Cape Town-based, Knife Capital was born from an innovative spark generated by Co-founders Keet van Zyl and Eben van Heerden while working at Mark Shuttleworth’s Here Be Dragons Venture Capital fund.
Founded in 2010, the growth equity-investment firm hones in on innovation-driven businesses, using their networks, funding and industry expertise to help each enterprise achieve international growth.
In doing so, they help to optimise a company’s business model and streamline their customer-acquisition process. “The technology space
is broad and our portfolio includes radar technologies, process analytics, mobile financial services, restaurant technology, ticketing, Internet of Things (IoT), AI and Machine Learning (ML), Software-as-a-Service and e-learning,” says Van Zyl.
Knife Capital uses a three-tiered approach in order to cultivate a venture that will not only be profitable but seeks to solve a real problem. Firstly, they select knowledgeable entrepreneurs with an intricate understanding of the subject matter. This is blended with the firm’s expert business acumen and thirdly, combined with a credible investor-base.
“A good idea does not always transform a good business, and a good business is not necessarily a good investment. It is challenging to strike the right balance between finding a great company, and then ensuring it becomes a good investment,” says Van Heerden.
Read more in the Fast Company March/April 2019 MIC edition.
