Participated · Seed · Aug 2025

Altera Biosciences is a South African startup pioneering cell and gene therapy in Africa, co-founded by Alexandra Miszewski and Professor Michael Pepper. The company is developing a universal donor cell platform that aims to make donor cells invisible to patients' immune systems using gene silencing. Target applications include organ transplantation and treatments for diabetes and cancer. Altera positions Africa's genetic diversity as a unique R&D advantage and seeks to build therapies with global relevance while ensuring access in Africa. Financially, the company completed a ZAR 29 million (≈USD 1.6 million) pre-seed raise. The round was backed by investors including OneBio and E Squared Investments.

Participated · Series A · Nov 2023

GoMetro builds Bridge, an OEM-agnostic telemetry and data-aggregation platform that consolidates vehicle data from different makes and models into a unified API service. The company offers pay-per-use telemetry, monthly subscription products (including a connected tire kit, smart camera system, and data hub), and ETA and operations-monitoring features to identify bottlenecks. GoMetro serves a network of over 15,000 vehicles, including about 1,000 electric vehicles, and partners with 60 trucking and logistics companies. Over the past 12 months the company says revenue has doubled and it aims to triple revenue by the end of next year; it plans to integrate more than 2,000 electric vehicles and 50,000 diesel vehicles in the coming year. GoMetro is working with vehicle OEMs, expanding engineering and distribution teams, and focusing on electric bus and truck management as fleets electrify. The company is expanding operations in the U.K., Europe, South Africa and targeting the U.S., Latin America, Australia, and the Middle East in the next 12 months. GoMetro offers a mobility management platform that digitises entire fleets and integrates telematics, IoT and big data to optimise routes, predict arrivals and provide real-time supply-chain insights. The company says its platform can help operators save up to 30% in operating costs by increasing vehicle utilisation, controlling excess mileage and reducing back-office costs. Customers have reportedly increased the certainty and accuracy of delivery windows by 50%. GoMetro plans to use new funding for key hires and continued investment in platform, product engineering and development. The start-up sees additional opportunities in fleet management and is positioning its solution to compete in global markets. Management is targeting accelerated expansion in South Africa and entry into the UK and US markets. GoMetro operates a big-data platform and is launching flx, a door-to-door ride-sharing service that can integrate cabs, minibuses, buses and trains. The company says flx competes kilometre-for-kilometre with minibus taxis on price while offering shared, door-to-door trips. Internal testing has run with about 15 staff members, and GoMetro plans a 100-person corporate trial beginning in February. The startup cites studies (the Lisbon study) to argue its model could cut congestion and emissions substantially. GoMetro was accepted into the Telefónica Startup Accelerator and is targeting a launch in Milton Keynes, UK toward the end of next year. The company is also looking to raise €5 million from European investors to support expansion. Investors already include Tritech Media, AngelHub Ventures and 4Decades Capital; Derek Prout-Jones serves as chairman.

Led · Seed · Nov 2022

Synatic provides a Hybrid Integration Platform (HIP) that enables extraction, manipulation, storage, and movement of diverse data types. The platform combines iPass, EB, ETL, API management, and on-premise connectivity to reduce the time and cost of integration, automation, and analytics. It offers prebuilt connectors to common data sources including AWS, Google Cloud, Sage, and HubSpot, and has delivered automated data integration solutions for insurance and wealth management market leaders while supporting Salesforce customers. Synatic is led by founder and CEO Martin Naude and is headquartered in New York. In November 2022 the company raised a $2.5M seed extension to expand its U.S. market reach through direct sales and expanded reseller and OEM partnerships. The company plans to use the funds to prepare for a Series A early in 2023. Synatic provides a low-code data platform that helps enterprises connect legacy systems and databases to modern cloud services. Its product is designed to integrate systems such as AS400 and DB2 with platforms including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Acumatica. Founded in 2017 and bootstrapped until this round, the company reports over 40 clients across Africa, Australia, and the US, with a client base weighted toward financial services (Tokio Marine, Community Bank, EasyEquities). The startup plans to use the funding to expand its U.S. customer base, deepen its technology, and grow the team. UW Ventures’ director Harry Apostoleris cited Synatic’s product vision and early partner validation as investment drivers. CEO Martin Naude framed the raise as part of building an international software company with South African roots.

Participated · Seed · Oct 2022

Founded in 2016 by Dutch entrepreneurs Hans Osnabrugge and Jorne Schamp with South African co-founder Dean Hiine, Talk360 enables low-cost international calls to landlines and mobiles, even when recipients lack internet access. The pay-as-you-go service charges about $0.21 per minute from South Africa and $0.14 from Nigeria and is supported by a network of more than 500,000 physical points of sale across Africa. The platform has amassed a global user base of over six million people and generates approximately $12 million in annual revenue, recently reaching overall profitability. Looking ahead, the company is rolling out Shop360, which lets users send airtime, data bundles, and top-ups to contacts worldwide; payments for this feature are processed through its own infrastructure firm, NjiaPay. Management says the focus is shifting from rapid expansion to building a more resilient, trust-based communications platform. To date, Talk360 has raised $12.8 million in funding and positions itself as the most accessible option for Africa-focused international callers, competing with players like Rebtel and Libon.

Participated · Series A · Nov 2021

Mobiz provides a code-free platform that helps marketers, enterprises and SMBs build and send personalized SMS campaigns and accompanying personal landing pages without marketing expertise. The company emphasizes hyper-personalization and instant customization to boost conversions, engagement and sales for customers. Mobiz reports it works with more than 100 brands and that messages delivered via its platform are read within three minutes with a 98% open rate; subscription plans start at $29 per month. Founded in 2014, Mobiz has grown its South African presence and is beginning U.S. expansion with 200+ beta users active on the platform. The startup plans to use the new funding to hire more staff in South Africa and to double down on marketing, sales and account management to support commercial expansion into the U.S. Management also intends to pursue a subsequent Series A round in the coming months. Mobiz operates a SmartSMS marketing engagement platform on a SaaS model that delivers highly personalized, targeted mobile campaigns and gathers customer behavioural insights to enrich CRM systems or automate follow-up engagements. The platform deploys integrated SmartSMS messages at zero mobile data cost to consumers and reports 98% open rates and an average 15% click-through rate, achieving a 4X improved customer engagement rate versus traditional channels. Mobiz has recorded 4X growth since September 2019 and maintained that growth through the run up to, and early parts of, South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown. The company counts a number of blue-chip, JSE-listed clients and emphasizes personalization beyond basic customer attributes. Founders Greg Chen (CEO) and Clark Lin (CTO) bring mobile-technology experience dating back to 2005. Mobiz says it will use the investment to fund expansion as it looks to grow its footprint in the US and Europe and has been accepted into The Alchemist Accelerator in San Francisco.