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Picture: FREDDY MAVUNDA
Picture: FREDDY MAVUNDA

Telkom’s efforts to grow its venture capital portfolio in SA is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight. 

Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Tshepo Phetla, head of business development at Telkom.

Phetla outlines the fixed-line operator’s investment philosophy about start-ups.

Telkom FutureMakers is the group’s enterprise and supplier development unit. On one side FutureMakers focuses on helping to get more small businesses to be part of its supply chain. On the other side, the company actively invests in technology back businesses/start-ups. 

Phetla says such investment helps the group to understand trends in technology and innovation. Because start-ups can usually develop and take products to market faster, they become an attractive research & development tool.

Join the discussion: 

Additionally, products and services by portfolio companies can be used to add to Telkom’s offering or acquired fully to become an internal business unit. 

In 2015, Telkom launched its start-up Future Fund, together with IDF Capital, ploughing R250m into the effort. With this fund now winding up, Telkom partnered with Aions in 2023 to create a venture builder, R58m being invested to grow technology-focused start-ups and small businesses.

Telkom has a total R150m committed for this latest project over five years.

Through the Future Fund, Telkom has invested in a number of businesses that have performed well, such as SweepSouth, Kandua and Droppa.

Through the discussion, Phetla highlights ⁠Telkom’s investment in start-ups; investment focus; case studies and success stories in the portfolio; fund structure; and plans for the future. 

Business Day Spotlight is a MultimediaLIVE Production. 

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