At a time when South Africa grapples with one of many world’s highest youth unemployment charges and rising inequality, E Squared Investments has proven that investing in purpose-led entrepreneurship will not be solely doable, it’s important.
Final week, the organisation launched its 2024 Influence Report, themed ‘Sustainably Scaling Influence.’ Since its inception in 2017, E Squared has deployed over R1.02 billion into 177 ventures throughout the continent, combining monetary funding with capability constructing and ecosystem partnerships to unlock their mission.
In 2024 alone, E Squared disbursed R369.7 million throughout the enterprise lifecycle – from pre-seed to growth-stage – backing founders tackling poverty, unemployment, and inequality with daring, scalable options. These ventures have collectively created, supported, or sustained greater than 32 000 jobs, affirming the facility of accountable entrepreneurship to ship systemic change.
CEO
“Our progress throughout all funding portfolios reaffirms our core perception that accountable entrepreneurship drives sustainable financial improvement, transformation, and social change.” – Gladwyn Leeuw, CEO of E Squared Investments.
2024 Funding Highlights:
R304.3 million towards Allan Grey Fellow-led ventures R294.4 million into Seed to Collection A+ ventures R44.4 million in pre-seed capital R30.8 million for purpose-led social enterprises 46% of 2024 funding worth directed to Black women-owned companies
Over time, E Squared has channelled:
R736.2 million into early- and growth-stage ventures R654.5 million into ventures based by Allan Grey Fellows R179 million into social enterprises dedicated to systemic transformation
The organisation has realised R103.8 million in funding returns, together with R23.6 million in 2024 alone by partial exits. Its enterprise portfolio’s Honest Market Worth rose 44% year-on-year to R772 million, reflecting a 42% return on capital. Notably, Black women-led companies accounted for 47% of the full funding worth over a three-year rolling interval.
“We’re intentionally backing Black and female-led ventures, addressing structural gaps in capital entry. In our social entrepreneurship portfolio, we assist mission-driven organisations tackling youth unemployment, training inequality, micro-entrepreneurship and entry to important providers” – Nazeem Martin, Chairman of the Board, E Squared Investments.
Celebrating Influence: Voices from the Ecosystem
The Influence Report launch introduced collectively a various group of stakeholders – from entrepreneurs, traders, and ecosystem leaders – by two partaking panel discussions:
The primary, Catalysing Scale By Collaborative Fashions, featured trade leaders akin to Claudia Manning (SA SME Fund) and Catherine Younger (Grindstone), exploring the position of blended capital and co-investment in constructing resilient ventures.
The second, Scaling with Function – The Entrepreneur’s View, highlighted the founder experiences together with Giancarlo Beukes (Impulse Biomed) and Ayanda Vana (Khula!), who shared how E Squared’s assist has fuelled their development and amplified their affect.
Nontobeko Mabizela, CEO of the Allan Grey Orbis Basis, mirrored on the Basis’s 20-year legacy and the shared mission with E Squared to nurture long-term entrepreneurial success. Because the Basis’s strategic associate, E Squared continues to supply post-fellowship capital and assist to Allan Grey Fellows transitioning from potential to follow, turning entrepreneurial ambition into scalable affect.
In his closing reflections, Malik Fal, Trustee and Board Member underscored the organisation’s unwavering dedication to principled development. He famous that, “Scaling with objective means anchoring development in values. The subsequent chapter of affect will demand deeper collaboration, bolder capital, and collective imaginative and prescient to unlock Africa’s full potential.”
A Name to Motion
Trying forward, E Squared is inviting traders, policymakers, and ecosystem builders to affix in shaping a future the place financial development and social fairness should not competing outcomes—however complementary ones.
AboutE Squared investments (report additionally out there by thishyperlink )
E Squared is a South African affect investor supporting start-ups and rising ventures, driving business and social returns. It gives entrepreneur-friendly, affected person capital to companies in any respect levels, from pre-seed to maturity, together with end-to-end enterprise assist by post-investment worth creation programmes.
Partnering for development, E Squared takes a long-term funding view and works alongside start-ups, incubators, accelerators, and traders to seize and nurture entrepreneurial expertise. E Squared helps founders throughout all sectors to construct companies that create sustainable business worth, assault poverty in a significant approach, and handle unemployment and inequality in South Africa.
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Distributed by JNPR on behalf of E Squared Investments.
For additional data or interview requests please contact: esquared@jnpr.co.za
