Sanari Celebrates 10 Years: The Road Less Travelled by Moushmi Patel

By Moushmi Patel

It all started with a Facebook message back in 2014. That is how Sam and I met, which is a rather unconventional way to meet your business partner, but then again, it was not about business. Our discussion revolved around our old high school, and what we, as the alumni, could do to help it. This quickly moved into us discussing the state of the South African education system, which led to us trying to solve the ailing public education in South Africa.

It was during this time that I was at an impasse in my career, wondering what to do next. But I also knew that I wanted the next step of my career to be something that mattered, resulting in being part of the solution to our country’s and continent’s many problems. Sam started Sanari Capital a year before, positioned to invest in founder-run, owner-managed, and family-owned businesses, with the aim of scaling them and taking them to the next level. Scale by its nature would directly result in overall growth for our country’s economy. It was this notion of using capital to make a sustained positive change in South Africa and the rest of the continent that resonated with me the most.

While I never saw myself as someone who would do something entrepreneurial, there was a curiosity in me to see where this would take me. With this, I joined Sam on her journey of building out Sanari Capital. At the start, I thought it would take a year to get out of the blocks. Well, it took us a year to start. The entrepreneurial journey was a roller coaster of challenges, triumphs, and continuous learning. There were sobering moments of how truly long this would take. When I look back, there were two key components that allowed us to get where we are today. The first was funding. Funding, be it working capital or investment capital, to build out our track record and further resource our team. The second is the individuals who joined the team. They came with diverse skills and views and shared Sanari’s vision. Without them, we would be nowhere.

In my eight years at Sanari Capital, I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge, and I’m grateful for the experiences and the people who have contributed to my journey. Reflecting on the crossroads of life that brought me to this point, I’m pleased that I chose the less travelled path, as it has truly made all the difference.