Hlayisani Capital offers strategic support and capital to high-growth, high-impact entrepreneurs.
Three years in the making and operational since early 2019, the noteworthy team behind Hlayisani Growth Fund are adding value to a number of enterprises in Southern Africa with investments to the value of c.R200 million already made. The team is currently engaged in discussions with potential local and international investors keen to participate in their current investment raise.
Focused on the SME ecosystem, Hlayisani Growth Fund offers high-growth private equity investments in South Africa and Africa. The fund specialises in growing SMEs into large, successful enterprises that operate across multiple territories, create jobs and generate export revenue domestically. Target businesses are those that demonstrate sustainability, growth and investment return while including in their strategy focus on the appropriate environmental, social and governance impact of the business.
“Big business in SA spends R100 billion on outsourced services offshore,” says Principal, Brett Commaille. “This could be redirected into SA if we developed skills. There are many SMEs working to solve this problem – including those in the education and skills development space. This is just one of the investment opportunities for SME-focused funds to support and play a key role in driving GDP growth.”
Hlayisani focuses on investing in SMEs to deliver economic return and socio-economic impact. Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) and Manufacturing form the strategic focus of investments. ICT underpins the other investment focus areas as a key enabler and lever, while manufacturing is at the heart of technological change, driving industry growth and employment.
Investment sectors
Investments are focused on the following enterprises:
- Agricultural innovation
- ICT
- Manufacturing
- Education
- Medical innovation and services
Investments made
- GoMetro (Flx) – designs, sets up and operates scalable and flexible mobility platforms for transport operators around the world.
- Snapplify – an educational content platform and the largest ebook aggregator in Africa.
- Opennetworks – the first Google Premier Partner in Africa, with extensive experience in cloud computing and managed services, helping businesses move onto the cloud.
- Sudonum – helps businesses around the world improve their ROI, understand the effectiveness of their marketing, and deliver better customer experience through call tracking and analytics.
- Ikeja – A wireless network provider that uses bespoke solutions to provide internet connectivity to locations that are densely populated but underserved, such as the informal settlements of South Africa.
- Lean Enterprise Accelerator Programmes (LEAP) – manages enterprise and supplier development for large businesses, providing business support, access to markets and shared resources for entrepreneurs.
Additional deals are in the pipeline and will be announced soon.
Looking forward, Group Chairman, Dr Reuel Khoza says, “The Hlayisani investment team has a strong record in private equity and venture finance with unique access to proprietary deal flow. We are uniquely experienced and placed to seize high-growth opportunities that are positioned for outstanding investment returns while delivering socially responsible and measurable impact.”
“Collectively, the team has extensive experience and expertise as investors and operators. This, we believe will help to unlock value for our entrepreneurs and our investors.” says Michael Jordaan, Investment Committee Chairman.
Meet the team behind the pre-eminent African private equity investment company.
Team
Dr Reuel Khoza, Hlayisani Group Chairperson
A business leader and a thought leader, Reuel Khoza has more than 40 years of executive management experience. He’s served as the chairman of Nedbank Group Limited, Globeleq, GlaxoSmithKline South Africa and has served on the boards of the JSE Limited, IBM Africa, Liberty Life Group, Standard Bank Group, Nampak Limited and Old Mutual plc. He currently serves as the Chairman of Dzana Investments, Assupol and the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).
Dr Michael Jordaan, Investment Committee Chairperson
Michael Jordaan is an innovative leader, venture capitalist, entrepreneur, wine farmer and former CEO of First National Bank (FNB). Since leaving banking, Michael has made nearly 30 venture capital and private equity investments across various sectors and serves as a non-executive director of the JSE.
Nkateko Khoza, Director and Investment Principal
Nkateko Khoza has over 20 years of investment and management experience, having worked at organisations such as BMW South Africa, Barloworld Information Systems and Deloitte Consulting. She is CEO of Dzana Investments and a non-executive director of Italtile Limited.
Brett Commaille, Director and Investment Principal
An angel investor, venture capitalist, entrepreneur and business development specialist who’s built a career in investing into and growing small and medium-sized businesses in South Africa and internationally, Brett Commaille has more than 20 years of investment and management experience and over 12 years’ venture capital experience.
Dr Eugene van Rensburg, Director and Investment Principal
Eugene van Rensburg has over 20 years of investment and management experience, with more than 15 years’ experience in capital markets. He’s held senior leadership positions at several highly regarded South African and international companies, including Nedbank, Sanlam, ICAP and IRESS. Eugene serves as a member of the board of governors for the South African Institute of Financial Markets and serves as a board member of the South African Institute of Stockbrokers.
Kevin Harris, Investment Committee Member
Kevin Harris has worked in specialised finance and currently manages a range of private investments for his family office. These range from an extensive property portfolio to various listed assets, international venture capital and local private equity investments with a focus on the technology, telecommunications and energy sectors in Africa.
Mathew Palin, Portfolio Manager and Investment Committee Member
Mathew Palin is an experienced entrepreneur, venture capitalist and private equity investor. He has a history in building, growing and exiting businesses in the property, manufacturing, retail, and technology industries and is a director of several technology companies.