The South African Venture Capital and Private Equity Associate (SAVCA) Industry Awards celebrates the accomplishments of portfolio companies that have successfully used invested capital to build thriving enterprises. This year marks the fourth in-person event of its kind, which will be hosted by SAVCA in partnership with Investec on the 9^th of May. The panel of judges has now successfully completed the nomination review process and has announced the shortlisted finalists in the medium and large company categories.

As SAVCA CEO, Tshepiso Kobile explains, “These finalists were selected based on clear evidence of growth across a number of aspects – including financial, job creation or preservation capabilities, innovation, sustainability, and leadership in their respective areas. Most importantly, the judging panel looked at demonstrable value creation, assessing how effectively these portfolio companies have leveraged private equity investments to build robust businesses that are poised for long-term success.

The nominees in the medium and large company categories are brilliant examples of the value of this asset class, not only in terms of funding but in terms of the ability to walk side by side with business owners and provide them with the mentorship and support to realise their goals. These partnerships are what we have set out to foreground and celebrate.”

Medium company nominees

The companies in this category needed to meet at least two of the following criteria to enter: enterprise value of between R200 million and R1.5 billion, revenue of between R200 million and R1.5 billion with positive operating cash flows. In no particular order, they are:

TrenStar SA | Returnable packaging solutions

Founded in 1992, TrenStar SA is an industry innovator with extensive experience across the total spectrum of returnable and rental packaging. This includes design, procurement, conditioning (providing functional, clean, and safe returnable packaging), tracking, and management with system integration capabilities. TrenStar SA distinguishes itself by constantly investing in proprietary methodology and software development and building a history of enabling returnable packaging management through barcoding, RFID, and IoT. Today, TrenStar SA provides returnable packaging and supply chain solutions to various industries, with key capabilities in the automotive, agriculture, healthcare and other sectors.

According to CEO, Tap du Plessus: “TrenStar SA has had the opportunity to participate in several private equity transactions, with each transaction supporting an important strategic objective. These objectives ranged from a change in equity to expansion capital, debt restructuring, realising investment and BBBEE compliance.

A well-regulated and professional private equity and venture capital industry in South Africa unlocks opportunities for entrepreneurial companies and funds to achieve great returns. This recognition as a SAVCA Industry Awards finalist had fueled our creative enthusiasm to do business. What an honour!”

MyRunway | Fashion e-commerce

MyRunway is an online fashion retailer that has established partnerships with over 500 high-end brands to bring fashion to online shoppers at discounted prices. Through its online platform and mobile app, MyRunway offers its customers daily promotional deals as well as a wide range of always-on products from leading brands such as Fossil, Superdry, GUESS and Elizabeth Arden.

The site currently supplies products across multiple categories including shoes, accessories, activewear and swimwear. The brand was founded under the name RunwaySale in 2012, a leading e-commerce platform which was later, spurred on by a period of substantial growth during the pandemic, rebranded to MyRunway.

Large company nominees

The companies in this category needed to meet at least two of the following criteria to enter: enterprise value of over R1.5 billion, revenue of over R1.5 billion with positive operating cash flows. In no particular order, they are:

AutoX | Automotive manufacturer

AutoX is a leading South African automotive lead‑acid battery manufacturer and distributor, supplying local and selected African and European markets with Willard and Sabat battery brands. It is also the official distributor in South Africa and other selected African countries of the world renowned VARTA automotive batteries manufactured by Clarios. Serving both the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and aftermarket replacement market sectors, AutoX provides a wide range of batteries, including automotive car and truck batteries, industrial batteries, as well as motorcycle and leisure batteries.

Commenting on the nomination is CEO, Glenn Geldenhuis, who says that, “being nominated for the SAVCA 2023/24 Industry Awards is an extreme honour, and a recognition of the dedication, commitment, and teamwork of the AutoX team at all levels of the business through challenging times in our economy and country as a whole.

We continue in our quest to promote and drive a high-performance culture, linked to both our Core Values and our internal Ten Commandments of Continuous Improvement. What makes this nomination even more special for us at AutoX is the fact that this year is the 70th anniversary of the founding of our company.”

Excellerate Holdings Limited | Investment holding company

The Excellerate Holdings Group has an extensive global footprint, with offices across Africa, UAE and the UK. Its loyal client base includes multinational corporates, public sector organisations, developers, funds, institutions and private investors. Excellerate’s brands include CBRE Excellerate (Facilities Management and Corporate Real Estate Services), Excellerate Services (Integrated Soft Services), Excellerate JHI, and Excellerate JHI Retail (Investor Property Management). With over 20 000 employees, the group manages approximately $12.6 billion in assets encompassing 16,5 million square meters and over 22,000 leases.

"Being nominated alongside RMB for the SAVCA’s 2023/24 Industry Awards fills us with immense pride and gratitude. It reflects the dedication of our team and the trust of our partners. This recognition motivates us to persist in our pursuit of innovation and excellence, reinforcing our commitment to driving positive change and creating lasting value in the industry," says CEO Marna van der Walt.

Amrod | Branded promotional products provider

Amrod is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest total-solution, branded, promotional products provider. Founded in 2000, the business operates the most comprehensive and advanced in-house branding facility in Africa and supplies a range of products including apparel, headwear, workwear and custom packaging.

It currently supplies over 6500 resellers through its network of 9 showrooms across 5 African countries and is headquartered in an industry-leading 38 000m2 facility in Johannesburg. Through the continuous pursuit of excellence and innovation, the brand aims to provide clients with a seamless total-solution. This includes: deep inventory across a wide range of products, state-of-the-art branding solutions and quicker lead-times, combined with the latest digital systems, tools and resources, which are geared towards making online customer interactions fast, simple and convenient.

The winners in each category will be announced at an awards ceremony to be hosted at the Investec Head Office in Sandton, Johannesburg on 09 May 2024.

As Kobile concludes: “The businesses that have been nominated in these two categories, which cover an impressive range of sectors, are undoubtedly some of the country’s heavyweights. In their own capacities, each of these companies has used investment funding and leaned on the expertise of their leadership teams to build brands that have played a pivotal role in positioning South Africa on the continental and global stages. We wish all these nominees the best of luck at this year’s industry awards.”