Nominees for prestigious business investment award

The South African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) Industry Awards celebrate the accomplishments of portfolio companies that have successfully used invested capital to build thriving enterprises. This year marks the fourth in-person event of its kind, which will be hosted by SAVCA in partnership with Investec on 9 May.

The panel of judges has now successfully completed the nomination review process and has announced the shortlisted finalists in the medium and large company categories as well as startups/venture capital and small company categories.

As SAVCA CEO Tshepiso Kobile explains, “The nominees in the medium and large company categories are brilliant examples of the value of this asset class, not only in terms of funding but in terms of the ability to walk side by side with business owners and provide them with the mentorship and support to realise their goals. These partnerships are what we have set out to foreground and celebrate.”

MEDIUM COMPANY NOMINEES

TrenStar SA | Returnable packaging solutions

Founded in 1992, TrenStar SA is an industry innovator with extensive experience across the total spectrum of returnable and rental packaging. This includes design, procurement, conditioning (providing functional, clean and safe returnable packaging), tracking and management with system integration capabilities. The company distinguishes itself by constantly investing in proprietary methodology and software development and building a history of enabling returnable packaging management through barcoding, RFID and IoT. Today, it provides returnable packaging and supply chain solutions to various industries, with key capabilities in the automotive, agriculture, healthcare and other sectors.

According to CEO Tap du Plessus: “TrenStar SA has had the opportunity to participate in several private equity transactions, with each transaction supporting an important strategic objective. These objectives ranged from a change in equity to expansion capital, debt restructuring, realising investment and BBBEE compliance. A well-regulated and professional private equity and venture capital industry in South Africa unlocks opportunities for entrepreneurial companies and funds to achieve great returns. This recognition as a SAVCA Industry Awards finalist had fuelled our creative enthusiasm to do business. What an honour!”

MyRunway | Fashion e-commerce

MyRunway is an online fashion retailer that has established partnerships with over 500 high-end brands to bring fashion to online shoppers at discounted prices. Through its online platform and mobile app, MyRunway offers its customers daily promotional deals as well as a wide range of always-on products from leading brands such as Fossil, Superdry, GUESS and Elizabeth Arden. The site currently supplies products across multiple categories including shoes, accessories, activewear and swimwear. The brand was founded under the name RunwaySale in 2012, a leading e-commerce platform which was later rebranded to MyRunway, spurred on by a period of substantial growth during the pandemic.

LARGE COMPANY NOMINEES

AutoX | Automotive manufacturer

AutoX is a leading South African automotive lead-acid battery manufacturer and distributor, supplying local and selected African and European markets with Willard and Sabat battery brands. It is also the official distributor in South Africa and other selected African countries of the world renowned VARTA automotive batteries manufactured by Clarios. Serving both the original equipment manufacturer and aftermarket replacement market sectors, AutoX provides a wide range of batteries including automotive car and truck batteries, industrial batteries, as well as motorcycle and leisure batteries.

Commenting on the nomination is CEO Glenn Geldenhuis, who says that, “being nominated for the SAVCA 2023/24 Industry Awards is an extreme honour, and a recognition of the dedication, commitment and teamwork of the AutoX team at all levels of the business through challenging times in our economy and country as a whole. We continue in our quest to promote and drive a high-performance culture, linked to both our Core Values and our internal Ten Commandments of Continuous Improvement. What makes this nomination even more special for us at AutoX is the fact that this year is the 70th anniversary of the founding of our company.”

Excellerate Holdings Limited | Investment holding company

The Excellerate Holdings Group has an extensive global footprint, with offices across Africa, UAE and the UK. Its loyal client base includes multinational corporates, public sector organisations, developers, funds, institutions and private investors. Excellerate’s brands include CBRE Excellerate (Facilities Management and Corporate Real Estate Services), Excellerate Services (Integrated Soft Services), Excellerate JHI, and Excellerate JHI Retail (Investor Property Management). With more than 20 000 employees, the group manages approximately $12.6 billion in assets encompassing 16.5 million square meters and over 22 000 leases.

“Being nominated for the SAVCA’s 2023/24 Industry Awards fills us with immense pride and gratitude. It reflects the dedication of our team and the trust of our partners. This recognition motivates us to persist in our pursuit of innovation and excellence, reinforcing our commitment to driving positive change and creating lasting value in the industry,” says CEO Marna van der Walt.

Amrod | Branded promotional products provider

Amrod is the southern hemisphere’s largest total-solution, branded, promotional products provider. Founded in 2000, the business operates the most comprehensive and advanced in-house branding facility in Africa and supplies a range of products including apparel, headwear, workwear and custom packaging. It currently supplies over 6 500 resellers through its network of nine showrooms across five African countries and is headquartered in an industry-leading 38 000m2 facility in Johannesburg. Through the continuous pursuit of excellence and innovation, the brand aims to provide clients with a seamless total-solution. This includes: deep inventory across a wide range of products, state-of-the-art branding solutions and quicker lead times, combined with the latest digital systems, tools and resources, which are geared toward making online customer interactions fast, simple and convenient.

STARTUPS/VENTURE CAPITAL NOMINEES

Kobile says, “South Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is a hotbed of innovation, creativity and economic development. The portfolio companies nominated in the categories of venture capital and small companies/startups show amazing potential to join the fray of African brands and businesses that are changing the face of their industries. All of them are incredibly deserving of the nomination.”

Pineapple | Insurtech

Pineapple was founded by a chartered accountant and a founding team who eagerly entered an innovation competition in 2016 and put forward an idea for a disruptive model in the insurance industry.

According to the digital insurer, currently the world’s largest knowledge hub on digital insurance, Pineapple’s model is decentralised, scalable and offers fully comprehensive cover through a smartphone app. The brand’s fresh, youthful tone and quirky visual language is reflective of its groundbreaking approach to insurance, powered by revolutionary technology.

EmGuidance | Healthtech

EMGuidance is an independent digital platform that connects the healthcare ecosystem and medical industry to healthcare professionals at the point of care. The founders aim to provide access to comprehensive decision-making support, and introduce advances in medicines, diagnostics and therapeutic interventions.

“I am really pleased to hear about EMGuidance’s nomination. The team has put in monumental efforts over the last seven years. With support from our investors and the broader healthcare ecosystem, EMGuidance has become the most well-penetrated digital platform in the medical community. It is used and relied upon daily by most South African healthcare professionals, driving improvements in outcomes for millions of patients. The recognition of these efforts further motivates us to advance the platform and reap the rewards of years of user growth and business model maturation,” says co-founder and CEO, Dr Yaseen Khan.

Lipa Payments | Payments technology

Lipa Payments uses cutting-edge software to enable contactless payments that can be made using a mobile phone. With the ultimate goal of ‘shaping the future of contactless payments’, the business aims to drive the move toward a cashless economy and using a contactless payments solution that can operate on low-end smartphones, promote greater financial inclusion and boost the accessibility of payment innovations. Lipa Payments’ technology has been designed to meet the needs of micro-enterprises in townships and outlying, rural areas where Internet connectivity remains a challenge.

hearX | Healthtech

hearX is an industry-leading healthtech company with a mission to make healthy hearing accessible to everyone, everywhere. Using smart technology and data, hearX has built a suite of digital solutions to detect, diagnose and treat hearing loss around the globe, making cost-effective hearing accessible to those who need it most.

As hearX CEO Nic Klopper comments: “It’s a privilege to be nominated this year for SAVCA’s Industry Awards. Our nomination validates the incredible work our team does every day in bringing smart health tech and hearing aids to the people who need it most. For too long, proper hearing care was under-prioritised and difficult and expensive to access. We have changed an industry by offering more affordable solutions with high-powered technology, providing a clinically proven hearing experience at a lower cost. hearX Group remains dedicated to providing accessible quality hearing care to everyone, everywhere – and we are grateful to be acknowledged for our growth and global impact.”

SMALL COMPANY NOMINEES

Ecotech Namibia | Automation solutions

Ecotech is a leading service provider of automation solutions for a range of industries as well as startups. The brand’s main focus is process control solutions including added value services within the mining, water, food, power generation and petrochemical industries. It currently provides a number of services in this arena, including consulting, the selection and specification of plant instruments, procurement and delivery, and the commissioning, servicing and calibration of plants.

Thusong Financial Services | Credit provider

Thusong Financial Services is a credit-only financial institution that was founded in 2011. The business is committed to improving the socio-economic outlook of its clients by offering convenient, affordable and hassle-free loans, supported by client service excellence.

LED Lighting SA | Lighting solutions

LED Lighting SA is the continent’s leading lighting solutions provider and offers a comprehensive suite of services including lighting design, engineering, manufacturing, supply and installation. The company provides turnkey lighting and automation solutions.  It is a business-to-business company, offering lighting solutions for large new-build projects, retrofits and bespoke solutions to meet consumer requirements.

The winners in each category will be announced at an awards ceremony to be hosted at the Investec Head Office in Sandton, Johannesburg on 9 May 2024.