Sanari 3S Growth Fund – Inaugural Annual Investor Meeting

Sanari Capital held its inaugural Annual Investor Meeting for the Sanari 3S Growth Fund. We were fortunate to host our investors in Bloemfontein to share the impact of our investments on this community firsthand.

The two-day meeting was a chance for our team to connect on a deeper level with our investors and investees, showcasing the impactful work happening on the ground to drive both financial and social returns. It was an inspiring experience, highlighting how the team nurtures growth, innovation and the meaningful use of our investors’ capital.

Here are the highlights from Day 1:

* First day visit to Edulife Group’s Olive Ridge School, the first estate school in Bloemfontein serving an aspirational-middle-class community. We got to feel like students again presenting in the school auditorium.

* Welcome by Sanari Capital’s new Chairperson, albeit longstanding director and advisor, Jo-Ann Pöhl – “These two days together are an opportunity to truly connect, bring to life the work being done on the ground to deliver financial and social returns, experience how the team fosters growth, innovation and gives meaning to your money”.

* First presentation by Lance Fanaroff, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of iiDENTIFii – “We’re seeing many new applications for our identity verification solutions. Very topical at the moment is the new pension fund 2-pot system. How do we make sure that the large amounts of cash are being securely channelled to the correct beneficiaries in a time of growing fraud, especially with SIM swaps and impersonation attacks on the rise”.

* Second presentation by Patricia Marsh Umeche (MSc.), our resident ESG & Impact officer. “At Sanari we all have a shared sense of purpose in our work. I may be the only one looking out for snakes and creepy crawlies, but the whole Sanari team has an authentic commitment to purposeful work which makes my job easier driving ESG and impact”.

* Afternoon padel competition on the school grounds. Padel Africa has developed fantastic padel courts on the school premises, a smart way to bring an additional revenue stream to the school, offer fun padel activities for the broader community and provide access to this growing sport for the learners at the school. Nikesh Ramkillet was our winner! Samki Koti won the team player award for stepping in to play in a suit!

* Evening bonding over a wonderful dinner with wine pairing at the historical De Oude Kraal Country Estate with a beautiful African sunset, drinks by the fireplace and visits from the resident wildlife and a dog that can open sliding doors!

Day 2 Highlights from our Annual Investor Meeting:
We were welcomed to the Academy of Excellence school, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. As the original Edulife Group school it is very special to track their progress from 6 learners in a house to a large, affordable private school serving the Batho township community. At the time of our investment, they were operating from two suboptimal rented spaces. On this occasion, our investors were able to see what their funding has enabled – safe, joyful, large and wide-ranging facilities to be proud of!

* Edulife CEO Hansie Engelbrecht reflected on what the Sanari team had originally seen at our first site visit – an empty plot of land at Raceway – and how we bought into his vision and helped turn it into the reality that investors saw before them.

* Understanding the dire alternatives available to the kids of this school gave further meaning to the value of the investment. Patricia shared in her presentation that one of the learners had moved in with his aunty rather than move out of Bloemfontein with his mom so that he could stay at Academy of Excellence. He has since become Head Boy of the primary school.

* Presentation by Nadia Nilsen, CEO at LightWare LiDAR – “In today’s world, autonomous machines are rapidly transitioning from futuristic concepts to tangible realities. LightWare gives machines the gift of sight to enable this autonomy – mainly focused on miniaturised applications of microLiDARs™”.  Nadia revealed the latest product innovations and shared the company’s global growth strategy. “LightWare continues to grow at a rapid pace and it’s turning into an inspirational South African success story that we are truly proud of”.

* Tour of Academy of Excellence including the new hall and swimming pool, and the popular agricultural science facilities which both educate the kids in relevant agricultural applications for their future and benefit the community through the supply of veggies.

* We enjoyed entertainment from the learners as they showcased their musical and dancing talents, including the choir and line dancing troupe, both of which have been added as extramural activities.

* Finally, Sanari CEO Samantha Pokroy took the investors through a review of the fund and its performance to date. Key milestones and developments included: 2 new analyst hires Trevashan Pillay and Lehlogonolo Thankge (Hloni), 1 new IC member Hany Assaad, 1 new independent board advisor Craig Dreyer, 60% aggregate revenue growth in the current portfolio reflecting the successful deployment of our investment strategy, healthy deployment, TVPI and pipeline, and improving market conditions both economically and in terms of deal activity. Sihle Gumede took the investors through our newest portfolio company with the investment due to be announced imminently.

We’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of this event – we’re already looking forward to the next one!