Africa’s largest company, Naspers has kicked off its investments in South African tech startups with a $2.4 million in SweepSouth, an online cleaning services platform that connects clients to domestic cleaners.
The investment will be done through a special start-up fund, Naspers Foundry, which was set up to support talented and ambitious entrepreneurs in the country, who are using technology to improve people’s daily lives.
“We are excited to announce our first Naspers Foundry investment and to welcome SweepSouth to the Naspers family,” Naspers Chief Executive, Bob van Dijk said.
According to SweepSouth Co-founder, Aisha Pandor, the start-up considers itself as “an emerging market-focused platform that aims to serve the many professionals who don’t have the time to source the services we provide, whilst also creating meaningful employment opportunities.”
Since its launch in 2014, SweepSouth has grown exponentially, creating jobs for more than 10,000 people in the process. More so, the company’s cleaners, known as “SweepStars,” have full flexibility over working hours and availability, and get pay rates significantly higher than the national minimum wage.
With the Naspers Foundry investment and expertise that comes with the partnership, the firm is well positioned for further expansion and growth beyond the South African market. “We know what it takes to scale tech businesses, and the team is looking forward to working together with SweepSouth to help them do that,” van Dijk added.
Launched in October last year, Naspers Foundry is a $9.8 million start-up fund aimed at boosting the South African technology sector. While providing funding, it will help South African technology entrepreneurs develop and grow their businesses.
“Naspers Foundry is off to a good start and we aim to announce more backing for South African startups in the coming months. We are excited about the potential technology has to improve people’s lives, and will also continue investing in our existing operations in South Africa, including Takealot, Superbalist, Mr D Food, OLX, Autotrader SA, Property24, and Media24,” the chief executive concluded.
The post Naspers debuts startup investment in South Africa appeared first on Ventures Africa.
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