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Edge Growth Esd About Us Banner
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Who We Are

We are SME Development Solutionists

co-creating innovative solutions that combat business growth constraints and provide SMEs with market access, skills development and funding.

We are architects of empowerment 
and transformation We are architects of empowerment 
and transformation We are architects of empowerment 
and transformation We are architects of empowerment 
and transformation

We are architects of empowerment and transformation

always progressing and proud of our own transformation journey as an organisation, as well as supporting black-owned businesses and partners to drive job creation, for measurable and meaningful impact.

We are seasoned SME supporters

with more than 60 years of combined experience in investment, finance, management consulting and entrepreneurship experience.

We are seasoned SME supporters We are seasoned SME supporters We are seasoned SME supporters We are seasoned SME supporters
We are proven impact venture and ESD experts We are proven impact venture and ESD experts We are proven impact venture and ESD experts We are proven impact venture and ESD experts

We are proven impact venture
and ESD experts

with an unmatched track record in designing and implementing one-of-a-kind solutions to scale small and growing businesses, together.

We are experienced fund managers

who have deployed more capital to early-stage SMEs than any other non-governmental SME fund in South Africa.

We Are Edge Growth.

What We Believe

Purpose​

We believe in the potential of business as a force for good. Realising this potential requires bringing together passionate people that are bound by a shared purpose; to invest in SMEs that can aid progress towards inclusive and sustainable economic development.

Partnership​

We believe that collaboration between SMEs and established businesses is the key to unlocking greater innovation, impact and growth. We achieve this by building purpose-led partnerships that enable shared and sustainable value creation.

Pioneering

We believe that small businesses (SMEs) have the potential to shape the future for the better. We are committed to pioneering cutting-edge SME development solutions to unlocking growth constraints for game-changing SMEs.

People

We believe that our people are our biggest assets and greatest competitive advantage. We are a diverse team of highly qualified, experienced individuals united in our mission to scale SMEs for impact.

Prosperity

We believe in the vision of a prosperous Africa through world-shaping SMEs. We champion positive change by empowering small businesses who are solving complex problems to achieve a prosperous, sustainable and inclusive society.

Our EPIC Values

Edgecellence

Entrepreneurial

Passion

Partnering

Impact

Innovation

Connectedness

Courage

What We Do

Economic inequality is everywhere, and despite decades of democracy in South Africa, it’s still home to one of the most unequal societies in the world. We are actively contributing to changing this.

SMEs are the single most powerful source of job creation and upliftment. Yet, without help, most fail within the first two years. Our IGNITE solution is designed to combat this, giving SME entrepreneurs the financial support as well as the skills development they need to build a sustainable business that thrives, year after year.

Edge Hrowth Esd Edge Ventures Man In G (1)

Our Story

This is Edge Growth – we have been Leading Growth and Igniting Impact since 2007. Join us on a transformational journey.

Our Team

We invest in finding and retaining exceptional individuals.

Our rigorous “Power Recruiting” process identifies bright, energetic, high performers committed to excellence.

Our experience covers the spectrum of commercial environments, from start-ups through to some of the world’s largest and most innovative enterprises. This depth of skills, expertise, intellect and, above all, passion uniquely positions us to deliver superior SME growth solutions that have meaningful impact.

Full Team Cropped

Our Board Of Directors

Brenda Matyolo

Chairperson of the Board and Non-Executive Director, Edge Growth COO,
African Rainbow Capital (ARC) Director, ARC Financial Services

Brenda is a qualified Ontological Coach through Newfield USA, holds a National Diploma in Accounting and a Management Development Program Diploma with UNISA. She has considerable business and leadership experience in building effective teams, managing projects and stakeholders, growing SMEs, transforming supply chains and assisting organisations to embrace B-BBEE. She serves on various boards and in 2014 was selected as a finalist for Top Young Executive of the Year.

Edge Growth Esd Brenda Matyolo
Edge Growth Esd Daniel Hatfield

Daniel Hatfield

Chief Executive Officer and Edge Board Executive Director, Edge Growth

As CEO, Daniel leads Edge in realising its vision for a prosperous Africa through world-shaping SMEs. Under his leadership, 100s of Edge Growth assisted SMEs have thrived, striving towards the target to create 2,5 million job days by 2023. He has been involved in Enterprise Development and Impact Investing across the entire value chain – from developing and implementing strategies for corporates, raising capital and setting up the first-ever ESD funds, to hands-on investing and supporting SMEs on their growth journeys.

Jason Goldberg

Chief Executive for 10X Digital & Edge Blue Skies and Co-Founder
and Executive Director, Edge Growth

Jason is responsible for developing business models to find, fund and scale high growth businesses. He has more than 10 years’ experience working with high growth entrepreneurial businesses. Since co-founding Edge in 2007, Jason has worked with several of the world’s largest firms to develop strategies for growing local enterprises and suppliers. Jason currently heads up Edge Growth’s innovative Blue Skies division, breaking new ground for growing the business.

Edge Growth Esd Jason Goldberg
Edge Growth Esd Rorisang Tshabalala

Rorisang Tshabalala

Non-Executive Director, Edge Growth
Founder and Chief Executive, Chapter One Innovation

Rorisang is a classical corporate strategist specialising in business model and innovation strategy. He holds an MBA (specialising in social innovation and entrepreneurship) from the UCT Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Commerce from the UP. He leads the firm in its mission to be a platform for launching market-winners, industry leaders, and world-changers, both in terms of the organisational systems and the people that work on them. Rorisang is also an adjunct member of faculty at Duke University CE, delivering a portfolio of corporate education programs.

Tshepo Dhlamini

Non-Executive Director, Edge Growth
Deal Executive, African Rainbow Capital (ARC)

Tshepo holds a B Acc Sci (Taxation Honours) from Wits and is a Chartered Accountant CA (SA) and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). He looks after deal sourcing, evaluation and execution as well as investment portfolio management. Prior to joining ARC, he dealt with Pan-African mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, venture capital, equity valuations, financial modelling, deal structuring and post-investment monitoring and management.

Edge Growth Esd Tshepo Dhlamini
Edge Growth Esd Rojie Kisten

Rojie Kisten

Non-Executive Director, Edge Growth

Rojie Kisten hails from the Eastern Cape with more than 20 years’ experience in the corporate sector with a wide range of executive roles. Her experience has been predominantly in the Asset Management (listed and unlisted) and Insurance and Enterprise Development sector. She exited the corporate sector at the end of 2014 and has been serving on various boards, mainly in the Audit and Risk Committees. Her experience and skill set include governance, leadership, capital raising and funding activities, coupled with a passion for growing SMEs. Rojie is involved in various charitable and social impact entities, an area that is very close to her heart.

Richard Bicker Caarten

Executive Director and Group CFO, Edge Growth

Richard has a B. Com (Honours) and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (SA). He also has an Advanced Tax Certificate and completed the PMD Executive Development Programme at Harvard Business School. Richard’s work experience includes finance roles with Ernst & Young and Reunert Ltd, as well as fifteen years in general management with Marconi, Ericsson and Plessey Wireless Solutions as MD. He also has five years as EVP of management consulting practice, Alexander Proudfoot. Prior to joining Edge Growth, Richard was the business owner and MD of Interact Media Defined and Mining and Technology Events.

Edge Growth Esd Richard Bicker Caarten

Our Transformation Journey

As part of our commitment to enabling empowerment in everything we do, we are proud to have achieved a Level 1 Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) rating. We continue to seek more ways to extend our impact on empowerment.

Our 57% equity shareholders include African Rainbow Capital (Pty) Ltd, Maggie Mojapelo and our Edge Growth Employee Share Ownership (ESOP) Trust that benefits top black performers at the company.

Watch this short video telling the story of our own transformation journey: