Capital Is the Starting Point Not the Strategy.
Lighthouse Capital is a private equity fund backing profitable mid-market businesses in South Africa and Kenya. We invest $5M to $10M per company and work alongside management from day one. Our pipeline covers vetted businesses across fintech, manufacturing, technology, agribusiness, and professional services.
In this short introduction, the General Partners share the origin story behind the firm, the gap we saw in the African private equity landscape, and the conviction that capital alone is not enough to scale businesses on the continent.
Most mid-market businesses in Africa do not fail for lack of ideas. They stall because scaling requires more than money. It requires people who have run operations, navigated suppliers, managed teams, and dealt with the hard parts of building a business.
Lighthouse Capital was built by operators. We have founded and scaled businesses across South Africa and Kenya. When we invest, we bring that experience with us.
Our focus covers five sectors where we have sourced, assessed, and built businesses:
- Fintech and financial services
- Manufacturing
- Technology
- Agribusiness
- Professional services
We do not chase trends. We back businesses with real revenue and real customers in sectors we understand from the inside.
Approximately 80% of our deployment targets South Africa, where we have the deepest relationships, the strongest pipeline, and the most operational context. Kenya makes up the remaining 20%, with selective attention on Nigeria and Rwanda as the fund scales.
We invest where we can add something beyond the cheque. Geography without operational presence is just exposure.
Our Capital Story in Numbers
The Team Behind the Capital
What We Stand For
At Lighthouse Capital, our values are shaped by real experience, not theory. We’ve built businesses from the ground up, so we know what matters when the stakes are high. These principles drive how we invest, how we show up for founders, and how we earn the trust of our partners.
Entrepreneurial Empathy
We have built and scaled businesses ourselves. We know what founders face and we do not pretend otherwise.
Execution First
We measure success by what gets done, not what gets planned. Every engagement starts with a clear operating plan and ends with results.
Focused Discipline
We invest in sectors we know deeply, in markets where we have a genuine edge. Opportunities outside that range get passed, not pursued.
Aligned Partnership
We win when our portfolio wins. Our returns come from building businesses that last, not from timing an exit.
Bold, Not Reckless
We take calculated risks on bold ideas with clear paths to scale. We back ambition, not chaos.
Integrity Always
We operate with clarity, honesty, and consistency, because trust is the foundation of every great partnership.
Where We’re Building
Johannesburg, South Africa
The financial and industrial heart of Southern Africa, Johannesburg is our home base and launchpad. We’re deeply embedded in its ecosystem, across fintech, professional services, and high-growth infrastructure plays.
Nairobi, Kenya
A growing centre of East African innovation. With strong mobile adoption, talent density, and early traction in AI and SaaS, Nairobi presents high-quality opportunities across tech-enabled services and platforms.
Kigali, Rwanda
One of Africa’s most forward-thinking regulatory and innovation environments. Kigali is ideal for piloting smart infrastructure, AI applications, and advanced manufacturing with regional expansion potential.
