SweepSouth, an online home services platform, has recently closed an $11 million investment round led by Alitheia IDF (AIF), Africa’s first and largest gender-lens private equity fund, with participation from current investors including Naspers Foundry, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and Futuregrowth Asset Management, as well as new investors, Endeavor Catalyst, Endeavor’s Harvest Fund II, Caruso Ventures, and E4E Africa.
Launched in 2014 by Aisha Pandor and Alen Ribic, SweepSouth provides online on-demand home services by connecting homeowners with verified service providers, with the goal of modernizing home services and being African pioneers in bringing technology to the industry.
Currently operating in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt, this funding will allow the company to further develop and grow its infrastructure and team in South Africa, roll out new services in existing markets, and pursue both greenfield expansions and acquisitions across the African continent and beyond.
Speaking on the new fund raised, Co-founder, Aisha Pandor said, “This new funding round is an important one for our team as we continue to scale in South Africa, and further grow our operations in Kenya, Nigeria, and Egypt. We’re excited to continue SweepSouth’s work in connecting customers with home service providers across the continent, building a platform that empowers domestic workers and local tradespeople.”
We are proud to support SweepSouth’s growth as it expands its platform that substantially improves the financial and social outcomes for domestic workers across Africa, most of which are women,” said Polo Leteka, principal partner at Alitheia IDF.
“In the domestic services industry, which is notoriously informal and exploitative, SweepSouth’s model solves autonomy, security, and increasing income for its service providers, and affordability and flexibility for its end users. AIF’s investment will enable the development of infrastructure and operations that will deliver growth for stakeholders – particularly domestic workers and local tradespeople at the base of the economic pyramid.”