# Samantha Pokroy

> Samantha Pokroy is a private equity investor at Sanari Capital backing Laser and Sensor. See 4 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [Sanari Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/sanari-capital)
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Total investments: 4
- Last investment: Aug 2020
- Lead investor: 100%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-pokroy-18094
- X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/spokroy
- Website: https://x.com/spokroy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spokroy

Samantha Pokroy is a private equity investor at Sanari Capital in Johannesburg focused on Laser and Sensor. Samantha Pokroy is the Founder and CEO of Sanari Capital. She previously worked at Ethos Private Equity as a Principal. Samantha attended the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Laser | 1 | 25% |
| Sensor | 1 | 25% |
| Internet | 1 | 25% |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 25% |
| Transportation | 1 | 25% |

8 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Private Equity | 2 | 50% |
| Series B | 1 | 25% |
| Funding Round | 1 | 25% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LightWare LiDAR | LightWare designs and manufactures small LiDAR systems. Their vision of applying LiDAR technology everywhere encapsulates their belief that LiDAR has many valuable uses that will benefit humanity in ways that have not yet been realized.Almost 40 years ago founding member James Portman saw for the first time how sensors based on opticaltime-of-flight principles could detect and measure objects and surfaces in great detail, even from far away. This powerful extra-sensory capability has evolved to the point where small, autonomous machines can avoid obstacles and understand their surroundings. The same sense allows LiDAR networks to monitor and analyze stockpiles of bulk, solid materials. These are just a few of many possible applications.You may be wondering if it’s possible to design and manufacture high-quality LiDARs at a price that allows for wide adoption. The answer is a resounding yes and this is what LightWare does every day. They recognize that each application has specific requirements so they tailor the design of their products to meet these requirements. The result is economical sensors that perfectly fit your needs.The management team at Lightware is focused on building a world-class organization, from their high-quality manufacturing system that produces thousands of LiDARs each month to their experienced product development team. Their support desk guides customers as they discover powerful LiDAR solutions for their unique use cases.At LightWare they are dedicated to the mission of applying their exceptional technology to solving important problems: making drone deliveries safer, monitoring ore movement on mines, counting animals in Kenya, delivering vaccines in Malawi. The list is almost endless. Come along on their journey and show them where you can use LiDAR. | $1.4M |  | Aug 20, 2020 |  |
| LightWare LiDAR | LightWare designs and manufactures small LiDAR systems. Their vision of applying LiDAR technology everywhere encapsulates their belief that LiDAR has many valuable uses that will benefit humanity in ways that have not yet been realized.Almost 40 years ago founding member James Portman saw for the first time how sensors based on opticaltime-of-flight principles could detect and measure objects and surfaces in great detail, even from far away. This powerful extra-sensory capability has evolved to the point where small, autonomous machines can avoid obstacles and understand their surroundings. The same sense allows LiDAR networks to monitor and analyze stockpiles of bulk, solid materials. These are just a few of many possible applications.You may be wondering if it’s possible to design and manufacture high-quality LiDARs at a price that allows for wide adoption. The answer is a resounding yes and this is what LightWare does every day. They recognize that each application has specific requirements so they tailor the design of their products to meet these requirements. The result is economical sensors that perfectly fit your needs.The management team at Lightware is focused on building a world-class organization, from their high-quality manufacturing system that produces thousands of LiDARs each month to their experienced product development team. Their support desk guides customers as they discover powerful LiDAR solutions for their unique use cases.At LightWare they are dedicated to the mission of applying their exceptional technology to solving important problems: making drone deliveries safer, monitoring ore movement on mines, counting animals in Kenya, delivering vaccines in Malawi. The list is almost endless. Come along on their journey and show them where you can use LiDAR. | $1.4M | Private Equity | Aug 20, 2020 |  |
| Sensor Networks | Sensor Networks helps insurance companies improve risk mitigation, enhance loss management and better engage with customers through smart sensors. We've created Sensor Desk, an Internet of Things (IoT) platform that controls and manages a range of internally developed and third-party-connected sensors. Our focus is to predict and prevent lossor damage insurance claims, improve operational efficiency and reduce costs for end users. | $740K | Series B | May 09, 2018 |  |
| Ctrack | Ctrack is the vehicle tracking provider with more than 24 years' experience of developing effective fleet solutions. Ctrack is a part of DigiCore Holdings, a global company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, whose advanced Ctrack technology is fitted to almost 430,000 vehicles operating in 32 countries across 5 continents. | $23.4M | Private Equity |  |  |

4 of 4 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [27four Investment Managers](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/27four-investment-managers) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [4Di Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/4di-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Convergence Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/convergence-partners) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [The ASISA ESD Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/the-asisa-esd-fund) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## About Sanari Capital

VC Fund · Sandston, United States

Sanari Capital is a South African private investment company. They partner with owners and management in building companies, concepts and ideas.

2 contacts available at Sanari Capital.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Neo Maruatona Ratau | Private Equity Transactor | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/neo-maruatona-ratau |
| Samantha Pokroy | Founder and CEO | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/samantha-pokroy-45e5 |

## Similar investors

### Similar stage
- [Foresight Group](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/foresight-group) — VC Fund
- [YFM Equity Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/yfm-equity-partners) — VC Fund
- [Fondaction](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/fondaction) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does Samantha Pokroy invest in?

Samantha Pokroy invests primarily in Laser, Sensor and Internet startups, most often at Private Equity and Series B stage. Most of the 4 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in South Africa. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Samantha Pokroy last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Samantha Pokroy closed in Aug 2020. Shizune tracks 4 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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