How to apply to Hlayisani Capital as an African founder

TL;DR

Hlayisani Capital invests in sector-agnostic companies at Series A, writes cheques of R10M -- R100M (~$600K -- $6M), and takes applications through a form on their website.

Who Hlayisani Capital is

Hlayisani Capital is a South Africa investor headquartered in Johannesburg. The fund describes its mandate as sector-agnostic. The thesis, in the fund's own words: Scaling high-growth, technology-enabled South African businesses beyond Series A, bridging the gap between early-stage venture capital and traditional private equity.

On the ground, Hlayisani Capital operates as a Series A investor with an Africa focus described as "South Africa (primary), with global expansion ambitions". The fund's partner & co-founder is Brett Commaille, alongside Mathew Palin (Partner) and Nkateko Khoza (Partner).

What they invest in

Stages: Series A
Sectors: Sector-agnostic. The fund calls itself sector-agnostic, but its actual portfolio tells a more concentrated story: 25% of classified portfolio companies are in AI-ML, and 25% are in Edtech.
Cheque size: R10M -- R100M (~$600K -- $6M)
Geography focus: South Africa / Yes -- South Africa (primary), with global expansion ambitions

How to apply

Hlayisani Capital takes applications through a form on https://hlayisani.com/. The apply field in their Trampoline entry describes it as "Via the website or direct outreach to the team". Go to the site, find the apply or contact path, and submit through that channel rather than emailing partners cold, since a fund that has built a form generally routes everything through it first.

Portfolio pattern

Hlayisani Capital's portfolio, as listed in their Trampoline fund page, includes:

Tractor Outdoor Media (South Africa): Digital outdoor advertising
Spatialedge (South Africa): Enterprise machine learning and AI tools
Cogitait AI (South Africa): Automation and operational intelligence
Snapplify (South Africa): Education technology platform
d6 Group (South Africa): School management software

That spread gives you a sense of what a real check from Hlayisani Capital has funded, not just what the thesis claims it funds.

Before you apply

Have these ready before you reach out:

Deck: Check your readiness first so you know where the gaps are
Metrics dashboard: Set up your metrics dashboard so you can show real traction, not slides
Cap table
A one-line description of what your company does

FAQ

Does Hlayisani Capital have a sector focus?

Hlayisani Capital describes its mandate as sector-agnostic, meaning it does not restrict itself to a fixed list of sectors.

What stage does Hlayisani Capital typically write cheques at?

Hlayisani Capital invests at Series A, with cheque sizes of R10M -- R100M (~$600K -- $6M).

Do you need a warm intro to apply to Hlayisani Capital?

No. Hlayisani Capital takes applications through a form on their website, so a warm intro is not required to apply, though it can still help your submission stand out.

Does Hlayisani Capital invest outside South Africa?

Hlayisani Capital's Africa focus is described as "South Africa (primary), with global expansion ambitions". Check the full fund profile for the exact geographic boundaries before you apply.

Is Hlayisani Capital a remote or in-person fund?

Hlayisani Capital's format is listed as Hybrid.