Led · Equity · Jul 2020

Sea Monster is a Cape Town-based studio founded in 2011 that uses games, VR, and AR technology to create communication and education solutions for corporations. Its team of analysts, animators, game designers and developers builds measurable digital tools to reach large and remote audiences. The company has delivered solutions for clients including FNB, Capitec, Old Mutal, and Mediclinic International. Sea Monster will use the secured $1-million investment to unlock digital solutions that change how corporations address internal training and communication. The founders are Glenn Gillis and Wynand “Munki” Groenewald; the company pursued investors toward the end of 2019 and selected Edge Growth as a preferred VC partner. Sea Monster emphasizes impactful, scalable solutions that deliver both business and social outcomes.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2016

SweepSouth operates an online on-demand home cleaning platform that links clients with domestic workers and local tradespeople. The company was launched in 2014 by Aisha Pandor and Alen Ribic and is active in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt. Management says the business aims to scale further in South Africa and expand operations in Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt while developing a platform that empowers predominantly female domestic workers. The additional funding is intended to expand the South African workforce and infrastructure, launch new services in existing markets, and pursue greenfield growth and acquisitions across Africa and beyond. Investors and company statements emphasize improving the financial and social outcomes for domestic workers as a core goal. SweepSouth operates a marketplace that formalises informal domestic and maintenance work by matching clients with vetted service providers ("SweepStars") for cleaning, gardening, pool care, heavy lifting, repairs and commercial sanitation. The company has expanded its service set to include commercial sanitation in response to Covid-19, creating additional revenue channels and addressing sanitation gaps. SweepSouth reports thousands of SweepStars on its platform, 71% of whom were previously unemployed and 29% underemployed; 84% are primary household breadwinners. The platform offers services in South Africa’s four metros: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town. Co‑founded in 2014 by Aisha Pandor and Alen Ribic, the company emphasises dignified, flexible work and social impact while pursuing growth. Financially, SweepSouth previously raised over R60-million in 2019 and has now received a new venture capital investment from Futuregrowth. SweepSouth is an online platform that connects clients with domestic cleaners; it was founded in 2014 by Aisha Pandor and Alen Ribic in South Africa. The company offers on-demand cleaning bookings and has expanded operations across seven South African cities. SweepSouth reports it has tripled its customer base, bookings, and revenue this year and has created about 15,000 job opportunities for domestic workers. It partners with Simply to provide insurance for cleaners and with Caveat Legal to run ‘The Warrior Project’ offering legal help and advice to cleaners. The company is expanding into new verticals beyond domestic services and will use funds to grow SweepSouth Shop, an online platform for buying a range of growth products. SweepSouth also plans to launch SweepSouth Connect to offer plumbing, locksmiths, electrical, childcare and handyman services. SweepSouth is an online cleaning services platform founded in 2014 by Aisha Pandor and Alen Ribic that connects clients with domestic cleaners. The company positions itself as an emerging-market focused platform aiming to expand into other home services and grow beyond South Africa. Co-founder Aisha Pandor said the partnership with Naspers Foundry will help achieve that vision and create meaningful employment opportunities. In October the startup closed a funding round valued at over R60-million, which included a R30-million investment from Naspers Foundry. Previously SweepSouth raised R10-million in 2016 and an undisclosed Series A in 2017 led by Smollan with participation from Draper Darker Flow, Identity Development Fund Managers, CRE venture capital and DJ Black Coffee. The articles do not report revenue or user metrics. SweepSouth is a Cape Town–based on-demand cleaning service that matches customers with cleaners through a tech-enabled platform. The company has positioned itself as a leading tech startup in South Africa’s on-demand services space and has been described as the “Uber of cleaning services.” SweepSouth plans to expand its rapidly growing national footprint and to modernise the cleaning-services industry while creating jobs. The startup has created thousands of job opportunities in recent months, logged over 100,000 hours of cleaning, and grown to employ 10 internal staff with plans to hire more. Financially, SweepSouth has attracted external capital, including seed funding and participation in the 500 Startups accelerator, and most recently secured a new R10-million investment. Co-founder Alen Ribic said the company’s overall valuation is at “very high multiples.”