How many tech companies operate in South Africa?

Liners tracks 490 published software products and tech companies operating in South Africa, from fintech and mobile money to healthtech and logistics. The catalog updates live as new products are published.

How much funding have startups in South Africa raised?

Companies operating in South Africa have raised $11.7B in USD-normalized disclosed equity funding across published rounds on Liners. Debt, M&A and IPO proceeds are excluded, so the total reflects equity investment into the South African market.

What is the biggest tech sector in South Africa?

Fintech leads South Africa's catalog on Liners with the most published products, ahead of every other category tracked in the South African market. The full category breakdown is on this page.

Who invests in South African tech startups?

890 investors have participated in at least one published funding round of a company operating in South Africa — from global accelerators to local angel networks. The most active backers are ranked live on this page.

Does South Africa have any tech unicorns?

2 of Africa's tech unicorns operate in South Africa, including Flutterwave, GoTyme Bank. Unicorns are startups valued at $1 billion or more; the full African list is on the pan-African data room.

Where does South Africa rank in Africa's tech ecosystem?

South Africa ranks #3 of 54 African countries by published products on Liners. Its share of the continent's products and funding is charted in the comparison card above.

Where does this South Africa data come from?

Every figure is aggregated live from the Liners data room: published product listings, USD-normalized equity funding rounds, investor records and editorial news coverage. Each chart on the page embeds free with attribution.

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South Africa Tech Ecosystem

A live snapshot of South Africa's digital economy, tracking 490+ startups and tech companies operating in South Africa, $11.7B in startup funding, and 890+ active investors. From fintech and mobile money to healthtech, updated live.

Last updated: July 22, 2026

▲ 68 this quarter

490

ProductsTotal number of software products and tech companies operating in South Africa, listed on Liners

▲ 2% in 2025

$11.7B

Total fundingUSD-normalized disclosed equity funding raised by companies operating in South Africa (excludes debt, M&A and IPOs)

890

Active investorsUnique investors who have participated in at least one funding round of a company operating in South Africa

CategoriesProduct categories with at least one listed product operating in South Africa

Fintech is 30% of South Africa's catalog
#3 of 54 African countries by products
Y Combinator is the most active backer

Tech companies in South Africa

Top categories

How South Africa compares

Products rank: #3 of 54 countries
Funding rank: #1

Share of Africa's products22%
Share of Africa's funding51%

Other country data rooms

Nigeria1,063 products
Kenya583 products

Unicorns in South Africa

2 of Africa's tech unicorns operate in South Africa — startups valued at $1B or more.

Flutterwave GoTyme Bank

Most authoritative domains

Free Liners account

Startup funding in South Africa

Funding over time

2021 · $1.4B2022 · $1.6B2023 · $1.9B2024 · $561M2025 · $571M2026 · $174M

Funding round types

Seed274 rounds
Venture (unspecified)132 rounds
Series A76 rounds
Other221 rounds

Funding by category

Fintech$6.5B
E-commerce$1.9B
Telecom$1.5B

Largest funding rounds

GoTyme Bank🇿🇦 South Africa · Venture (unspecified) · $1.5B · 2023
MetroFibre🇿🇦 South Africa · Venture (unspecified) · $1.5B · 2020
Takealot🇿🇦 South Africa · Venture (unspecified) · $960M · 2017
GoTyme Bank🇿🇦 South Africa · Venture (unspecified) · $750M · 2020
Takealot🇿🇦 South Africa · Venture (unspecified) · $716M · 2015

Rounds raised by companies operating in South Africa, including multi-market companies.

Most active investors in South Africa tech

By investment count

The investor graph

Who's backing South African tech? 890 investors have backed at least one product operating in South Africa — from global accelerators to local angels.

Most active backer: Y Combinator
Top 10 combined: 141 investments

Browse all investors →