Unleash Ventures is the South African venture studio of Philipp Ströhemann's family office. We support South African founders from early-stage incubation to pre-seed with strategic mentorship and resources, and with capital. We can act as your lead investor, and also as a co-founder.
Watch: we build camels, not unicorns →
For years, South African founders and investors have been sold the same story: raise a pre-seed early at a high valuation, paint a pan-African vision, and the next rounds will come. Follow-on rounds rarely materialise. South Africa has hardly any exit market for startups, and founders and early investors get diluted at every step.
That model was built for the United States, the largest and most liquid market in the world. Here the maths does not add up. So we build camels instead: cash-flow-driven businesses, resilient in the South African context, that give the founder the flexibility to succeed.
You have an idea and want to know how to move forward. We look at your funding options and market potential, and make sure the business fundamentals are in place before your next step.
Apply to Unleash →You are already running a business and want to take it to the next level. We identify the right customer persona and the ways to expand your products, go into your marketing funnel and sales metrics, and apply the playbooks we have built over the years.
Get in touch →You invest in South Africa or Europe and are tired of tagging along on angel deals. We give you access to the next generation of South African founders and help you invest your capital and apply your knowledge.
For investors →As lead investor, with our co-investors alongside.
We either incubate with you from day one, or back you from early stage onwards.
Every investor you work with here has scaled and sold their business. They become the shadow co-founder in your corner that you always wished you had.
AI lets us stay lean with you. No forced development teams, design teams or agencies.
Majority ownership stays with the founding team. We believe in founder-led businesses and founder control.
We are ready to see it through, and to do what's right for the business together with you.
It's family-office capital. No fund clock, no outside LPs pushing for a timeline.
We only work with investors, us included, who bring their own capital. No spraying and praying with other people's money.
Investment goes through the Unleash Community.
Free and application-only. It's how we meet founders and get to know the business.
Meet Phil and the team on a call, or at a community Q&A.
An eleven-point questionnaire that replaces the pitch deck, with honest feedback from the team.
Together we work out what kind of investment is right for you and your business, and when.
For exited founders, operators and investors. Meet the top-performing founders in South African tech, help them be successful, and become part of the journey as a mentor, a co-investor, or both.
For investors →