South African 4Di Capital Holds First Close of New VC Fund, at $17.5M
Cape Town, South Africa-based firm 4Di Capital held a R256m (approx. $17.5m) first closing of a new technology venture capital fund.
South Africa
App Delivery Software Snapt Receives $1M in Growth Funding
Snapt, a Johannesburg, South Africa-based provider of load balancing, web acceleration and security software, received $1m in growth funding.
Giraffe Closes Seed Funding Round
Giraffe, a South African-based low-cost automated recruitment service, closed a seed round of funding.
Hepstar Raises US$2M in Funding
Hepstar, a Cape Town, South Africa-based digital insurance distributor, raised US$2m in funding.
Automattic Acquires WooThemes
Automattic, the company behind WordPress, acquired WooThemes, the company that creates themes and plugins for the same CMS ecosystem. The amount of the acquisition was not disclosed. Following the deal, WooThemes products (extensions, themes, etc.), licenses and experience will continue as before. The team of 55 people in 16 countries will be added to Automattic’s 325 people in 37 […]
Over Wins U-Start Conference in Milan
South African social photography app Over won the award at U-Start Conference Milan, which took place last week in Milan. The startup secured final stage funding, plus a coveted place at U-Start’s International Investor Road Show beating 19 global contenders from South America, Russia, Africa and Europe who participated at the live pitch competition. Led […]
Qorus Software Receives Minority Equity Investment from Horizon Equity Partners
Qorus Software, a Cape Town, South Africa-based provider of document automation solutions for Microsoft Office and SharePoint, secured a minority equity investment from Horizon Equity Partners. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed. The company intends to use the funds to expand its sales and marketing plans for a formal entry into the North […]
LeapFrog Investments Holds Initial Close for Second Fund at US$204M
Emerging markets fund manager LeapFrog Investments held the initial close for its second fund at US$204m. Supporter included MetLife Inc., Prudential (USA), XL Group, Achmea, PartnerRe and Swiss Re, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Christian Super and TIAA-CREF, CDC, DEG, the European Investment Bank, FMO, and Oikocredit. Led by Andrew Kuper, President and Founder, LeapFrog Investments […]
Zando.co.za Receives €20m Equity Investment from Summit Partners
Zando.co.za, a Cape Town, South Africa-based fashion e-commerce retailer, has received a €20m equity investment from Summit Partners. Summit will take a stake in the company through its German holding company. Launched on the 23rd of January 2012 by Manuel Koser and Peter Allerstorfer, Zando.co.za now offers and 10,000 products including clothing, beauty and accessories […]
Zando Receives Investment from J.P. Morgan Asset Management
ZANDO, a Cape Town, South Africa-based fashion e-commerce retailer, has received an investment from J.P. Morgan Asset Management. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed. The investor, which will take a stake in ZANDO through its German holding company, will help the company increase its portfolio of products and continue to grow its e-commerce […]
Gatfol Technology Raises Seed Funding from New Zealand-based Investors
Gatfol Technology, a Centurion, South Africa-based start up that is developinf a technique for changing keyword search into man-to-machine questioning communication, has obtained seed funding from private New Zealand-based investors. The company intends to use the capital for pre-Beta testing of its free browser technology scheduled for release towards the end of first quarter 2012. […]
FireID Raises Additional €5M
FireID, a Stellenbosch, South Africa-based provider of security applications for mobile authentication, has raised additional funding of €5m (approximately $6.4m) from Jersey-based 4D Innovative Capital International Limited. The funding will be used to expand worldwide distribution of the mobile password authentication solution into key verticals identified in the international marketplace. FireID allows users to generate […]
GEEREF Commits €10M for Clean Energy in Southern Africa
The Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (GEEREF), an investment vehicle focused on clean energy in emerging countries and economies in transition, committed €10m to Southern Africa’s Evolution One Fund. Evolution One is a private equity fund dedicated to encouraging accelerated development and use of environmental friendly products, services and processes to reduce costs […]