Finalists gearing up for first SA Private Equity and Venture Capital industry awards

Tanya van Lill, CEO of Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA)

Nine exceptional local companies have been shortlisted for the inaugural SAVCA Industry Awards, and are gearing up for the highly-anticipated gala event taking place on Thursday, 8 November, at Montecasino.

These industry awards serve as a platform to recognise investee companies that have thrived from private equity and venture capital investment, and the impact they have made to job creation and the broader South African economy. 

Tanya van Lill, CEO of Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA), says that narrowing down the list to nine companies was no easy feat as the calibre exhibited by all the nominees was outstanding. 

“The finalists selected across the three categories based on revenue and enterprise value, have all made it through a gruelling judging process. The esteemed panel of judges, comprising of 10 renowned business leaders and captains of industry, now have the daunting task of whittling the nominees down even further to select three category winners. These winners will be announced at the upcoming gala event.” 

In no specific order, the finalists in each of the three categories are: 

SMALL COMPANIES

Seed/early stage/early growth investment: 

• i-Pay Security Payment – nominated by Kalon Venture Partners: World-class payments infrastructure for the South African and Nigerian economies, which is currently being rolled out to other markets.
• SweepSouth – nominated by Edge Growth: A pioneering on-demand online platform for booking home cleaning services by connecting households with domestic workers.
• UCOOK – nominated by Silvertree Internet Holdings: Fast-growing meal kit delivery business that provides hand selected fresh ingredients and step-by-step recipes for customers to prepare themselves. 

MEDIUM-SIZED COMPANIES

Expansion/growth investment: 

• Vumatel – nominated by Vantage Capital: Pioneer in growing the fibre-to-home industry in South Africa as a source of fast reliable internet.
• Royal Schools – nominated by Old Mutual Alternative Investments: One of the pioneers in low-cost private education, with an excellent track record of academic results.
• Tessara – nominated by RMB Ventures: Leaders in “fresh science” products that enable fresh produce to remain fresh for longer. Two thirds of their output is exported. 

LARGE COMPANIES

Large equity investments/growth capital: 

• Fidelity Security Group – nominated by RMB Corvest: South Africa’s largest integrated security solution provider, celebrating its 61^st year in 2018.
• Tsebo Solutions Group – nominated by Rockwood: South Africa’s third-largest outsourced services provider in catering and facilities management, operating in 23 countries with 34 000 employees.
• Kwikot – nominated by RMB Corvest: Leader in the production of domestic geysers and industrial hot water systems, with a 115-year history. 

In assessing these companies, van Lill says that there are both quantitative and qualitative aspects that were considered. “The primary assessment criteria include evidence of growth and aspects such as job creation and preservation; innovation; environmental impact; social impact and the strength and reputation of the leadership team. 

“However, the fundamental objective is to highlight the positive impact that these companies, which have benefitted from private equity and venture capital investment, have made with that investment," she explains. 

With a wide variety of industries being represented, van Lill says that each of the nine finalists is an attractive, distinctive business that stands out amongst its peers. “While operating on various scales, these companies have all demonstrated skilled execution of particular projects, whether it be product innovation, acquisition, capital investment, international expansion or marketing innovation.” 

Over-and-above this operational excellence, she highlights the invaluable contribution that these investee companies make to the South African economy as a result of the capital injection they have received. “For each of these companies, there is tangible evidence that demonstrates how they help to drive real economic growth and development, as well as job creation across South Africa,” concludes van Lill.