TriVest – Providing Equity for Growth Capital to African SMEs
TriVest is a South Africa-based capital finance company that provides equity for growth and corporate acquisitions for small to medium enterprises in South Africa.
TriVest pursues investment opportunities based in South Africa, which have the potential to scale within Africa.
Overview of TriVest
Brief History
TriVest was launched with the goal of becoming a strategic growth partner that helps transform companies in South Africa and beyond. In 2009, André Stürmer joined as a partner and was soon appointed as managing director. Stürmer comes from a long background in the investment and finance industry and has a wealth of experience. Between 2015 and 2018, Paul Ammer, from TriVest served as managing director of one of TriVest’s portfolio companies, Inoxico. During this time, Ammer was responsible for kick-starting Inoxico’s expansion into Africa.
Geographically
The TriVest headquarters is based in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa. TriVest mainly invests in companies located in South Africa but with scope to expand throughout Africa, for example, Inoxico, which has operational bases in South Africa and Kenya, SolarCo, which operates in South Africa and Namibia and Solsquare, a Namibia-based company. TriVest has also made significant investments into companies that collaborate with partners around the world in major investment locations like Europe, North America and Asia and a venture capital sister company named Ammer Partners based in Germany.
Significant Investments
TriVest is an active long-term funding and investment partner with a goal of transforming companies that are already good to be great.
- Inoxico – A highly innovative information bureau and fintech company, Inoxico is on a mission to unlock growth throughout Africa by helping companies to conduct their business fairly and cost-effectively. Solutions offered by Inoxico include vendor data and risk management, credit risk solutions and digital onboarding technology.
- Solarco – A South Africa and Namibia-based renewable energy company that offers unique energy solutions to industrial and commercial clients with the goal of maximum longevity and efficiency. As the owner of KGE Solar Pumps, Solarco is the sole distributor of Lorentz solar pumps throughout South Africa and Namibia.
- Solsquare Namibia – One of the leading solar energy companies in Namibia, Solsquare focuses on providing off-grid and on-grid solar solutions to commercial and industrial clients.
- Trinity Pharma (exited) – A pharmaceutical company that provides pharmaceutical manufacturers abroad with complete registration, marketing and distribution solutions. Trinity owns a range of niche products that are distributed in pharmacies and national retailers around South Africa.
TriVest in the News
In 2016, Tech Financials reported on one of TriVest’s major investments, Inoxico, developing a keen interest in the SaaS market. According to Tech Financials, Inoxico plans to avail of an industry which is estimated to achieve exponential growth. Biztech Africa reported on Inoxico going into partnership with Robertsons Reports with the goal of offering detailed reports to clients and so help shape their decision in African investment.