For many South African businesses, growth is not limited by ambition or opportunity, but by access to the right expertise, networks and funding needed to scale. The annual InvestFest aims to plug this gap. Convened and enabled by Anglo American’s Impact Finance Network (IFN) in partnership with the UK Government and the Anglo American Foundation, the event creates a platform where various stakeholders gather to connect entrepreneurs, investors and the entrepreneurial ecosystem to unlock impactful funding opportunities.
Since 2021, IFN has supported more than 162 businesses through tailored technical assistance, investment readiness support and access to networks, meeting entrepreneurs at their growth point. This approach has enabled the programme to mobilise over R1.8 billion in third-party capital and helped sustain more than 46,000 livelihoods across southern Africa.
Entrepreneur Grace Legodi has seen firsthand what inclusive, innovative funding through the IFN can do. As the founder of Keyo Ventures, she recognised the glaring funding gap through her decade-long experience in investment banking, where she saw smaller businesses, particularly those pursuing green opportunities, struggle to access the right forms of finance. This led her to establish Keyo Ventures, a southern African venture capital fund providing early-stage alternative financing to green businesses.
Through IFN, Keyo Ventures received catalytic investment that strengthen its ability to support businesses in this market. The impact of that capital extended well beyond the initial R2 million investment from IFN, acting as a catalyst that helped Keyo Ventures attract a further R35 million commitment from an institutional investor.
This experience demonstrates the gap the IFN seeks to address: connecting high-potential businesses with the networks, expertise and capital needed to scale.
“We have seen catalytic funding de-risk opportunities, attract follow-on investment and help entrepreneurs scale their business,” says Emma Parker, Sustainable and Impact Finance Manager at Anglo American. “Success stories like Keyo Ventures are exactly why InvestFest exists. Our goal is to create more of these high-impact connections that trigger a multiplier effect for growth-stage businesses.”
While the IFN supports businesses across the board, this year’s InvestFest is placing a strong and targeted spotlight on youth entrepreneurship and the role young people can play in shaping South Africa’s economic future. With the introduction of various innovative zones at the event, the Youth Zone, delivered with SA Youth, created a space for young entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers to connect with investors and peers. The event also expanded its focus to the creative economy, an industry with immense potential to drive inclusive economic growth and job creation. The Creative Studio zone brought creative entrepreneurs into conversations about strengthening their businesses, reaching more customers, and accessing new investments.
“Entrepreneurship is a vital pathway to economic participation, helping youth create opportunities for themselves and others. InvestFest is a demonstration of what is possible when government, business, investors and entrepreneurs come together around a shared vision for inclusive growth,” says Josephine Hetherington, Head of Economic Development at the British High Commission in South Africa. “The UK Government is committed to supporting economic growth and diversification in South Africa, and our partnership through the Impact Finance Network reflects our new way of working to catalyse investment through partnerships and expertise.”
This collaborative approach to ecosystems is also reflected in other partnerships supporting IFN. Anglo American’s Kumba Iron Ore business, through its Impact Finance Facility, has committed R51.2 million over five years to support businesses in the Northern Cape, while the FCDO is contributing £4.5 million to expand the programme and provide practical support to businesses preparing for investment.
“One of our key priorities is to build a more diverse and resilient regional economy in the Northern Cape,” says Mpumi Zikalala, CEO of Kumba Iron Ore. “Initiatives like the IFN and InvestFest are vital enablers in making that a reality. We saw tangible impact of connecting entrepreneurs to capital through the mini-InvestFest in Kathu, and we are committed to continue to help businesses grow, so they can sustain jobs and livelihoods in the region.”
SUPPLIED.
