# University of Cape Town

> University of Cape Town is a VC fund backing AgTech and Aquaculture. See 2 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Cape Town, South Africa
- Total investments: 2
- Last investment: Jul 2024
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/edu/school?id=19875
- X (Twitter): http://twitter.com/UCT_news
- Website: http://www.uct.ac.za/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uct.ac.za?ref=ts

University of Cape Town is a public research university that has previously been ranked as the top university in Africa. Originally established as South African College in 1829, where it was a school for boys, the College developed until in 1918 it was awarded full University Status with the power to award degrees. It is notable for itsresearch, particularly in Math, Applied Sciences and Medicine, as well as its history with political activism, especially during apartheid, where the University was a bastion for liberal progressivism and anti-apartheid demonstrations.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for University of Cape Town. Shizune tracks 8 team members at University of Cape Town. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/university-of-cape-town?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AgTech | 1 | 50% |
| Aquaculture | 1 | 50% |
| Biotechnology | 1 | 50% |
| Marine Technology | 1 | 50% |

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed | 1 | 50% |
| Funding Round | 1 | 50% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Alison Gillwald | Adjunct Professor | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alison-gillwald |
| Amnesty LeFevre | Associate Professor | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/amnesty-lefevre |
| Andrea Pollio | Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellow | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/andrea-pollio |
| Miriam Altman | Professor Adjunct | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/miriam-altman-2 |
| Mlondi Mashinini | Adjunct Professor | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/mlondi-mashinini |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MariHealth Solutions (RF) (PTY) LTD | MariHealth Solutions is a marine biotech startup from South Africa, operating in the aquaculture healthcare sector. Currently, more than half the seafood we consume comes from aquaculture, and it is predicted that by 2030, 60% of the growing demand for high protein content foods will be met by aquaculture. However, aquaculture is not immune tounsustainable practices and high costs. For example, animal feeds for farmed fish account for up to 60% of the total production costs in commercial farming, while intensive farming is the main driver of animal stress, with disease outbreaks being responsible for 30-80% of losses. To solve this, MariHealth Solutions is leveraging biotechnology by developing a diagnostic molecular screening tool for effectively and proactively monitoring the impact of farming operations on farmed fish and shellfish. This will ultimately enable vets, farmers, and fish feed companies in optimizing farming operations and nutrition to reduce animal stress and disease outbreaks. In the long-term, this seeks to ensure a more sustainable approach to farming seafood by enabling the reduction of production costs and mitigating feed waste. | $269.6K |  | Jul 06, 2024 |  |
| MariHealth Solutions (RF) (PTY) LTD | MariHealth Solutions is a marine biotech startup from South Africa, operating in the aquaculture healthcare sector. Currently, more than half the seafood we consume comes from aquaculture, and it is predicted that by 2030, 60% of the growing demand for high protein content foods will be met by aquaculture. However, aquaculture is not immune tounsustainable practices and high costs. For example, animal feeds for farmed fish account for up to 60% of the total production costs in commercial farming, while intensive farming is the main driver of animal stress, with disease outbreaks being responsible for 30-80% of losses. To solve this, MariHealth Solutions is leveraging biotechnology by developing a diagnostic molecular screening tool for effectively and proactively monitoring the impact of farming operations on farmed fish and shellfish. This will ultimately enable vets, farmers, and fish feed companies in optimizing farming operations and nutrition to reduce animal stress and disease outbreaks. In the long-term, this seeks to ensure a more sustainable approach to farming seafood by enabling the reduction of production costs and mitigating feed waste. | $483.7K | Seed | Oct 21, 2022 |  |

2 of 2 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [University Technology Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/university-technology-fund) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [maze impact](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/maze-b4a7) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Olaisen Blue](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/olaisen-blue) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

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## FAQ

### What does University of Cape Town invest in?

University of Cape Town invests primarily in AgTech, Aquaculture and Biotechnology startups, most often at Seed and Funding Round stage. Most of the 2 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in South Africa. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact University of Cape Town?

Public channels for University of Cape Town include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at University of Cape Town?

The team at University of Cape Town includes Alison Gillwald (Adjunct Professor), Amnesty LeFevre (Associate Professor) and Andrea Pollio (Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellow), among 8 team members tracked by Shizune. The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### 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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