Startup-focused news and research company Disrupt Africa will, in the second week of June, release its South African Startup Ecosystem Report 2022 in partnership with the SA SME Fund and Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB).

Since launching its research arm in 2016, Disrupt Africa has built up a significant portfolio of publications – including the African Tech Startups Funding Report and Finnovating for Africa – previously available for sale, but now made available free for all through open-sourcing initiatives with various partners across Africa’s technology ecosystem.

The South African Startup Ecosystem Report 2022 is the second country-focused publication after the Egyptian Startup Ecosystem Report 2021 released late last year.

To compile and publish its reports, Disrupt Africa has teamed up with the SA SME Fund – a partnership between the South African government and CEOs to stimulate the economy and create jobs by investing in funds that support and develop entrepreneurs, and Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking.

Other partners include Newtown Partners – the family office of successful startup entrepreneurs Llew Claasen and Vinny Lingham, the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi) – a nonprofit company with a mission to build a future-proof, inclusive society through technology and innovation, and Quona Capital – a venture firm focused on fintech that can expand access for underserved customers and small businesses in emerging markets.

Disrupt Africa says the report will be a deep-dive into the South African startup scene, using its datasets, expertise and networks to document what startups are doing what in the country, who is making investments, and who is providing ecosystem support. It also includes the full list of startups tracked.

Disrupt Africa co-founder Gabriella Mulligan says South Africa is well-established as one of Africa’s foremost startup ecosystems, “leading the way” in terms of merger and acquisition activity and the development of local support networks.

“This report tells that story, providing an ideal jumping-off point for any entrepreneur or investor . . . looking to get involved in the local startup scene.”

Disrupt Africa co-founder Tom Jackson says it is core to the company’s mission to offer entrepreneurs, both active and aspiring, access to pivotal information, resources and opportunities with which to take their businesses to scale.

“The democratisation of data, and the release of detailed industry reports free-of-charge, is central to that, and with that in mind we hugely appreciate the assistance of [our partners] who are doing their bit to ensure this report reaches as many people as possible.”

“. . . the South African Startup Ecosystem Report 2022 . . . will shine a light on the exciting South African startup ecosystem and provide valuable quantitative and qualitative data to founders, investors and anyone else that wants to get involved,” says SA SME Fund CEO Ketso Gordhan.

Nedbank principal and alternative investment head Johann Van Zyl says tracking the progress and development of the South African startup ecosystem is crucial to provide accurate data points to inform and attract key ecosystem players to the developing sector.

“We have seen an incredible growth of interest but to further support this, we must be data-driven and well informed in our strategies and businesses,” he says.

Claasen adds that venture capital investment in Africa has seen unprecedented growth in the past two years, with its having become essential that key ecosystem stakeholders collaborate to ensure that South African startups are ready to scale and attract their fair share of international capital.

“[Disrupts Africa’s] research enables us to better understand the current state of play and what needs to be done to make the South African startup ecosystem globally competitive,” he adds.

CiTi CEO Ian Merrington says the best opportunities for economic growth and job creation in South Africa will be unlocked by entrepreneurs who are able to scale their businesses. “We continue to recognise the importance of accurate data and information to potential funders, technology hubs, ecosystem enablers, policy makers and entrepreneurs themselves.”

Quona Capital partner Johan Bosini says everyone can learn and benefit from access to industry data on venture funding trends.

The publication, which will be the seventeenth released by Disrupt Research, will be about 60 pages in length and provide a detailed overview of the South African startup ecosystem and its development over the past five to ten years.

It will involve analysis as to what areas startups are active in, a detailed look at funding and merger and acquisition trends, and detail the range of startup support services available to South African entrepreneurs, including hubs; incubators; accelerators; and government, corporate and university initiatives.