Endeavor South Africa

🌍 From South Africa to Silicon Valley: How Clickatell Pioneered Global Messaging 📲 Endeavor entrepreneur Pieter de Villiers's pioneering work with Clickatell has been key to enabling WhatsApp to become the Chat powerhouse it is today. With the first-ever SMS API, Clickatell enabled WhatsApp’s famously frictionless user onboarding, setting a global standard in messaging.   From South Africa to Silicon Valley,Pieter de Villiers has redefined digital communication, empowering businesses worldwide. Learn more about Pieter's impact and Clickatell's innovations!   :  https://lnkd.in/dfYZDivv   Alison Collier, Antonia B., Marc Herson, Silvia Cavalcanti; Adrian Garcia-Aranyos Jeppe Dorff Zan Chivell Werner Lindemann Founder Collective

Farmerline Group’s Darli AI has been named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2024! 🌍 Endeavor Local Scale-Up entrepreneurs Alloysius Attah and Emmanuel O Addai, co-founders of Farmerline, have made a significant impact with their innovative platform, Darli AI, recently recognized as one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2024. Named in honor of Attah’s mother and meaning “whisper” in the Ewe language, Darli AI provides tailored advice in 27 languages to over a million smallholder farmers across Africa, helping them adopt sustainable practices, track productivity, and boost yields. With support from partners like Microsoft, Google, Lelapa AI and Ghana NLP, Farmerline Group is bridging technology and tradition to address food security and resilience in farming communities. This TIME recognition underscores the transformative global impact of Farmerline Group’s work. Read more: https://lnkd.in/euPXTFb7 Maurice Scheepens Marius Birkenhäger Abigail Thomson Robert Haynie Alison Collier Nolufefe Nghala Pieter de Villiers, Daniel Berman Adebisi Lamikanra 'Yemisi Ayeni, Sarah Rice 🌱Timothy Nuy

From Africa to the world  Africa’s home services leader, Sweepsouth, is making major moves toward international growth, with an ambitious strategy to scale into Europe and the U.S. Having solidified their position as a household name in South Africa, Sweepsouth transformed home services across Africa, and are now taking their solution global. This growth journey not only highlights Sweepsouth’s commitment to innovation but also positions the brand as a key player on the global stage. Read more: https://lnkd.in/daPFqZqR Cara Eachus Alison Collier Antonia B. Marc Herson Rishka Matthews, Aisha Pandor, Lourandi Kriel

A Major Milestone for iiDENTIFii Together with their technology partner, iProov, they have successfully achieved the first-ever FIDO Remote Identity Verification Certification. Together, iiDENTIFii and iProov are leading the way to a future where trust and security drive digital innovation and we're thrilled to celebrate a major leap in digital identity verification by iiDENTIFii, who is pioneering secure identity solutions. Alison Collier Antonia B. Nolufefe Nghala Jacqui Gogele Lisa van Vlaanderen,, Endeavor Gur Geva, Marco Wagener, Lance Fanaroff, Robert Sussman

🌍 Endeavor Catalyst Fund Ranks #1 on the Kauffman Fund Returners Index! 🌏 Celebrating Endeavor Catalyst, the investment arm of Endeavor, recognized globally for its top-tier performance—demonstrating that VC returns are thriving well beyond Silicon Valley. What's more - good returns go straight back into the ecosystem to fuel the next generation of innovators! #endeavormultipliereffect Since 2012, Endeavor Catalyst has backed entrepreneurs in over 37 markets, including South Africa, where we’re seeing exceptional companies scale with transformative impact. From Cape Town to Cairo, billion-dollar companies like Careem, Go1, InstaDeep, and Bending Spoons are leading the way.  📈 Global Achievements Include to date: ● +300 companies backed, and founded by Endeavor Entrepreneurs driving impact and innovation in their regions ● 59 unicorns 🦄   ● 24 successful exits 💼 Thank you, Kauffman Fellows, for this recognition, and congrats to our global network of entrepreneurs pushing boundaries and scaling impact across the world! Alison Collier, Antonia B. Allen Taylor, Marc Herson, Michele Wanjiku Pete Benedetto Constanza Castro Feijóo Lisa van Vlaanderen

Join us for Endeavor Connect: Exits & Lessons Learnt We’re excited to host two incredible sessions where founders within the Endeavor network will share their journeys in scaling, exiting, and the valuable lessons they learned along the way! 📍 Cape Town Session   🗓 Date: Wednesday, 6th November 2024   ⏰ Time:17:30 - 19:00 (SAST)   Speakers: Dan Kleinbaum (ex-Beyonic Co-founder) and Ariel Navarro (Co-Founder & CEO at Bridgegate Invest, ex-OneCart Co-founder) Hosted by Alison Collier, Managing Director at Endeavor South Africa   📍 Location: Innovation City Cape Town   👉Register here: https://lnkd.in/dSu86PyY 📍 Johannesburg Session 🗓 Date: Wednesday, 13th November 2024   ⏰ Time: 17:00 - 18:30 (SAST)   Speakers: Dennis Marketos (IsoMetrix Software acquisition by The Carlyle Group), Karl Westvig (Retail Capital acquisition by TymeBank), and Ulrich Stark (WizzPass - an FM:Systems company acquisition by FM:Systems)   📍 Location: WeWork, Rosebank   👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/dwN-fQ2f These sessions offer a unique opportunity to gain invaluable insights from entrepreneurs who have successfully navigated exits. Don’t miss the chance to learn from their experiences!    Alison Collier Antonia B. Marc Herson Lisa van Vlaanderen Cara Eachus Nolufefe Nghala Jacqui Gogele Devlin Tyack, CFA Kurhula Baloyi Sisi Nxumalo

Driving Fintech Growth in SA: Katlego Maphai on Yoco's Expansion and the Need For Regulatory Support    In a recent ITWeb interview, Endeavor Entrepreneur Katlego Maphai, co-founder of Yoco, discussed Yoco's expansion in South Africa's fintech sector and the urgent need for regulatory support. This is a month after Katlego joined fellow Endeavor Entrepreneurs Melvyn Lubega, (Go1, Partner Breega), Cheslyn Jacobs (Tyme COO), and Velani Mboweni (LulaLoop CEO) together with Aalia Manie, Matsi Modise (backed by SiMODiSA Association & Endeavor South Africa) to address DTIC’s Parliamentary Committee, to tackle this very topic.    The interview highlights the recent growth and innovation in South Africa's fintech sector, as a result of the increasing competition between fintechs and traditional banks despite SA policies favouring large corporates. Yoco, serving 200,000+ SMEs, is expanding beyond payments into software integrations, while planning future growth across Africa despite regulatory challenges and complexities involved in entering new markets. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dYREbGcX Alison Collier Antonia B. Lisa van Vlaanderen Cara Eachus Devlin Tyack, CFA Jacqui Gogele Lungisa Matshoba Carl Wazen Bradley Wattrus Pieter de Villiers

Pargo: Leading the Charge in Africa’s E-Commerce Expansion Endeavor entrepreneurs Lars Veul and Derk Hoekert are at the forefront of Pargo's exciting journey as they expand their click-and-collect services across Africa, beginning with Egypt. With over 4,000 pick-up points, including hard-to-reach township shops, Pargo is addressing last-mile delivery challenges head-on. 🚚 Their innovative approach, including partnerships with global giants like Amazon, positions them to transform delivery services as Africa’s e-commerce market is projected to exceed half a billion users by 2025. This expansion not only enhances accessibility but also has the potential to positively impact local economies and communities.  Read more: https://lnkd.in/dZAkyaSD Cara Eachus, Alison Collier, Antonia B., SAAD Investment Holdings Johan du Preez Tsing Capital Johan Dekker Marc Herson

🚨 International Partnership Alert 🚨 Endeavor Local Scale-Up Synatic, led by Martin Naude, has partnered with OptifiNow, a CRM platform for the insurance industry. This collaboration aims to streamline data integration, improving client relationship management. Naude emphasized, “Connecting your AMS and CRM is key to efficiency.” Together, they plan to transform sales and marketing workflows globally. Congratulations to both teams on this significant milestone! Read More: https://lnkd.in/dZUXxFSu Jacqui Gogele, Alison Collier, Antonia B. Adansonia Group UW Ventures E Squared Investments

Newsletter alert🚨: Endeavor South Africa Q3 Newsletter is now live! We've curated the highlights, successes, and must-read articles from the past quarter into one convenient spot for those not yet on our mailing list. Enjoy! 😉 Nolufefe Nghala Alison Collier Antonia B. Lisa van Vlaanderen Marc Herson Sisi Nxumalo Cara Eachus Jacqui Gogele Nhlakanipho Ngobese Devlin Tyack, CFA Kurhula Baloyi