Newtown Partners

Newtown Partners is an investment firm with a technology focus that was established in 2014 by Llew Claasen and Vinny Lingham, both experienced entrepreneurs with a remarkable history in technology.

Having been entrepreneurs, they deeply understand what it takes to succeed in the startup world, having launched, sold and grown several technology startups. Newtown Partners' experience sets it apart from other investment firms.

Supporting portfolio companies to execute their business strategies

The executive team at Newtown Partners has a wealth of experience and expertise in the startup world. Vinny Lingham's connections in Silicon Valley and Llew Claasen's reputation as a pioneering global technology startup provide Newtown Partners with strong international networks.

Through board participation, based on activities coaching and mentoring, and a variety of strategic support services, Newtown Partners provides post-investment management support to its portfolio companies, assisting them in implementing their go-to-market tactics, product plans, and company model.

Newtown Partners' hands-on approach to investing for long-term success

Newtown Partners has a hands-on approach to investing and is dedicated to the long-term success of its portfolio companies. Its solid international networks provide access to global markets, a significant advantage for its portfolio companies. Newtown Partners' portfolio companies can benefit from these networks to expand into new markets and access new funding sources.

A proven track record of developing high-growth startups

The effectiveness of Newtown Partners in creating high-growth startup businesses has been demonstrated time and time again. Civic, SweepSouth, and Bloomable are among its recent successes.

How Newtown Partners help startups succeed

The first South African firm to be admitted into Silicon Valley's famed 500 Startups programme was SweepSouth, an online on-demand cleaning service. In 2015, Bloomable (formerly SA Florist) was named one of South Africa's top 25 innovative businesses.
Newtown Partners has achieved successful exits with various companies, including SweepSouth, Gyft, Clicks2Customers, Wumdrop, and Ekaya.

SweepSouth's initial investor, Newtown Partners, sold its holding to Naspers in 2019 for a 15x MOIC. Gyft was created by Vinny Lingham and was bought by First Data in 2014 for more than $50 million.

Newtown Partners is a venture capital firm that invests in emerging, disruptive technology startups with the potential to become globally competitive companies. They draw on funds from the Imperial Venture Fund and Newtown Angel Syndicate.

The Imperial Venture Fund, with an initial investment of $20 million, focuses on disruptive startups in the supply chain and logistics industry that present high-growth potential in the global supply chain and logistics technology stack. The fund is committed to investing in entrepreneurs that will disrupt the status quo in the next 5 to 10 years and typically invests in Series Seed and Series A rounds.

The Newtown Angel Syndicate invests in highly disruptive and globally relevant technology startups, specializing in areas that exhibit globally competitive advantages such as Fintech, IoT, AR & VR, Agritech, machine learning, connected home, smart robots, drones, affective computing, gesture control devices, and other disruptive emerging technologies.

The benefits of startup cohort sponsorship with Newtown Partners

The first route is sponsoring an acceleration program cohort, wherein a corporate invests indirectly in ten startups aligned with its interests. Newtown Partners manages these startups during their early stages to ensure their success. The corporate can invest in them in later stages and integrate them into its supply chain when they reach a sufficient scale level.

Creating a corporate venture capital fund with Newton Partners

The second route is partnering with Newton Partners to create a dedicated innovation fund with the organisation as the sole investor. This option allows the corporate to set the investment mandate and participate in the investment committee.

A dedicated corporate venture capital fund managed by Newton Partners is an excellent way for the corporate to future-proof itself against emerging technology threats without impacting its core businesses in the near term.

How organisations can leverage technology-driven disruption in their industries

Newton Partners has demonstrated expertise in disruptive innovation, having been successful in startup entrepreneurship and early-stage angel and VC investments. The company takes a hands-on approach by working closely with portfolio startup companies, enabling organisations to take advantage of the inevitable technology-driven disruption in their industries.

Managed corporate innovation program service

In partnership with Imperial, the firm's corporate venture capital (CVC) program focuses on investing in disruptive startups in logistics, supply chain, and healthcare industries, with an initial capital commitment of $20 million.

In the program's first two years, the company completed nine successful investments, made two follow-on investments, saw a markup in one portfolio company, and had no write-downs.

Newton Partners' Managed Corporate Innovation Program Services provide corporates with the flexibility to innovate and open up pathways to disruptive innovation. There are more viable solutions than simply acquiring immature startups.