South African giant, Naspers has announced an investment of R30 million ($2.1 million) in SweepSouth, a SouthAfrican startup that provides cleaning services to homes, offices and corporate establishments.
Naspers made the investment through its subsidiary; the Naspers Foundry, which was launched in October 2018. At the launch, Naspers Foundry announced that it would focus on investing in tech startups in South Africa, in a bid to help them grow and develop their businesses.
SweepSouth is the first startup to receive the investment from Naspers Foundry. The startup was founded by Aisha Pandor and Alec Ribec in 2014 and has grown into having 11,000 domestic workers on its platform.
With the investment from Naspers, the startup aims to achieve its vision of expanding into other home services and growing beyond the South African market.
The launch of Naspers Foundry is a big step in the right direction to give the tech startups in SouthAfrica the much-needed funding and support that young companies need to grow.
With experience in internet service providing, tech, publishing and print media, as well as investments in other tech companies such as soloLearn, Tencent, Twiggle and Udemy; Naspers through Naspers Foundry, is perfectly positioned to invest in and develop young tech companies in Africa.
The expected effects of the investment in SweepSouth will also translate into providing employment opportunities for a wider range of people. It will also give them the necessary funding to diversify into other aspects of home service that SouthAfrican working class folks need but may not have the time to cater to.
SweepSouth makes its services accessible through its web and mobile apps that clients can book through from the comfort of wherever they are.
According to Naspers Foundry, this is just one of the many investments they plan to make in SouthAfrican tech startups. What transforming effects this will have on SouthAfrica startup ecosystem is yet to be seen.
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