Seven South African Startups Join Grindstone, E Squared Growth Program
TLDR
- Seven South African startups have been selected for the Grindstone | E Squared Programme, a founder-focused growth journey designed to accelerate high-potential businesses
- The six-month programme is run by Grindstone, a venture accelerator co-owned by Knife Capital and Thinkroom Limited, in partnership with E Squared Investments
- Participants will receive access to the Grindstone Academy digital platform, workshops, coaching, and investor-readiness support
Seven South African startups have been selected for the Grindstone | E Squared Programme, a founder-focused growth journey designed to accelerate high-potential businesses backed by Allan Gray Fellows and Pathways Investees.
The six-month programme is run by Grindstone, a venture accelerator co-owned by Knife Capital and Thinkroom Limited, in partnership with E Squared Investments. It began in July with an in-person networking event in Johannesburg.
The selected startups span sectors including software, ed-tech, e-health, logistics, and food. They are African Saga (comic and anime series on Webtoon), Muna Studios (zero-waste shopping), Glo’s Cookies (premium artisanal cookies), Genius UP (exam prep ed-tech), Docotela Health (telehealth platform), SUTA National Logistics (delivery and moving services), and Fleetfund (fleet-financing logistics platform).
Participants will receive access to the Grindstone Academy digital platform, workshops, coaching, and investor-readiness support. The programme also provides tailored interventions to unlock market access and facilitate investor introductions.
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Key Takeaways
South Africa’s startup ecosystem has grown steadily over the past decade, but scaling businesses remains a major challenge. According to Partech’s 2024 Africa Tech Venture Capital Report, South Africa attracted $440 million in venture funding, ranking third after Nigeria and Kenya. Yet many early-stage ventures struggle to reach growth stages due to limited access to networks, structured mentorship, and investor readiness. Grindstone, founded in 2013, has positioned itself as one of the country’s leading accelerators, focusing on measurable growth engineering for startups. Its partnership with E Squared, the impact investment arm linked to Allan Gray, brings together venture acceleration and purpose-driven capital, aiming to back entrepreneurs who combine profitability with impact. By targeting high-potential founders, this cohort could showcase how structured support and access to capital markets can help South African startups transition from small ventures into regional players capable of competing across Africa’s emerging innovation hubs.
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