What stage does Sanari Capital invest at?

Sanari Capital invests at the Growth, Late Stage stages.

What is Sanari Capital's typical check size?

Sanari Capital typically writes checks of $3M – $15M.

What sectors does Sanari Capital focus on?

Sanari Capital focuses on Impact & Social Good, Sector Agnostic.

Where is Sanari Capital located?

Sanari Capital is headquartered in Sandton, ZA.

Does Sanari Capital lead rounds?

Yes, Sanari Capital leads investment rounds.

Sanari Capital

Private equity

Sandton · Growth–Late Stage · 18 people tracked

★ Follow + Add to CRM ⤳ Find an introduction

✨ Fox Verdict

Investment thesis

Sanari Capital is a private equity firm focused on medium-sized and mid-market growth companies emanating from Africa that have regional and global scalability. It partners with well-established businesses at an inflection point supported by thematic growth drivers, emphasizing digital and human enablement to unlock business potential. The firm positions itself as offering more than capital, investing in meaningful partnerships that enhance future value and build lasting legacies. Sustainable value creation, impact, and ESG are central to its approach, aiming to benefit not only companies and investors but also the communities and environments connected to its portfolio businesses.

Invests inImpact & Social Good Sector AgnosticAfricaJohannesburgSouth Africa

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage

Growth–Late Stage

Check

$3M – $15M

Sandton, ZA

Leads rounds

Leads

Instruments

Equity

Founded

2013

AUM

$80M

Tracked investments

Team · 18 people

from the firm's website

Samantha Pokroy· Founder and CEO

Founder of Sanari Capital, established in 2013 to bridge the gap between founder-run, owner-managed, or family-owned businesses and corporate private equity.

Moushmi Patel· Investment Partner

Joined Sanari shortly after its founding and co-established the firm with a shared purpose of using private equity to create positive, sustainable impact across Africa.

Ofentse Pelle· Investment Partner

Investment Partner who joined in 2020 with over 13 years in investment banking, private equity, and venture capital. Previously managed Frontier Impact Fund and worked at Investec's Equity Structuring team; holds an MBA from INSEAD and is a CFA Charterholder.

Samantha Watermeyer· Operations & Compliance Partner· Cape Town

Heads Operations, Legal and Compliance at Sanari, overseeing fund administration, finance, and governance. An admitted attorney specializing in financial services compliance who previously led compliance at RCS.

Sihle Gumede· Investment Partner

Investment Partner who joined in 2020 with over 10 years of private equity experience. Previously worked at Convergence Partners and Investec's Corporate Finance division; a Chartered Accountant who led Sanari's investments in iiDENTIFii and Energenic.

Chantal Clark· Finance Manager

Finance Manager overseeing fund administration and finance, with over two decades of financial experience including more than 10 years in private equity. Previously worked at Phatisa Managers and Actis Africa; a Chartered Accountant.

Dean Sparrow· Chair of the Investment Committee (Independent)

Independent Chair of the Investment Committee and CEO of fintech group Crossfin Technology Holdings, with over 20 years investing in African businesses, predominantly in ICT. Former CEO of Capital Eye Investments and senior leader at UCS; a Chartered Accountant.

Hany Assaad· Investment Committee Member (Independent)

Independent Investment Committee member with over 35 years in emerging markets investing, including co-founding Avanz Capital Management and more than two decades at the IFC. Recognized for expertise in impact investing, SME finance, and fund governance.

Jacob Mashike· Investment Committee Member (Independent)

Independent Investment Committee member with over 25 years in investment management, including roles at Treacle Private Equity, the IDC, and CDC Capital Partners. Holds a BSc (Eng) Chem from Wits and an MBL from Unisa.

Jo-Ann Pohl· Non-Executive Chair of the Board

Non-Executive Chair of Sanari's board, associated with the firm since 2017. A Chartered Accountant and c-suite professional who has served as Group CFO at iOCO, Telesure, and other institutions, and is currently a Senior Advisor for Kearney Africa.

Lehlogonolo Thankge· Investment Analyst

Investment Analyst who joined in 2024 with experience in management consulting and investment banking. Previously worked at Standard Bank across capital markets and corporate finance, focusing on ESG-linked funding, and started his career at nonprofit Phaphama SEDI.

Ntomfuthi Sibanyoni· Receptionist

Receptionist who joined Sanari in 2018.

Nuku Wa Lesego· Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant who joined Sanari in 2022.

Patricia Umeche· ESG and Impact Officer

ESG and Impact Officer who joined in 2018, developing and implementing ESG and impact frameworks at Sanari and across its portfolio. Previously spent 12 years in community development, environmental education, and climate research.

Philasande Caleni· Accountant

Accountant who joined Sanari in 2023.

Sanjay Kassen· Non-Executive Director

Non-Executive Director and Joint Head of Corporate Commercial Practice at ENSafrica, specializing in M&A, equity capital markets, and B-BBEE transactions. Admitted as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa.

Trevashan Pillay· Investment Associate

Investment Analyst who joined in 2023 with a finance background in global markets, M&A, and transaction support. Began his career at HSBC and worked at boutique investment banks with secondments to London and New York.

Zoaib Hoosen· Advisor

Advisor and former CEO of Microsoft South Africa with over 35 years in the ICT sector, including 22 years at IBM. Provides insight on strategy, general management, and business development; a Non-Executive Director on the board of the South African Reserve Bank.

What they invest in

from 4 of 10 portfolio companies

AI & Machine Learning ×2Hardware ×2IoT ×2Cleantech ×1Cybersecurity ×1Deep Tech ×1Energy ×1Fintech ×1

HQs:South Africa×3

Investments · 10 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

Ctrackctrack.comin 𝕏

Ctrack provides a fleet management and asset tracking platform powered by telematics and AI that helps businesses across various industries optimize fleet operations, monitor driver behavior, and predict maintenance and operational needs.

AI & Machine LearningIoTLogistics & Supply Chain

EduLife Group

Independent school group operating eight schools across five campuses, grown from 1,100 to over 3,300 students in South Africa.

Energenic

Provider of off-grid and hybrid energy generation solutions across 32+ African countries, supporting telecommunications and business continuity.

Fernridge Solutions

Geo-spatial data and solutions provider offering location-based insights to retailers, property developers, investors and services providers.

iiDENTIFiiiidentifii.com𝕏

iiDENTIFii provides identity verification and liveness detection technology to help businesses authenticate customers, prevent fraud, and meet regulatory compliance.

AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityFintechSaaS

JAYCOR

Supplier of connectivity, communication and automation components and mission-critical signal transmission solutions across African industries.

Lightware

Manufacturer of lidar laser range finder components; a Sanari investee company.

LightWare LiDARlightwarelidar.com

LightWare designs and manufactures compact, lightweight microLiDAR laser distance-measurement sensors for autonomous sensing applications such as drones, gimbals, and obstacle detection.

Deep TechHardwareRobotics

Sensor Networkssensornetworks.co.zain 𝕏

Sensor Networks develops smart home hardware and software for energy management, security monitoring, and risk mitigation in residential properties, primarily serving insurance companies and South African homeowners.

CleantechEnergyHardwareIoTSouth Africa, ZA

Mark Allewell(Founder)Francesco Stemmet(Chief Operations Officer)

Sumantrasolutionssumantrasolutions.com

Frequently asked questions

What stage does Sanari Capital invest at?: Sanari Capital invests at the Growth, Late Stage stages.
What is Sanari Capital's typical check size?: Sanari Capital typically writes checks of $3M – $15M.
What sectors does Sanari Capital focus on?: Sanari Capital focuses on Impact & Social Good, Sector Agnostic.
Where is Sanari Capital located?: Sanari Capital is headquartered in Sandton, ZA.
Does Sanari Capital lead rounds?: Yes, Sanari Capital leads investment rounds.

Images

Similar investors

Generation Investment Management

Generation Investment Management is a sustainability-focused investment firm that integrates sustainability research into traditional financial analysis across public and private equity strategies.

Hatzimemos/Libby

H/L Ventures is a New York-based venture firm and company-building studio that co-builds startups with founders from idea stage through scale, and provides growth equity and credit capital as companies mature.

$10K – $1.5M

Liquid Ventures

Liquid 2 is an early- and growth-stage venture capital firm that invests in founders across all sectors of technology, providing capital along with support from a network of operators.

$250K – $5M

Ospraie Ag Science

Ospraie describes its approach to managing existing investments, applying a framework to re-underwrite assets and decide whether to build or exit, then actively managing or restructuring them to maximize value.