowerStation. Explore this iconic riverside destination today. The Power Station is NOW OPEN to the public!

Portfolio highlights

• TooMuchWifi — TooMuchWifi is known to be the Best and most Reliable Wifi provider. Ideal for your home or business!
• Quro Medical — Quro Medical is an innovative digital health company pioneering premium hospital-at-home services.
• Livestock Wealth — Livestock Wealth is a crowdfarmingTM company that allows people to invest in livestock and earn from sale of the offspring.Their unique CrowdFarmingTM concept allows individuals to share the facilities of a commercial livestock farm while our experts look after their cows on a day to day basis.Cows have been a source of pride and a store ofwealth in Africa for centuries. The wealth in cows is based on something real – beef. The company enables anyone to be an organic beef farmer.

Portfolio highlights

• Aumax — Aumax is a social-first direct to consumer brand.
• UCook — UCOOK is a food and beverage platform that offers meal kit delivery service. It was founded in August 2014 and is headquartered in Cape Town.
• CarZar (Pty) Ltd — CarZar is an online car buying service, empowering consumers to sell their second hand vehicle.

Portfolio highlights

• Propel Foods — Startup that creates plant-based and hybrid protein through technology.
• Peruvian Veef — Peruvian Veef is an offline and online store that offers real burgers, grilled seitan, crispy cravings, and vegan nugget products.
• Atlantic Fish Company — Atlantic Fish Co is a cultivated seafood company using cellular agriculture to bring the world sustainable delicious seafood.

Portfolio highlights

• MAOLAC — MAOLAC is a producer of nutrition products. Their functional milk proteins offer humans and animals immune protection that includes sports nutrition, healthy aging, leaky gut, gut health, relief of joint pain, and reduction of skin infections.
• De Novo Foodlabs — Producing non-animal dairy proteins using precision fermentation

Portfolio highlights

• VALR — Buy and sell bitcoin, ethereum & more | Pay anyone for free with VALR Pay
• OfferZen — On OfferZen, Dutch tech companies reach out to you with upfront role and salary info so you can make the right career move.
• Real Time Wine — Share your wine moments. Real Time Wine is the social wine discovery app for everyone who enjoys wine, not just those who understand it. [In App Stores NOW!]

Portfolio highlights

• Optimia AI — AI solutions to optimize business processes
• Maneli Pets — Discover Maneli Pet Food's range of novel, free-range proteins for healthier, happier pets around the world.
• Soldsie — Soldsie (formerly Centrally) is a payment system enabling merchants to monetize their Facebook page by allowing customers to purchase through comments.Customers register their payment information with Soldsie, and then comment on stores’ pages, channels and feeds to activate a charge to their account, and initiate the shipping process.Merchants use the Soldsie administrative dashboard track and manage inventory and shipping, and experience increased user comments, views and viral shares.

Portfolio highlights

• Waza — Waza is a web platform with APIs. It helps startups and emerging market businesses manage their cash flow issues, invoicing needs, and international payment requirements.
• Zone — Zone is a regulated blockchain network that enables payments and acceptance of digital currencies.
• OmniRetail — OmniRetail is a consumer goods distribution platform that solves the inefficiencies of traditional trade by digitizing key stakeholders through its products.

Portfolio highlights

• Funnelll — Funnelll is a one-stop-shop to set up conversion tracking and optimize marketing campaigns to drive conversions and sales. No coding needed!97% of ad campaigns that run without conversion tracking fail to return a positive ROI. Yet, over 50% of websites don't have conversion tracking setup and only an estimated 25% use it effectively.Funnelll wants to empower businesses of all sizes to run high performing marketing campaigns that drives sales and can return as much as 10X the ROI of campaigns they are running today. Funnelll's no-code technology allows companies to setup conversion tracking, directly on their website, and use their customer data to optimize their marketing campaigns for driving sales.
• CommonX — We have created a social solution for the COVID-19 pandemic that people can use to insulate their social networks from the worry or risk of spreading COVID-19. Launching public beta by Nov. 13.
• Jovian Technologies — AI SaaS platform for Food & Beverage Competitive Intelligence & Consumer data Analytics

Portfolio highlights

• Denarii — Denarii is an outsourced financial management specialist that provide customised and affordable financial expertise in Cape Town.The company conduct financial diagnostic reviews that reveal the true status of your business’ financial health. Then, using the structures and processes already in place, and expanding where necessary, they buildinternal capacity. Plotting the way forward to financial stability and growth..
• Nurturer — Nurturer is an impact business that seeks to make natural and eco-friendly products for personal care, household and business cleaning accessible and affordable to every South African. Added to their mission, 20% of Nurturer is owned by a social entreprise that works with young people in the townships around Cape Town. Salesian Life Choicesinvests in vulnerable youth to tackle inequality. The organization provides free services to youth in terms of family stability, health, education and employment aiming at giving young people a fair chance in life.
• Salvador — Salvador is a healthy food option that provides well-balanced meals at a low cost to workplaces as part of their wellness initiatives.Salvador is a startup founded by Tawanda Manyika, in partnership with New Ventures Studio. Tawanda has worked for McDonald’s for the past six years and believes their excellent operational systems should be usedto provide healthy meals to the masses.

Portfolio highlights

• Okja — Visit Okja for freshly baked pastries, great coffee and smoothies. Baked fresh in-house every day.
• Happy Pay — Happy Pay is a credit scoring system developing company. The company integrates an autonomous artificial intelligence technology system with the merchant's platform to increase their average basket size and customer conversion metrics, providing users with buy now, and pay later services.
• Reflective Learning — Reflective delivers affordable yet effective Maths and English learning tools to South African classrooms, designed to elevate student achievements

Portfolio highlights

• wamly — Wamly is the recruitment software, It has given us time back to focus on transformational work.
• Cue — Cue is one customer service platform for live chat, chatbots and broadcasts across WhatsApp, Messenger, web chat, email and many other digital channels.
• Optique Optometrists — Optique Optometrists provides comprehensive eye care services, including eye tests, prescription glasses, and contact lenses. The company offers affordable eye care solutions and has multiple branches across South Africa. Customers can book appointments online and access a wide range of eyewear options. Optique Optometrists focuses on deliveringquality vision care and ensuring customer satisfaction through professional services and convenient booking options.

Portfolio highlights

• CASIMIR —
• illumicell AI — illumicell AI combines patented AI algorithms and proprietary microscopy technology to test 50x faster, 20x more effectively, empowering every healthcare provider at the point of care – not just fertility clinics – with accessible, scalable fertility diagnostics.
• SignalRank — SignalRank owns a growing asset portfolio of top performing venture backed companies. It enters at Series B by helping early stage investors maintain their ownership in their best assets. The resulting portfolio is a top decile venture performer since inception in May 2023. SignalRank finances early stage investors’ pro-rata in qualifying Series B rounds through an automated process designed for speed, high-conviction selection, and partner-aligned economics. it can decide inside 24 hours and fund in less than a week. As a result SignalRank has 300+ seed partners who invite it to partner for pro-rata financing in their fastest growing companies. It sees a high percentage of all Series B term sheets prior to close. Capital is supplied from SignalRank’s balance sheet, with no capital calls or partner IC process delays. Check size correlates with capital available. SignalRank handles SPV setup and ongoing administration, with a target of moving from partner allocation request to funding in 5 business days. 20% of the profit on each investment goes directly to partners. SignalRank creates deal-by-deal SPVs; SignalRank does not charge management fees for this partner product. The portfolio can be seen at - https://signalrank.com/signalrank-index.html

Portfolio highlights

• Maia Farms — Maia Farms creates sustainable mushroom and mycelium ingredients for food makers. Clean-label, high-performance, and built to scale.
• Nakitora AI LLC — NAKITORA’s mission is to accelerate food & beverage (F&B) innovation by harnessing real-time AI insights, helping brands create the right products for the right consumers, faster than ever. Their core product, TasteGPT™, is a generative intelligence platform that ingests 10M+ daily data points (menus, reviews, social, e-retail), using adomain-tuned LLM and real-time vector search to instantly surface emerging trends and unmet needs. They serve global F&B brands, CPGs, and innovators who need rapid, data-driven product development. Compared to batch analytics or generic tools, NAKITORA offers real-time, domain-specific ideation and zero-survey prediction.
• De Novo Foodlabs — Producing non-animal dairy proteins using precision fermentation

Portfolio highlights

• Superlogic — OneOf is the mass-consumer Web3 company connecting the next 100M non-crypto-native fans to iconic brands, artists, and athletes. OneOf technology enables global brands and enterprises to reimagine commerce, loyalty and engagement, allowing consumers to seamlessly collect or trade digital assets with no prior crypto expertise. Deeply committed to a sustainable and inclusive blockchain future, minting digital assets on OneOf's platform uses up to 2 million times less energy than previous generation proof-of-work networks, and costs up to 99% less in gas fees. A leader in diversity, over 80% of the collections curated by OneOf come from minority or female creators.
• PERPTools — PERPTools combines crypto perpetual trading with activity points and risk-free market predictions.
• Bullshot Inc — Bullshot is redefining the way meme tokens are launched, traded, and adopted. By combining AI-driven automation with the power of community culture, Bullshot creates an ecosystem where creativity, speed, and scalability thrive.

Portfolio highlights

• Opalia — Opalia is introducing a new era of dairy: functional, delicious, and sustainable dairy made from mammary cells.
• Hooked Foods — Hooked Foods is working on a plant-based tuna substitute. By serving delicious plant-based seafood for everyone to enjoy, the company is leading the transition to a healthier seafood ecosystem. The company was established in 2019 and is headquartered in Sweden.
• Cultimate Foods — At Cultimate, we are transforming the flavor and aroma industry with natural innovative ingredients.

Portfolio highlights

• Hsabati — Une vision à 360° de votre entreprise
• Chari — Chari is an e-commerce and fintech app for traditional retailers in French-Speaking Africa allowing them to order any consumer goods they sell and get delivered for free in less than 24 hours. Chari is also a financial services provider for these retailers, offering them microloans
• WafR — WafR is a reward-based loyalty startup that allows users to earn phone recharges while shopping at retail shops.

Portfolio highlights

• Momint — Momint is the Web3 investment platform of the future. The safest and easiest to use NFT marketplace in the world. Discover the real-world potential of NFTs.
• Rabbit — At Rabbit, we plan to change how the world shops.Retail has witnessed one revolution before with the introduction of E-Commerce that changed how customers order stuff and the second revolution is here! We are proud to be among the pioneers, a handful of global entrepreneurs that are leading and shaping the retail's second revolutionWe arefunded by amazing VCs that are helping us build the next big thingYou feel it is vague? that's intended as we are still building in stealth. but trust us, it is COOL!
• Beeline Learn — Beeline is a modern, AI-powered training and knowledge community platform, built to make it easier than has been possible before to set up and operate your organisations digital or blended learning training academy. Streamline the administration behind training and create, update and distribute training to your partners, gig workers or internalteams wherever in the world they are, at the click of a button.

Portfolio highlights

• SettleKit — Free, personalized step-by-step guidance for immigrants: SSN, bank account, driver's license, health insurance, credit card, and more.
• De Novo Foodlabs — Producing non-animal dairy proteins using precision fermentation
• Smart Separations — Smart Separations is a limited company based in London UK that has patented an innovative microfiltration technology to produce ceramic filters with self-assembled controllable pores of uniform size in the range between <1 and 50µm. This tight pore size control and range availability will revolutionise the field of MF with a cost-effectiveproduct.It aims to be the world’s leader in MF and particle separations technology – filling the void gap that exists in the market nowadays.

Portfolio highlights

• Living Models — Plant genomic foundation models built for biological discovery.
• Foodiefame — Controlo de horas, custos, documentos e visibilidade para clientes
• Ergo Bioscience — We are a biotech startup focused on the development of complex animal proteins by plant cell precision fermentation

Portfolio highlights

• HoneyCoin — HoneyCoin is a web3/web2 ecosystem of products built in a way that abstracts complexity and brings all the value of web3 and web2 to the forefront.
• Zeno — Zeno is a climate conscious motor company that offers eco-friendly motorcycles.
• Lori Systems — Lori Systems is revolutionizing African logistics through innovative technology solutions. We connect shippers, transporters, and drivers to create efficient, reliable, and transparent supply chains across Africa.

Portfolio highlights

• Planet42 — Having your own car has never been easier. Planet42 is a vehicle rental company offering rent-to-buy car service for private clients.
• AgrigateOne — One Platform to Connect the Global Perishable Supply Chain. Gain a sustainable edge through unmatched aggregated data and transparency with AgrigateOne.
• Moment — Africa is entering a transformative period of economic and technological growth driven by rapid digital adoption, expanding mobile connectivity, and a young, increasingly connected population. With approximately 1.5 billion people and one of the world’s fastest-growing youth demographics, the continent is experiencing a significant shift towardelectronic payments, mobile-first services, and broader digital transformation.Although widespread internet access and traditional banking infrastructure developed later in many African markets compared to other regions, this delayed adoption has accelerated innovation in mobile technology and financial services. Mobile money platforms, digital banking solutions, fintech ecosystems, and e-commerce adoption are reshaping how consumers and businesses interact across the continent.This youth-driven wave of innovation is creating substantial opportunities in sectors such as fintech, telecommunications, logistics, e-commerce, renewable energy, education technology, and digital services. Both global corporations and emerging local enterprises are actively investing in Africa’s rapidly evolving digital economy, competing to unlock new markets and address underserved populations.The continent’s ongoing transformation is expected to play a major role in global economic growth over the next two decades, positioning Africa as a significant center for innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital commerce.

Portfolio highlights

• Plasmaleap — Plasmaleap is a plasma technology company that manufactures and sells zero-emissions chemical reactors designed for industrial and energy applications. The company develops reactor systems that use plasma processes to enable chemical production and transformation without relying on conventional combustion methods. Its technology supports sectorssuch as clean fuels, chemical manufacturing, and materials processing by offering electrified reactor solutions that can be integrated into existing industrial workflows. Plasmaleap designs modular systems that allow operators to deploy plasma reactors for on-site production and conversion of feedstocks using electricity as the primary energy input. The company also provides engineering support and technical integration services to help customers incorporate its reactor technology into commercial operations. Through its plasma-based approach, Plasmaleap focuses on enabling chemical processes that align with decarbonization and emissions reduction objectives across multiple industries.
• Giraffe Bio — Giraffe Bio uses AI and biomolecules to optimize metal extraction, increase yield, and reduce environmental impact. Revolutionizing sustainable mining technology.
• Forge Industries — Giving landfill bound trash a second life as disruptive bio-fuel to power heavy industry

Portfolio highlights

• PatientPartner — Discover PatientPartner, the leading patient engagement software transforming pharma and med-tech with scalable, data-driven solutions that drive better health outcomes.
• Lipidio Pharmaceuticals — A Unique Approach to Treating Obesity Precision Targeting of the Skin Exploiting the skin as an endocrine organ Historically regarded as a protective barrier organ, the skin is now recognized as an active endocrine organ capable of synthesizing, and secreting diverse hormones and signaling
• SEngine Precision Medicine — The Search Engine For Identifying Personalized Cancer Treatments.

Portfolio highlights

• Trade Shield — Trade Shield's aim is to increase access to trade credit facilities for those companies that most need them and will benefit the most from them.
• Breaze Delivery — Optimize your last-mile delivery in SA. Breaze offers same-day delivery, easy Shopify/WooCommerce integration, and live WhatsApp tracking for your brand.
• Iris Fresh Pty Ltd — Iris Fresh exports fresh produce from Southern Africa to international buyers.

Portfolio highlights

• Bridgement — Need a business loan or funding to grow your business? Bridgement is the simplest way to get business funding online up to R10 000 000 in South Africa.
• Helios Towers — Driving the growth of communications in Africa and the Middle East Helios Towers is a market-leading telecom tower infrastructure company. We enable mobile operators to roll out and enhance coverage in high-growth markets.
• Wilderness Holdings — Wilderness Holdings is a group of responsible ecotourism companies, such as Wilderness Safaris and Governors’ Camp Collection, that together use responsible tourism to build sustainable conservation economies in Africa. Wilderness Safaris and the Governors’ Camp Collection operate camps and safaris in some of Africa’s best wildlife and wildernessareas across seven different countries: Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Recognising that conservation is as much about people as about the environment, the company has pursued important goals by supporting its non-profit partners, Children in the Wilderness and the Wilderness Wildlife Trust, which have helped change the face of nature-based tourism in southern Africa.

Portfolio highlights

• NjiaPay — Payments-as-a-Service platform that will streamline your operations and elevate your online payments across the African continent.
• SwiftVee — SwiftVEE is a livestock trading mobile app. They support live webcast livestock auctions and silent auctions. Their platform facilitates the discovery and viewing of livestock auctions.They provide webcast advertising, online auctions, and online livestock insurance services and data products for financial institutions.
• Tanda — As a Tanda Agent, you can sell Kenya's favorite digital products, and grow your duka while you're at it

Portfolio highlights

• Yebo Fresh — Yebofresh is a new online shopping service, delivering popular groceries straight into areas that are generally unserved by most formal retailers. Our unique business model and partnerships with manufacturers allow us to deliver top quality products and A-brands at extremely competitive prices. Yebofresh serves Imizamo Yethu, Langa, Khayelitsha,Mfuleni and Gugulethu and following recent seed funding, is rapidly expanding across the greater Cape Town area.
• Cape Doctors — Find a doctor near you at CA Cape Doctors in Rondebosch and Claremont. Medical aid accepted. Call or book your GP appointment online.
• NewForm Foods — NewForm Foods aims to reinvent food systems for planet, health, and animal welfare. The company offers innovative technology for food producers to create sustainable, animal-friendly products.