Fund Management

We Back Venture Businesses with Big Ideas

We believe that investing in an inclusive and sustainable future means backing ground-breaking businesses with revolutionary ideas that can transform our world for the better. We collaborate with corporate organisations, funding institutions and impact investors who dare to venture new frontiers and invest in innovative SMEs that will shape our tomorrow.

End-To-End Fund Management

We provide innovative end-to-end venture capital, corporate venturing and fund management solutions that provide investors with the best of both worlds: solid financial returns combined with significant social impact. We use developmental and transformational capital as the vehicle for impact investment which in turn comes with varying legislative and compliance benefits creating all round value for our investors. Our funds provide small businesses with access to early-stage business finance as well as post-investment support to maximise growth and impact for SMEs.

Impact Funding

We specialise in venture impact funding for early-stage businesses showing high growth potential that support positive social, environmental and economic change. This type of funding yields a financial return and a social return for investors, whether in alignment with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors, UN sustainability goals, transformation and diversity and inclusion objectives, or a combination of all three. It’s the game-changer that advocates for a sustainable and balanced blend of both purpose and profit.

Transformation Funding

Transformation funding is instrumental in removing many of the obstacles on the road to ensuring black wealth creation and inclusive economic growth. This type of funding encompasses several sustainable solutions, including standalone ESD funding, funding for organisations to achieve black ownership and ring-fenced ESD funds to provide easy and cost-effective solutions delivering huge impact.

Funds Under Management

Our experience spans across multiple funds with varying mandates. We currently have almost R2bn in assets under management and have deployed a total of just under R1.3bn to hundreds of small businesses.

Vumela ESD Fund

This social venture capital fund was pioneered with FirstRand Group investments to facilitate their SME development and was the first fund of its kind in South Africa.

Founded in 2009
Close to R600 million raised to date
Almost R380 million invested in SMEs to date

ASISA ESD Fund

This B-BBEE investment fund is an SME development solution, created on behalf of The Association for Savings and Investment South Africa, to benefit both investors and SMEs.

Founded in 2012
Close to R600 million raised to date
More than R460 million invested in SMEs to date

Edge Action ESD Fund

This fund is Edge Growth’s in-house SME development solution, designed to help Corporates overcome obstacles to taking action towards SME development, such as a limited budget or supply chain.

Founded in 2011
More than R180 million raised to date
Close to R110 million invested in SMEs to date

SAB Thrive Fund

This supplier development and transformation fund was established for South African Breweries (SAB) to provide equity funding to their suppliers, enabling majority black ownership, innovation and accelerated growth.

Founded in 2016
R245 million raised to date
R245 million invested in SMEs to date

Abadali Fund

This fund forms part of J.P. Morgan’s Equity Equivalent Investment Programme and is designed to extend debt financing on flexible terms to selected, eligible black enterprises, mainly operating in the industrial and green economy sectors of the South African economy.

Founded in 2021
R300 million raised to date
More than R90 million invested in SMEs to date

Partnering to
Venture New Frontiers

Fund Management with Edge Growth is led by our Edge Ventures team, a passionate collective of progressive investment professionals committed to accelerating growth and driving innovation. We created the blueprint for SME funds by partnering with FNB Business to pioneer the Vumela Fund, the first fund of its kind in South Africa. Our visionary approach to unlocking funding for SME growth combined with our unrivalled expertise in fund management is why our clients choose to partner with us.