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1237 Top startups in South Africa for July 2026

We rank Cell C, Yoco and Ozow formerly known as i-Pay in South Africa along with 1234 other startups based on an algorithm that scores startups based on total investment, employee count, and quarterly website traffic. South Africa startup ecosystem ranks #52 globally and #1 in Southern Africa.

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Top Unicorn Startups in South Africa for 2026

TymeBank is the only unicorn in South Africa raising more than USD 1.5B. It is the undefined ranked unicorn in Southern Africa.
SB Score:334

TymeBank, a South African investment company, is 100% black-owned and operated. Offering innovative financial solutions, TymeBank empowers customers with fully digital banking services.

Industry:
Fintech
Subindustry:
Online Banking

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Total amount:1

Best Startups in South Africa for 2026

SB Score:637

Cell C is a mobile provider in South Africa, offering a wide range of services and mobile and data deals.

Industry:
Software & Data
Subindustry:
Apps

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2nd

Yoco
SB Score:567

Yoco empowers 100,000 small businesses in South Africa to accept payments seamlessly in-store, online, and on-the-go.

Industry:
Fintech
Subindustry:
Financial Services

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Ozow is the future of payment as we know it. An oh-so (or Ozow) easy, automated and ultra-secure pay-by-bank solution that helps customers pay in just a few seconds, merchants can initiate Ozow payments through a variety of payment platforms, such as SMS, eCommerce, eBilling, QR Code, and instore Point-of-Sale (POS). Through Ozow’s precise and secure system (that reduces the risk of charge-backs), merchants get real-time payments with instant transaction notifications and automated bank reconciliations. As no card is required for payment, their products are also more widely available, resulting in fewer abandoned carts, increased sales, and more happy customers. Furthermore, merchants enjoy transaction fees as low as 1,5%, with no monthly costs, setup fees, or minimum charges, enabling them to save their money. As an added bonus, merchants processing up to R1m per month can use Ozow for free in their first year, no strings attached. Ozow is committed to financial inclusion on a continent where many people are disenfranchised by a lack of payments options. Furthermore, Ozow is committed to making it affordable for smaller businesses to take their trade to a wider audience, and to ensure that if traditional payment methods are unavailable, merchants don’t suffer. Ozow is bringing commerce to a wider audience, promoting financial inclusion, and innovating for our customers. Paying with us is Ozow easy, Ozow fast and Ozow trusted!

Industry:
Fintech
Subindustry:
Financial Services

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4th

Luno
SB Score:549

Luno makes it safe and easy to buy, store and learn about cryptocurrencies in South Africa.

Industry:
Fintech
Subindustry:
Financial Technology

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SB Score:522

Peach Payments provides payment solutions to online and mobile businesses enabling them to easily accept payments from consumers across the globe and especially from those in the emerging markets. Our specific focus is on Africa and the BRIC countries where the local infrastructure requires a unique and tailored approach to online payments.

Industry:
Fintech
Subindustry:
Financial Services

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SB Score:519

Naked Insurance is the new generation: effortless, transparent and sincere. Naked Insurance offers short-term retail insurance products.

Industry:
Fintech
Subindustry:
Financial Services

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7th

Yoco
SB Score:514

Yoco is an African technology company. We create opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses to get paid, run and grow their business through a single platform. Our growing product ecosystem includes payments (offline and online), lending and business software. Today Yoco processes US$ billions annually for over 300,000 small businesses.

Industry:
Fintech
Subindustry:
Financial Services

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8th

VALR
SB Score:498

VALR.com is a digital asset trading platform where you can buy, sell, store and transfer cryptocurrencies seamlessly and securely. We offer one of the widest selections of digital assets. We‘re helping to build a financial system that recognises the oneness of humanity.

Industry:
Fintech
Subindustry:
Blockchain

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SB Score:495

Carry1st is a full-stack publisher of social games and interactive content with a focus on frontier markets like Africa. Founded in 2018 by Cordel Robbin-Coker, Lucy Hoffman, and Tino Mundangepfupfu, Carry1st employs a team of 29 people across 14 countries hailing from top companies like Carlyle, King, Jumia, Rovio, Socialpoint, and Wargaming. It has raised over $10m to date including a recent $7m Series A headlined by Riot Games, Konvoy Ventures, Raine, and Akatsuki. Carry1st will use the funding to launch and scale its existing portfolio, secure new partnerships with global gaming studios, and expand its team.

Industry:
Software & Data
Subindustry:
Apps

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SB Score:467

HyperionDev is one of the largest online coding bootcamps out there. It was founded in 2012, as a small grassroots movement of Computer Science students working towards a single goal: to build and deliver better technical education for anyone who wanted to learn digital literacy and programming skills. Today, we're backed by Facebook & Google and serve over 150,000 registered students in over 35 countries.

Industry:
Edtech
Subindustry:
Edtech

National Rank (South Africa)

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SB Score:454

JOBJACK is an online platform bridging the gap between job seekers and job providers by creating access and automating the entire entry-level recruitment process.

Industry:
Ecommerce & Retail
Subindustry:
Marketplaces

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Total amount:1238

Top 39 Edtech Startups in South Africa for 2026

The top three Edtech startups in South Africa have raised more than USD 20.2M. South Africa startup ecosystem ranks #35 globally for the Edtech industry.
SB Score:467

HyperionDev is one of the largest online coding bootcamps out there. It was founded in 2012, as a small grassroots movement of Computer Science students working towards a single goal: to build and deliver better technical education for anyone who wanted to learn digital literacy and programming skills. Today, we're backed by Facebook & Google and serve over 150,000 registered students in over 35 countries.

Industry:
Edtech
Subindustry:
Edtech

National Rank (South Africa)

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SB Score:322

Beable is the Life-Ready Literacy company. Beable is providing a groundbreaking Life-Ready Literacy System. Powered by its BeableIQ data and automation engine, Beable accelerates literacy growth while connecting it directly to grade-level content acquisition, ACT/SAT prep, career exposure and, ultimately, lifelong success for students.

Industry:
Edtech
Subindustry:
Edtech

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SB Score:322

The Student Hub will publish e-books with links to other resources, while students will also be able to react to content when they are confused or find it difficult. ERAOnline will allow them to send comments and messages to authors, publishers and peers, and every student will be connected with a subject expert to assist them when they get stuck.

Industry:
Edtech
Subindustry:
Edtech

National Rank (South Africa)

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Total amount:39

Top 31 Foodtech Startups in South Africa for 2026

The top three Foodtech startups in South Africa have raised more than USD 53.3M. South Africa startup ecosystem ranks #36 globally for the Foodtech industry.
SB Score:317

Nile.ag provides a platform for farmers to trade fresh produce with multiple producers across a number of African countries. Its digital solutions address inherent issues relating to food trading, quality verification, payments and traceability.

Industry:
Foodtech
Subindustry:
Agtech

National Rank (South Africa)

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SB Score:311

Livestock Wealth is a crowdfarmingTM company that allows people to invest in livestock and earn from sale of the offspring.Their unique CrowdFarmingTM concept allows individuals to share the facilities of a commercial livestock farm while our experts look after their cows on a day to day basis. Cows have been a source of pride and a store of wealth in Africa for centuries. The wealth in cows is based on something real – beef. The company enables anyone to be an organic beef farmer.

Industry:
Foodtech
Subindustry:
Agtech

National Rank (South Africa)

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Regional Rank (Southern Africa)

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Total amount:31

Top 45 Energy & Environment Startups in South Africa for 2026

The top three Energy & Environment startups in South Africa have raised more than USD 59.9M. South Africa startup ecosystem ranks #37 globally for the Energy & Environment industry.
SB Score:413

Wetility's flagship product is a comprehensive digital solar energy management system that allows users to regulate power usage remotely. The system is marketed as the "360 Wetility Experience" and consists of rooftop PV installation or solar panels.

Industry:
Energy & Environment
Subindustry:
Energy

National Rank (South Africa)

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SB Score:324

Plentify connects home appliances with cheaper cleaner energy. It does this with an intelligent residential load management platform which matches demand with clean energy supply for 75% cheaper than batteries. Plentify combines advanced hardware, AI, and user-centric design to create smart home products that delight customers while also strengthening electricity systems.

Industry:
Energy & Environment
Subindustry:
Energy

National Rank (South Africa)

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SB Score:299

Inseco provides project engineering, hardware, network infrastructure, security system, and cloud computing services. They also provide electronic document management, HRIS, and business solutions.

Industry:
Energy & Environment
Subindustry:
Cleantech

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Total amount:45

Most Funded Startups in South Africa for 2026

The top three most funded startups in South Africa have raised total funding of more than USD 753M. Cell C has 1.28% more funding than Yoco.
SB Score:637

Cell C is a mobile provider in South Africa, offering a wide range of services and mobile and data deals.

Industry:
Software & Data
Subindustry:
Apps

National Rank (South Africa)

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Regional Rank (Southern Africa)

0

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2nd

Yoco
SB Score:514

Yoco is an African technology company. We create opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses to get paid, run and grow their business through a single platform. Our growing product ecosystem includes payments (offline and online), lending and business software. Today Yoco processes US$ billions annually for over 300,000 small businesses.

Industry:
Fintech
Subindustry:
Financial Services

National Rank (South Africa)

0

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Regional Rank (Southern Africa)

0

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3rd

Yoco
SB Score:567

Yoco empowers 100,000 small businesses in South Africa to accept payments seamlessly in-store, online, and on-the-go.

Industry:
Fintech
Subindustry:
Financial Services

National Rank (South Africa)

0

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Regional Rank (Southern Africa)

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Total amount:1238

Top Hiring Startups in South Africa by Employee Number

The top three hiring startups in South Africa have an median employee size that is between [5001-10000]
SB Score:169

Tennovo provides consulting and technology services focused on digital transformation and cloud-enabled solutions. The company delivers advisory support and development services, helping clients migrate systems, modernize platforms, and adopt emerging technologies in areas such as cloud integration, digital workflows, and platform engineering. It collaborates with enterprises to design and implement scalable technology solutions aligned with business objectives. The firm also offers managed IT services, cybersecurity support, and ongoing system optimization to help organizations maintain effective infrastructure.

Industry:
Software & Data
Subindustry:
Cloud

National Rank (South Africa)

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SB Score:163

VECTRA is a technology-driven diversified industrial company serving attractive global markets, including automotive systems, electronic devices, aerospace and defense, industrial and medical. Its business platforms use technology to address customers' complex applications and demanding requirements.

Industry:
Ecommerce & Retail
Subindustry:
Ecommerce

National Rank (South Africa)

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SB Score:637

Cell C is a mobile provider in South Africa, offering a wide range of services and mobile and data deals.

Industry:
Software & Data
Subindustry:
Apps

National Rank (South Africa)

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SB Score:258

Promasidor manufactures and supplies seasonings and processed foods in 36 countries throughout Africa. It produces and sells powdered beverages, flavor seasonings, powdered milk, cereals, and other food products. Promasidor mainly operates in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Algeria, and Angola. Promasidor was founded in 1979 by Robert Rose.

Industry:
Foodtech
Subindustry:
Food Manufacturing

National Rank (South Africa)

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Total amount:1237

Explore the Startup Ecosystem of South Africa

Population

(South Africa)

60.4 Million

new

Regional Rank

(Southern Africa)

1st

0

Global Rank

(WorldWide)

52nd

1

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Top Cities for Startups in South Africa - Ranked by StartupBlink

StartupBlink ranks the startup ecosystems of more than 100 countries and 1,000 cities. Download our latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
2026 National Rank CityGlobal RankTotal ScoreAnnual GrowthQuantity ScoreQuality ScoreBusiness Score
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