For the seventh consecutive time, the Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) is set to the transformative power of private capital.
The 2025 SAVCA Industry Awards on 7 November will once again set the benchmark for the best in local entrepreneurship and innovation; boosted by the private capital asset class.
SAVCA has issued the final call for nominations, either from portfolio companies themselves or from their investment partners.
“Each year, we see the bar being raised higher than the year before. Likewise, the calibre of business leaders that we have the honour of celebrating, continues to inspire us as an industry body, as well as the investors who have real skills in recognising growth potential,” says Nicola Gubb, SAVCA’s interim-executive director.
The SAVCA Industry Awards has four categories, the first being for start-ups or companies supported by venture capital. Entrants in this category need to be less than five years old and be engaged in early-stage funding efforts (Series A or Series B, excluding seed/pre-seed revenue.
The second category is reserved for small companies with an enterprise value of under R200-million and revenue of under R200-million. Entering companies need to be established with positive operating cash flows.
Companies with an enterprise value and revenue of over R200-million and under R1,5-billion are eligible to enter the category for medium companies. Lastly, portfolio companies with an enterprise and revenue of over R1,5-billion can enter the fourth category, set aside for large companies.
This year, for the first time since the inception of the SAVCA Industry Awards, a new “GP Award” category will be introduced. This award will recognise an individual from a fund management firm who has provided exceptional support to a portfolio company. To win, the GP professional must have been integral to the success of the transaction and to the subsequent growth of the portfolio company.
All nominees must be headquartered in Southern Africa and able to show the demonstrated gains that have resulted from partnering with a private equity or venture capital investment firm, which must have exited in the past 18-24 months (leading up to December 2024).
After the nomination deadline of 8 August 2025, all nominees will be reviewed. The judging panel – which consists of renowned business leaders and captains of industry – will release a shortlist of finalists for each category. These finalists will then be interviewed and individually assessed by the judges. The winners in each category will be announced at the SAVCA Industry Awards ceremony on 7 November 2025.