Innovation Edge is an impact-first investor focused on solving early childhood challenges in South Africa.

We support mission-aligned entrepreneurs and social innovators by de-risking early stage product and service development. We ignite the ecosystem around them; and provide multiple rounds of funding, bespoke strategic coaching, operational support and connections to social capital.

We prioritise innovative solutions that not only aim to make an impact, but also have the ability to sustain themselves beyond the period of our support.

Find

We’re always on the lookout for courageous people with creative concepts for solving early childhood challenges

Support

Our entrepreneur-friendly approach, flexible funding and hands-on non-financial support that is customised to suit the stage of each solution sets us apart from other investors.

Ignite

Our work also focuses on igniting greater innovation and entrepreneurship in the early childhood ecosystem

Our impact Areas.

More than 6 out of 10 children in South Africa are at risk of never reaching their full potential.

Over 60% of South Africa’s children live in poverty. Challenging life experiences during their first six years, compounded by systemic failure, reduce their possibility of present-day and future well-being. Our investments aim to improve the chances of children’s life-long success by influencing the quality of their first six years of life. We take a holistic approach to solving the issues in early childhood development by empowering innovation in four impact areas.

We strive for impact in 4 areas:

Early Learning in the Home

A child who has daily brain-building interactions right from birth develops strong learning foundations

Quality Early Learning Programmes

A child who attends a quality early learning programme for at least 2 years is more likely to start school on track

Early Health and Well-being

A child who receives nourishing food and good healthcare is able to grow to their full potential

Early Security and Safety

A child who feels safe and is protected from toxic levels of stress is free to thrive

RANDS INVESTED

R46 Million

INVESTMENTS

45

REINVESTMENTS

10

ACTIVE INVESTMENTS

11

EXITED INVESTMENTS

34

Featured investments.

Teampact

Teampact uses existing smartphone technology and leverages established ‘selfie culture’ behaviour to make attendance tracking easy and fun; simply using photos to track attendance, dates and location. Teampact encourages the use of digital attendance tracking to make data-informed decisions.

Our Space

OURSpace is a connectivity device that enables access to educational resources both online and offline. It leverages affordable technology to support learning in rural, peri-urban, and urban areas where data infrastructure is limited or costly, ensuring uninterrupted access to digital resources. OURSpace encourages digital inclusion to enhance educational outcomes.

PMHP

The Secret History Mobile Application (SHiMA), developed by the Perinatal Mental Health Project (PMHP), is a mobile training app for maternity healthcare workers. It focuses on improving respectful care, empathic engagement, and self-care, enhancing mental health outcomes for pregnant mothers and caregivers. SHiMA promotes better maternal mental health through skill development.

Upskill

Upskill is a mobile and web-based learning platform offering SACE-endorsed modules for early learning practitioners, teachers, and school leaders across Africa. It provides easy access to professional development resources, supporting continuous learning and growth. Upskill encourages quality education through accessible, accredited training content.

Latest insights and stories.

Financial partners.

Our Partners Say...

“Innovation Edge’s investment in TeamPact has been pivotal in our development as a young organisation. IE’s financial investment has allowed us to scale our operations in South Africa, in both the ECD space and the broader social sector, and has allowed us to retain the quality of the products and services we offer during this period of rapid growth. As well as the non-financial investment, the advice and networks afforded to us through our relationship with Innovation Edge have been invaluable. The ECD sector in South Africa can be diffuse and difficult to navigate, but IE’s support has enabled us to more effectively work with organisations delivering interventions at the most crucial stage of a child’s development.”

- Finlay Kettlewell, TeamPact

Our Partners Say...

“Through the support provided by Innovation Edge, we were able to conduct a pilot project that tested the efficacy of our digital interventions in rural ECD classrooms. After utilising Ambani Africa in the classroom for a month, the study revealed a remarkable transformation: 39% of low-performing learners in rural ECD centres transitioned to high performers. This impactful outcome underscores the significant role that innovative digital solutions can play in enhancing early childhood education outcomes in South Africa.”

- Mukundi Lambani, Ambani Africa

Our Partners Say...

“At the Perinatal Mental Health Project, our collaboration with Innovation Edge has allowed us to take significant leaps forward in advancing respectful and empathic health care for pregnant, labouring and postpartum women. The support received for the Secret History Mobile training Application (SHiMA) has enabled us to conduct a crucial feasibility study among maternity healthcare workers, providing invaluable insights into the technical, process and content aspects of our early prototype. Moreover, the strategic guidance from the IE team has been invaluable, helping us navigate challenges and refine our approach. Together, we're not just developing an app; we hope to shift how healthcare is delivered to vulnerable women during and after pregnancy, so that mothers receive the support they need, when they need it most.”

- Simone Honikman, PMHP

Our Partners Say...

“The support of Innovation Edge has allowed us to start the Fathers Matter ECD project, which equips ECD practitioners to help male caregivers become more involved in their children’s early learning journey. The collaborative way in which Innovation Edge partners with us, makes room for us to have an iterative, problem-solving approach, which is crucial. We have also benefited from the training events at which there are also great opportunities for networking with like-minded organisations. We appreciate Innovation Edge’s (Nonku) efforts to understand the context within which we work, and the team’s willingness to help us tackle the challenges that we face in implementing our project.”

- Simone Gregor, Fathers Matter

Our Partners Say...

“The project investment and support from Innovation Edge was instrumental in enabling hearX Group to make a profound impact in healthcare. Prior to revenue and commercialisation of the product, Innovation Edge recognised the value of initial hearScreen technology. What started off as one product has now grown into 16 screening and diagnostic technologies that are used not only in South Africa, but also in Sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia, and Europe.

Innovation Edge’s non-financial support, including assistance in navigating operational challenges and connecting us with experienced project managers, has been invaluable in our community screening and impact projects.”

- Seline van der Wat, hearX Group

Our Partners Say...

“In an ecosystem with very few early-stage funders, Innovation Edge is far more than just that: at various stages in our journey they have played the role of visionary, incubator, mentor, and safety-net. Early Bird would not be where we are today without Innovation Edge's multi-faceted support. The  team bolstered our team's spirits and helped us to problem-solve through tough times, building a more resilient organisation. The road ahead is long, but we're walking it with our eye to the horizon thanks to Innovation Edge. Hopefully together we will achieve our mission of improving the early learning and development outcomes of children across South Africa.”

- Megan Blair, Early Bird