By Naledi Serobe.
Anglo American’s Impact Finance Network (IFN) hosted InvestFest 2025 on 1 October, bringing together over 300 entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and development partners for a stimulating investment festival focused on building entrepreneurial resilience and fostering collaboration across Southern Africa.
The festival-style event, held at Victoria Yards, demonstrated the growing appetite for impact investment in the region.
The IFN is one of Anglo American’s social development initiatives and forms part of a broader ecosystem designed to empower and deliver on the company’s Sustainability Strategy—focused on promoting livelihoods, inclusive economic growth, and resilient communities. This ecosystem includes programmes and initiatives across a broad spectrum from skills development, education, and enterprise development and more. Together, they reflect Anglo American’s 108-year commitment to sustainable economic transformation in South Africa and neighbouring countries.
InvestFest 2025 featured interactive business showcases, investor pitches, engaging panel discussions and extensive networking opportunities, all designed to connect growth-stage businesses with potential funders from the IFN’s network of over 140 investors, banks, foundations and development finance institutions.
Convened under the theme, ‘Building Entrepreneurial Resilience’, InvestFest 2025 emphasised the importance of creating supportive ecosystems that help businesses not just to survive challenges, but also emerge stronger and more adaptable.
“The energy and collaboration we witnessed at InvestFest reinforced our belief in the power of bringing entrepreneurs and investors together in meaningful ways,” said Emma Parker, Sustainable and Impact Finance Manager at Anglo American. “Platforms like this create the conditions for partnerships that drive real economic transformation across Southern Africa.”
Since its launch in 2021, the Impact Finance Network has mobilised over R1.6 billion in third-party capital globally across Africa and Latin America. In Southern Africa alone, the IFN has unlocked over R1.2 billion for growth-stage businesses across South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. These investments have supported over 45,000 livelihoods, with over 10,000 jobs created since 2021.
Recent success stories include investments in GoBuddy a gig economy platform that connects commuters to e-commerce deliveries, offering a sustainable, affordable way to reach informal townships while uplifting communities and Michanic, South Africa’s leading mobile mechanic service, delivering trusted, expert car repairs and maintenance directly to your doorstep. Through the IFN these businesses were enabled to grow their businesses in the township delivery and mobile mechanic markets, respectively.
This work addresses a critical need in South Africa’s economy. Small and medium enterprises represent 91% of formal businesses, employ roughly 60% of the formal workforce, and contribute about 34% to GDP. Building resilience among SMEs is therefore vital to ensuring South Africa’s economic growth and stability.
InvestFest 2025 attracted a diverse mix of attendees, including entrepreneurs seeking investment, impact investors, development finance institutions, corporate leaders, foundation representatives and provincial government stakeholders – all united around mobilising capital for inclusive, sustainable growth.
“What struck me most about InvestFest was seeing the quality of businesses and the sophistication of investors who are committed to creating impact alongside returns,” Parker noted. “The conversations and connections made during the event demonstrate that Southern Africa has tremendous potential for scaling impactful enterprises.”
The IFN’s approach focuses on providing targeted support to help growth-stage, impactful businesses prepare for investment, then matching them with appropriate funders to accelerate deals that create measurable social and economic impact whilst generating sustainable returns.”