Top 20 Retail Startup Investors in South Africa in May 2026

Portfolio highlights

• CurbWaste — A software by haulers, for haulers
• Reserv — We are a premier claims platform, born from state-of-the-art data intelligence and talent management technology.
• CipherOwl Inc — CipherOwl delivers AI-powered digital asset intelligence and automation tools for institutions, helping banks, exchanges, and crypto teams manage risk, ensure compliance, and operate with confidence.

Portfolio highlights

• Sweatcoin — Sweatcoin is a digital currency backed by physical movement. They verify and convert movement into currency. Users can then donate it to charity, transfer to other users or spend on products, services, and experiences provided by Sweatcoin vendors and user community.Sweatcoin tackles Present Bias by moving the future benefits of exercise into thehere and now- immediately converting movement into a digital currency and changing the perception of physical movement.
• Afterparty — Afterparty is a technology company behind the new Web3 platform enabling creators to directly monetize and manage NFT collector relationships
• Decent Labs — We are rebuilding trust in technology. Decent Labs is developing a more transparent and equitable society by creating startups at the cross-section of financial technology and digital rights.

Portfolio highlights

• Hub2.Io — Welcome to HUB2, the leading FINTECH startup in interoperability and payment infrastructure in Francophone Africa. We are proud to work with all financial industry players in Africa who need stable and high-performing infrastructure, and contribute to their success.
• Talstack — Talstack is an all-in-one platform for employee growth and development
• littlefishapp — Full stack enterprise platform that extends your infrastructure, instead of replacing it.

Portfolio highlights

• NUMOS — NUMOS is an insurance tech platform.
• Xaver — Xaver enables Financial Institutions to close Europe’s pension gap. By offering an advanced AI-driven B2B platform for life insurance and private pension sales, Xaver enhances the operational and sales efficiency of banks, insurers, and brokers by up to 65% and introduces a new era of white-labeled private pension products.With a leadership teamof experienced industry veterans - Max Bachem, Ole Breulmann, and Dr. Björn Holste - and backing from leading VC funds and a prominent group of former financial institution executives, fintech pioneers, and unicorn founders, Xaver is dedicated to improving the pension situation of Europeans through their B2B offering.
• Faro — Every garment deserves to be worn. Leveraging technology and a specialised supply chain, FARO enables brands to offload obsolete inventory through stores in non-core markets, ensuring complete traceability throughout the process.

Portfolio highlights

• Andela — Unlock the power of global tech talent with Andela. Hire experienced professionals quickly and cost-effectively. Build your team from our robust network of skilled specialists spanning 175 countries. Our AI-powered platform ensures a 96% talent match success rate. Get started now and hire with confidence.
• Matta — Matta is a B2B platform offering a comprehensive, detailed marketplace for sourcing chemicals and materials efficiently and reliably
• Cutstruct — Cutstruct is your one source for bulk construction materials purchase. Get the best prices for cement, steel, granite, sharp sand wood, and more.

Portfolio highlights

• Divibank — Divibank is a financing platform offering businesses access to growth capital.
• Tern Group — Tern Group is an AI Platform to hire and relocate top healthcare talents globally, faster and cheaper. TERN is a full-stack solution to source and relocate top-tier medical and engineering talent from India, North Africa, South Africa, and Central Asia and the approach ensures a seamless, ethical, and transparent migration process, drasticallycutting complexity and shaving costs for healthcare systems.
• General Fusion — General Fusion is developing fusion energy: a clean, safe, abundant and on-demand approach to generating electricity.

Portfolio highlights

• MDaaS Global — At MDaaS Global, we build and operate modern, tech-enabled diagnostic centres in clinically-underserved communities, starting in Nigeria. Our big goal is to create affordable healthcare solutions for Africa's next billion.
• Chefaa — Chefaa is a GPS-enabled pharmacy benefits platform connecting patients & pharmacies nation-wide to help patients manage all their pharmacy needs. Chefaa uses big data, data ming & machine learning
• Waspito — We are the platform that engages Africa into the conversation and action to drive affordable and accessible quality healthcare across the continent.

Portfolio highlights

• VALR — Buy and sell bitcoin, ethereum & more | Pay anyone for free with VALR Pay
• Snapplify — Snapplify is at the forefront of edtech solutions in Africa, and specialises in enabling digital learning for individuals and institutions via the largest digital educational marketplace in Africa. As a global edtech company, Snapplify strives for radical inclusion to level the playing field and equip individuals across emerging markets with theworld-class tools they need to collaborate, innovate and thrive. Snapplify’s technology is used in other educational products to facilitate collaboration throughout the educational community.Snapplify for Education’s award-winning platform is already a top choice for institutions integrating digital education into their classrooms. From software to support, Snapplify provides institutions with everything they need to create a secure, collaborative e-learning environment for students. Snapplify’s robust 24-hour-access digital-library solution offers thousands of free ebooks and widely applicable, curriculum-approved educational content supplied by partner publishers from across the globe. Snapplify’s diversity of device integration allows schools to use its products on the devices that they already have access to, without having to invest in costly digital infrastructure upgrades. Snapplify’s solutions are industry celebrated and globally recognised for their innovation in technology.In order to achieve its educational goals, Snapplify has built strong relationships with diverse partners around the growth of its ebook, e-textbook, and device catalogue, and partnered with international publishers and other key stakeholders to meet the demand for widely relevant, curriculum-compliant digital educational content. As a socially minded company, Snapplify is committed to supporting others and creating sustainable change through collaboration and innovation. Snapplify empowers, inspires, and uplifts teachers via Teacha! (a media hub, resource marketplace, and careers portal for educators); is the digital content partner on a project that delivers technology and e-learning to public schools in South Africa’s Gauteng province, and runs impact programmes through the Snapplify Foundation.Snapplify originated in South Africa, focusing initially on the South African education and digital content industries. Since its establishment in 2012, the company has grown and expanded into new markets in Africa and the United States, with offices across South Africa, as well as in Nairobi, London, Amsterdam and New Jersey. Snapplify is backed by AngelHub Ventures, a venture capital company backed by former First National Bank CEO Michael Jordaan and the Harris family, as well as international investors. In 2019, Snapplify secured $2 million expansion capital from venture capital firm Knife Capital, and empowered African investment manager Hlayisani Capital’s Hlayisani Growth Fund.Snapplify for Education’s award-winning platform is already a top choice for institutions integrating digital education into their classrooms. From software to support, Snapplify provides institutions with everything they need to create a secure, collaborative e-learning environment for students. Through Snapplify’s e-learning and digital library solution, Engage, educators can share teacher-created, multimedia resource materials with students; administrators can manage the access and permissions for multiple student and staff accounts; schools can host their own 24-hour access digital content library (which comes with over 50 000 free resources including study guides, e-textbooks, past exam papers for multiple curricula, children’s books in African languages and more); and students and parents can purchase prescribed e-textbooks. Snapplify’s diversity of device integration allows schools to use its products on the devices that they already have access to, without having to invest in costly digital infrastructure upgrades. Snapplify’s solutions are industry celebrated and globally recognised for their innovation in technology.
• 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

• 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

• Rentoza — We champion giving you access, affordability and flexibility to explore tech on your own terms
• Kusini Water — Kusini Water builds water treatment systems from nanotechnology and macadamia nut shells.
• 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.

Portfolio highlights

• Secfi — Secfi is the leading provider of equity education and stock option financing. Get the expertise, planning, and cash to own your startup stock options with confidence.
• Clutch — Clutch is a Toronto-based technology company that is reinventing the way people buy and own cars. Clutch offers high-quality certified vehicles at great prices through a fully online customer experience. At Clutch.ca, customers browse inventory online, buy the car that’s right for them, and enjoy effortless at-home delivery. Clutch’s mission is toprovide customers with a delightful car buying experience by offering high-quality cars at great prices with ultimate convenience while making a positive impact on the communities in which it operates.
• Transparency Analytics — Transparency Analytics is a new company dedicated to measuring risk and delivering transparent, technology-driven solutions for clients in the evolving world of private credit.

Portfolio highlights

• Oze — OZÉ brings African small businesses into the digital era. It is an app that makes it easy for businesses to track sales, expenses, and customer information. The data is analyzed to provide tailored recommendations, reports, and business education. If the entrepreneur needs a little extra support, an OZÉ Coach is just a click away. As they are usingOZÉ to manage their business and learn how to run it better, we are learning about them. Using this data and machine learning, we can predict their credit risk and provide them with affordable capital from our banking partners. With over 20,000 registered users, OZÉ is the largest online community of SMEs in Ghana. The most exciting thing is that OZÉ works; 97% of businesses that have used OZE for at least 9 months are growing or profitable or both!
• Root — Launch digital and embedded insurance solutions with omni-channel distribution.
• Afropolitan — Afropolitan is building a Network State to unleash the maximum potential of Africans around the world. Are you interested? Join us with your email.

Portfolio highlights

• Cautio — Cautio is a Visual Telematics company that provides safety and security to drivers and passengers.
• Ninecamp — Ninecamp is a food and beverage company. They anticipate creating new and unique brands with a strong emphasis on high-quality offerings in product, service, and design.
• Faro — Every garment deserves to be worn. Leveraging technology and a specialised supply chain, FARO enables brands to offload obsolete inventory through stores in non-core markets, ensuring complete traceability throughout the process.

Portfolio highlights

• Bamba — Bamba is an android application allowing micro-merchants across Africa to run their entire business utilizing their phones. It focuses on simple tools for merchants to manage their customers, get paid, payout as well as takeout cash advances against their future cash flow.
• Faro — Every garment deserves to be worn. Leveraging technology and a specialised supply chain, FARO enables brands to offload obsolete inventory through stores in non-core markets, ensuring complete traceability throughout the process.
• Finclusion Group — Enhancing financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa through data driven lending.

Portfolio highlights

• Swype — Swype creates text input technology for screens. The patented interface enables users to create words with one continuous finger motion across an on-screen keyboard. This approach provides a faster and easier way to write. Swype delivers single-tap, multi-tap, predictive and "swype" motions for both stylus and finger based input.In addition, the application is designed to work across a variety of devices such as phones, tablets, game consoles, kiosks, televisions, virtual screens and more.Seattle based Swype Inc. was founded by Cliff Kushler and Randy Marsden in 2003. Cliff is the co-inventor of T9, the standard predictive text-entry solution used on almost 3 billion mobile phones worldwide. Randy is the developer of the onscreen keyboard included in Windows, with an installed base of over 500 million units
• SnapLogic — SnapLogic's iPaaS platform empowers enterprises by automating application, data and cloud integration. Reach digital business transformation with SnapLogic.
• Integris Software — A new EU law, the General Data Protection Regulation, will fine companies up to 4% of WW revenue for violations of people’s privacy. This will have the same impact on all industries as SOX compliance had on the financial sector. Integris Software helps organizations meet rigid compliance mandates with the ability to visualize where all personalinformation is located across the enterprise, prove adherence to regulatory standards, and empower strategic decision making by bridging the gap between legal, business, and technology.

Portfolio highlights

• Faro — Every garment deserves to be worn. Leveraging technology and a specialised supply chain, FARO enables brands to offload obsolete inventory through stores in non-core markets, ensuring complete traceability throughout the process.
• Tern Group — Tern Group is an AI Platform to hire and relocate top healthcare talents globally, faster and cheaper. TERN is a full-stack solution to source and relocate top-tier medical and engineering talent from India, North Africa, South Africa, and Central Asia and the approach ensures a seamless, ethical, and transparent migration process, drasticallycutting complexity and shaving costs for healthcare systems.
• Bamba — Today, organizations spend a lot of money on physical data gathering exercises using old-fashioned paper-based methods. These methods result in expensive, severely delayed and incomplete data . With Bamba, a client can launch a data collection exercise anywhere in the world simply from the comfort of their web browser and the client can ensureindividuals respond with complete answers by paying those individuals for that data with mobile airtime in 122 different countries thus far.

Portfolio highlights

• Zephyr Health — Zephyr Health operates as an insights-as-a-service solution built specifically for life sciences companies addressing critical business and patient needs. Zephyr Illuminate™ helps pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies make confident decisions faster across the entire lifecycle with precise and predictive data insights.
• Area 1 Security — Email Security from Cloudflare protects inboxes against phishing, malware, and ransomware. Learn more about our advanced cloud-based email security.
• Global Worldwide — Global Worldwide have been global leaders in Agriculture, Materials Science, Autonomous Weapon Systems, and Pharmaceutical Testing since our inception in 1945. Each division of the company has led its respective industry through productive, science-based innovation to meet the needs of customers and

Portfolio highlights

• MDaaS Global — At MDaaS Global, we build and operate modern, tech-enabled diagnostic centres in clinically-underserved communities, starting in Nigeria. Our big goal is to create affordable healthcare solutions for Africa's next billion.
• Chefaa — Chefaa is a GPS-enabled pharmacy benefits platform connecting patients & pharmacies nation-wide to help patients manage all their pharmacy needs. Chefaa uses big data, data ming & machine learning
• 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

• karla — karla gives you the absolute superpower over the delivery of your online orders, It develop the delivery options for your online orders that you have never dared to dream of!
• Enter — baupal seeks to democratize sustainable and customized architecture, making design, energy assessments, permitting and cost evaluations more accessible and straightforward for private builders and smaller construction projects. baupal is an online building application service that takes advantage of digital processes and efficient team structuresto streamline design, planning and permitting processes for a range of small-scale projects.baupal was established in December, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.
• Faro — Every garment deserves to be worn. Leveraging technology and a specialised supply chain, FARO enables brands to offload obsolete inventory through stores in non-core markets, ensuring complete traceability throughout the process.

Portfolio highlights

• Adumo — We are your expert partner in payments, enabling you to seamlessly and securely accept payments in-store and online with our true omni-channel experience. Never miss a sale with South Africa's largest independent payments processor.
• VantagePay — VantagePay provides white-label payment and technology solutions to the Banking, Telco, Financial Services, and Consumer Product Industries.
• 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.