Africa
South Africa AI startups & tech ecosystem (2026)
Cape Town, Johannesburg, and regional leadership. South Africa is home to 50 AI & tech startups, 1 investors, and 0 tracked founders and operators, with the largest hub in Johannesburg. Total tracked funding to date: $2.2B.
Across 5 cities, the largest startup hubs are Johannesburg (28 startups, $1.5B raised), Cape Town (18 startups, $596.7M raised), and Durban (2 startups, $62.4M raised). The most active sectors are Fintech, E-commerce, Telecommunications, Mining, and Digital Payments.
Top South Africa startups by total score include AngloGold Ashanti, Capitec Bank, Lula, VALR, and Ozow — browse the full ranked list below or jump straight into search.
- 1AngloGold Ashanti85Johannesburg$748.5M
- 2Capitec Bank68Cape Town$18.1M
- 3Lula62Johannesburg$72.5M
- 4VALR62Johannesburg$54.9M
- 5Ozow62Cape Town$50.5M
- 6TymeBank61Johannesburg$341.1M
- 7Peach Payments60Cape Town$32.0M
- 8Plentify59Cape Town$15.0M
- 9Rentoza57Sandton$7.3M
- 10Bridgement55Cape Town$10.0M
- 11One Africa Media54Durban$37.0M
- 12Ctrack54Johannesburg$23.4M
- 13Pineapple54Cape Town$26.9M
- 14Takealot Group54Cape Town$212.0M
- 15Zapper53Durban$25.4M
- 16HyperionDev53Johannesburg$39.3M
- 17Happy Pay52Johannesburg$6.8M
- 18SweepSouth50Cape Town$15.2M
- 19Jumo47Cape Town
- 20Showmax46Cape Town$205.1M
- 21PARATUS group45Johannesburg$31.0M
- 22Turaco44Cape Town$12.0M
- 23MTN38Johannesburg
- 24Bushveld Minerals37Johannesburg$177.5M
- 25Discovery Health Digital / Discovery Insure Tech Stack35Johannesburg
- 26Linum Labs34Johannesburg
- 27inputi26Johannesburg$352.0K
- 28MyBenefitz25Johannesburg
- 29Shopstar23Cape Town
- 30Econet Group21Johannesburg
- 31Yoco20Cape Town
- 32Carry1st19Cape Town
- 33ATLAS ANALYTICS16Johannesburg
- 34EFT Corporation15Johannesburg
- 35MTN Group11Johannesburg
- 36Sibanye-Stillwater10Johannesburg
- 37Naked7Cape Town
- 38Vagmine Tech IT Pty6Johannesburg
- 39AssetNova5Johannesburg
- 40Otterz5Johannesburg
| # | Company | City | Funding | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AngloGold Ashanti A global gold mining company. | Johannesburg | $748.5M | 85 |
| 2 | Capitec Bank South African digital bank offering accessible, affordable, and transparent financial services. | Cape Town | $18.1M | 68 |
| 3 | Lula Provider of an internet-first bank offering digital banking services for businesses. | Johannesburg | $72.5M | 62 |
| 4 | VALR A cryptocurrency exchange platform based in South Africa. | Johannesburg | $54.9M | 62 |
| 5 | Ozow A leading payment gateway in South Africa. | Cape Town | $50.5M | 62 |
| 6 | TymeBank A South African investment company offering innovative financial solutions and fully digital banking services. | Johannesburg | $341.1M | 61 |
| 7 | Peach Payments Online payment gateway for businesses in South Africa. | Cape Town | $32.0M | 60 |
| 8 | Plentify Provider of smart energy solutions for homes and businesses. | Cape Town | $15.0M | 59 |
| 9 | Rentoza South Africa's first product subscription business offering access to electronics, appliances, and more. | Sandton | $7.3M | 57 |
| 10 | Bridgement South African fintech lender providing AI-driven flexible finance solutions for business cash flow. | Cape Town | $10.0M | 55 |
| 11 | One Africa Media Africa's largest online classifieds group, operating leading marketplaces in employment, autos, property, and travel. | Durban | $37.0M | 54 |
| 12 | Ctrack Provider of fleet management and asset tracking solutions. | Johannesburg | $23.4M | 54 |
| 13 | Pineapple A South African insurtech startup offering a mobile-first insurance platform. | Cape Town | $26.9M | 54 |
| 14 | Takealot Group E-commerce and logistics platform operating in South Africa. | Cape Town | $212.0M | 54 |
| 15 | Zapper A marketing platform enabled by payments, helping businesses get paid easily and grow. | Durban | $25.4M | 53 |
| 16 | HyperionDev A tech skills development company offering coding bootcamps and online courses. | Johannesburg | $39.3M | 53 |
| 17 | Happy Pay A payment solutions provider for businesses. | Johannesburg | $6.8M | 52 |
| 18 | SweepSouth On-demand home services marketplace connecting customers with trusted cleaning and home care professionals. | Cape Town | $15.2M | 50 |
| 19 | Jumo A platform that provides financial services to underserved populations in Africa and Asia. | Cape Town | — | 47 |
| 20 | Showmax Provides internet TV services, including web series, kids shows, and live sports. | Cape Town | $205.1M | 46 |
| 21 | PARATUS group Pan-African telecommunications provider delivering integrated network services and digital infrastructure across Africa. | Johannesburg | $31.0M | 45 |
| 22 | Turaco Provider of insurance services intended to offer affordable medical cover to the future emerging markets. | Cape Town | $12.0M | 44 |
| 23 | MTN South African multinational mobile telecommunications company operating across Africa. | Johannesburg | — | 38 |
| 24 | Bushveld Minerals South African vanadium producer supplying steel, energy, and chemical sectors. | Johannesburg | $177.5M | 37 |
| 25 | Discovery Health Digital / Discovery Insure Tech Stack Data-driven insurance platforms focused on health and wellness. | Johannesburg | — | 35 |
| 26 | Linum Labs A blockchain technology company focused on developing decentralized solutions. | Johannesburg | — | 34 |
| 27 | inputi Provider of agricultural technology solutions. | Johannesburg | $352.0K | 26 |
| 28 | MyBenefitz A South African-developed platform for presenting and managing employee benefits. | Johannesburg | — | 25 |
| 29 | Shopstar | Cape Town | — | 23 |
| 30 | Econet Group Diversified telecommunications and technology conglomerate operating across Africa and globally. | Johannesburg | — | 21 |
| 31 | Yoco An African technology company providing point-of-sale systems, card machines, and online payment solutions for businesses. | Cape Town | — | 20 |
| 32 | Carry1st A leading African gaming platform that provides payment and marketing solutions for game developers. | Cape Town | — | 19 |
| 33 | ATLAS ANALYTICS A data analytics company providing business intelligence solutions. | Johannesburg | — | 16 |
| 34 | EFT Corporation A financial technology company providing payment solutions. | Johannesburg | — | 15 |
| 35 | MTN Group A major telecommunications operator in Africa and the Middle East. | Johannesburg | — | 11 |
| 36 | Sibanye-Stillwater A global precious metals mining company focused on platinum group metals and gold. | Johannesburg | — | 10 |
| 37 | Naked A South African insurtech company offering innovative insurance solutions. | Cape Town | — | 7 |
| 38 | Vagmine Tech IT Pty An IT solutions provider offering a range of technology services. | Johannesburg | — | 6 |
| 39 | AssetNova Bridging real-world assets with global on-chain access, securely and sustainably. | Johannesburg | — | 5 |
| 40 | Otterz A platform that connects businesses with freelance talent. | Johannesburg | — | 5 |
Frequently asked questions about South Africa startups
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South Africa AI startup ecosystem — frequently asked
How many AI startups are in South Africa?
StartupHub.ai tracks 50 startups headquartered in South Africa, with $2.2B in total tracked funding across 5 cities.
What are the top startup cities in South Africa?
The top startup cities in South Africa are Johannesburg (28 startups), Cape Town (18 startups), Durban (2 startups), Midrand (1 startups), Sandton (1 startups).
Which sectors are South Africa startups focused on?
The most common sectors for South Africa startups are Fintech, E-commerce, Telecommunications, Mining, Digital Payments.
How many investors are active in South Africa?
There are 1 investors tracked in South Africa on StartupHub.ai — venture capital firms, angel investors, corporate investors, and family offices. Browse all South Africa investors.
How is South Africa startup data sourced?
Every South Africa profile on StartupHub.ai is built from structured HQ-country fields, public registry data (Companies House, SEC, INSEE, OrgBook, etc.), founder LinkedIn signals, and verified company websites. Profiles are refreshed continuously as new funding rounds and team changes are detected. More on our methodology.
What is the total startup funding in South Africa?
Startups headquartered in South Africa have raised a total of $2.2B in tracked funding on StartupHub.ai.