Fundraising FoxKnife Capital
Venture capitalCape Town · Seed–Late Stage · 20 people tracked
Find your way into Knife Capital
1,143 people in our graph share verified history with the Knife Capital team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Investment thesis
Knife Capital focuses on accelerating the international growth of African, particularly South African, innovation-driven businesses. Established in 2010 out of the venture capital division of 'Here Be Dragons', the firm manages multiple funds including Section 12J Venture Capital Companies (KNF Ventures I and II) and Knife Fund III, a $50 million fund launched in 2021 to provide follow-on funding for South African breakout companies that have achieved product/market fit. The firm applies a Knowledge, Networks and Funding model and also runs the Grindstone Accelerator to prepare earlier-stage startups for growth and exit-readiness. Knife Capital has expanded internationally to the UK.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 27, 2026.
Team · 20 people
from the firm's website & public directories
Founder mafia
2 people who came through Knife Capital went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 19 of 29 portfolio companiesEnterprise Software ×8SaaS ×7AI & Machine Learning ×6Hardware ×5IoT ×5Consumer ×4Healthtech ×4Advanced Manufacturing ×3
HQs:South Africa×12United States×2Australia×1Germany×1
Investments · 29 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 12022 · 12021 · 12019 · 12018 · 16 dated
inQuba provides a cloud-based customer experience management platform that gathers omni-channel feedback throughout the customer journey and enables businesses to personalize interactions and resolve service issues collaboratively.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaS
Trent Rossini(Co-Founder & CEO)Micheal Renzon(Co-Founder & CEO inQuba North America)
Co-investorsConvergence Partners
Simera Sense manufactures imaging systems for earth observation, including the TriScape50 camera designed for satellite and CubeSat platforms.
AgTechDeep TechHardwareSpace TechCape Town, ZA
Johann du Toit(Director for Simera Holdings & CEO)Jacu Vos(Chief Technical Officer)Edward Phillips(Chief Financial Officer)
Snapplify is a global edtech company providing a digital learning platform with AI-enhanced tools, integration capabilities with 600+ education applications, and a library of over 50,000 free educational resources for students, educators, and institutions.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechSaaSSouth Africa, ZA
Wamly provides hiring and recruitment software that includes job posting and career page creation, psychometric candidate assessments, and centralized communication tools for recruitment teams.
Enterprise SoftwareHR TechSaaS
Francois de Wet(Founder)inMarnus Broodryk(Co-founder)in
Cue aggregates email, contact, and calendar information to help users view and search across their accounts in one place.
ConsumerHealthtechSan Francisco, US
Shai Magzimof(Founder/CEO)inDaniel Gross(Founder/CEO)inRobby Walker(Founder/CTO)inAyub Khattak(Executive Officer, Director)Clint Sever(Executive Officer)in
BoardRohan Oza(Director)
Co-investorsY CombinatorACME CapitalCAVU Consumer Partners
d6 develops school management and communication software used by schools, teachers and parents, covering administration, curriculum, finance, and parent-school communication with integrated cashless payments.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
DataProphet Connect is a cloud-based industrial intelligence platform that centralizes production data from multiple sources across manufacturing sites, enabling operators and engineers to create dashboards, alarms, and AI models for production optimization.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareIoTCape Town, ZA
FlightScope makes golf launch monitors, simulators, and rangefinders that use radar and camera tracking to provide swing and ball-flight data for golfers practicing indoors, outdoors, or on the course.
ConsumerHardwareSports Tech
GraniteWMS is a barcode-based warehouse management system designed for mid-sized warehouses, offering real-time inventory visibility, picking, packing, and stock control through a lightweight web application.
Enterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainSaaS
Octiv is a software platform for fitness gyms and studios that manages memberships, class scheduling, payments, and member engagement through a branded mobile app and administrative dashboard.
SaaSSports TechWellness & Fitness
Mark Fawzy(Founder)
Optique sells eyeglasses and frames through direct-to-consumer channels in South Africa.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceHealthtechRetail Tech
Outsized is a platform connecting financial services organizations with vetted independent consultants, interim executives, and fractional experts to fill capability gaps and execute transformation projects.
B2B MarketplacesEnterprise SoftwareFintechFuture of WorkHR TechMarketplacesSingapore, AU
Niclas Thelander(Founder)Anurag Bhalla(Co-founder)Johann van Niekerk(Co-founder)Azeem Zainulbhai(Co-founder)Sara Kahlau(Leadership team member)
PharmaScout provides temperature monitoring and data logging systems for storing medicines in pharmacies, helping them comply with South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) requirements.
HardwareHealthtechIoT
ProGlove manufactures wearable barcode scanners for industrial workers, enabling hands-free operation and real-time data capture in warehouse and manufacturing environments.
Advanced ManufacturingHardwareIoTLogistics & Supply ChainMunich, DE
Paul Günther(Founder)inThomas Kirchner(Founder)inJonas Girardet(Founder)inKonstantin Brunnbauer(Founder)in
Co-investorsBayern KapitalCapmontHCVCSummit PartnersTechFoundersNordic Capital
Pura manufactures and sells smart home diffusers paired with a mobile app and marketplace that lets consumers select from over 300 premium fragrances and automate scent delivery.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerHardwareIoTOrem, US
Richie Stapler(Executive Officer, Director)Bruno Lima(Founder)inRichie S.(Founder)inNate Walkingshaw(Director)
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Co-investorsBreak Trail VenturesCampus Founders FundInterplay Ventures Early Stage Management LlcKickstartService Provider CapitalSTARTUP IGNITION VENTURES+1 more
Self-service ticketing and event management platform in South Africa, acquired by Ticketmaster in 2024.
Sticitt provides a cashless payment platform for schools in South Africa, covering tuckshop payments, school fee and project collections, point-of-sale integrations, and online ordering through Sticitt cards and bands.
EdTechFintechSaaS
Theo Kitshoff(Founder)in
Stone Three Digital combines machine learning and expert services to help industrial clients improve productivity and worker safety through AI-enabled machine vision, remote process monitoring, and digital video safety solutions.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechIoT
Co-investorsTechnology Innovation Agency
VoxCroft develops AI-driven intelligence analysis, including machine translation for low-resource languages and broadcast collection from inaccessible environments, to support decision-makers with global coverage and crisis response.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDefense TechGovTechMarketing TechMedia & Entertainment
Sarah-Leah(Co-founder & Head of Language Solutions)Barend(Co-founder, COO, VP Innovation, Head of VoxCroft Labs)William(Co-founder & Chief of Intelligence)Casey(CEO)
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
CSense SystemsFundamoGranite Warehouse and Cradle SaaSGrindstone VenturesiKubuKashaorderTalk
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Knife Capital made?
- Knife Capital has 29 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 2 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Knife Capital invest at?
- Knife Capital invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth, Late Stage stages.
- What sectors does Knife Capital focus on?
- Knife Capital focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, AI & Machine Learning, Consumer, Deep Tech, EdTech, Fintech, GovTech, Healthtech, HR Tech, IoT, Marketplaces, SaaS, Sector Agnostic, Space Tech.
- Where is Knife Capital located?
- Knife Capital is headquartered in Cape Town, ZA.
- Does Knife Capital lead rounds?
- Yes, Knife Capital leads investment rounds.
- Who does Knife Capital co-invest with?
- Knife Capital most often shares deals with Beyond Capital, Beyond Capital Ventures, Convergence Partners, among 3 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamKeet van Zyl on Knife Capital
iAfrikan Media · Keet van Zyl
The story of Keet van Zyl, Knife Capital, Africa
Ansarada · Keet van Zyl
Evolution of the venture landscape - Keet van Zyl - Co-founder of Knife Capital
Outsourced CFO · Keet van Zyl
Images
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