As Knife Capital marks a significant milestone—its 15th year of driving innovation and entrepreneurship—the venture capital firm has taken a bold step into the education and healthcare technology sectors. With dual Series A investments in fintech‑leveraged education startup Sticitt and digitally disruptive optometry provider Optique, Knife Capital amplifies its commitment to scaling high-impact African startups.
This dual investment is a meaningful nod to the firm’s evolving portfolio: one that blends financial returns with societal transformation. These moves also demonstrate Knife Capital’s sharpened focus on startups that solve real-world problems at scale.
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The Firms in Focus: Sticitt and Optique
Sticitt: Elevating School Finances and Financial Literacy
Launched in 2018 by Theo Kitshof, Sticitt reimagines how schools manage payments and how students learn about money. By offering a platform that streamlines parental payments for tuition and school activities—and overlaying it with gamified financial education—Sticitt has captured notable market traction.
- Usage: 75,000 users across 841 South African schools
- Transaction volume: ZAR 6.3 billion+ processed to date
Parents benefit from a seamless, consolidated payment system. Meanwhile, students earn digital rewards by completing educational activities—effectively embedding financial literacy into daily school life.
After securing a seed round in 2022 (backed by Grindstone Ventures), Sticitt gained enough momentum to pursue Series A growth. Knife Capital’s influx of capital is now set to help unify equity structures, accelerate regional expansion, and deepen the platform’s capabilities.
Founder Theo Kitshof highlights that Sticitt’s mission isn’t just convenience: it’s about sowing the seeds of financial literacy early, establishing a foundation for long-term inclusion and economic empowerment across young demographics.
Optique: Digitally Scaling Eye Care
Founded in 2017, Optique takes a digitally enabled, cost‑effective approach to optometry—disrupting how eyewear and eye health services are delivered across underserved South African communities.
Key highlights:
- 19 physical branches plus a parallel online store
- Affordable eye exams starting at just ZAR 99
- Transparent bundles covering testing, lenses, frames, and free contact lens trials, with payment plans for accessibility.
Founder Leon van Vuuren emphasises the mission’s democratizing lens: “Our goal is to bring world-class eye care to areas that have been overlooked by traditional providers.” The Series A investment will predominantly fuel national expansion, enhance supply chains, and launch digital enhancements—such as virtual try-on and streamlined tele‑optometry.
Why These Investments Matter
1. Scaling Social Impact
Both Sticitt and Optique serve genuine, underserved needs:
- Financial education and accessible school payments
- Affordable, quality eye care in environments where it’s been costly or scarce
For Knife Capital, this dual focus aligns perfectly with its 15‑year mission: to foster African startups that are both profitable and impactful.
2. Clear Market Traction
Knife Capital didn’t leap blindly into these sectors—they entered companies already demonstrating strong adoption, active users, and real impact. That prior traction offers a lower‑risk path to scale.
3. Preparation for International Growth
Though current operations are rooted in South Africa, both companies have models primed for regional or even cross‑border rollouts. The new capital will help them professionalize operations, improve infrastructure, and refine proprietary IP—crucial assets for future expansion.
Knife Capital’s Vision: A Centripetal Evolution
Since 2010, Knife Capital has expanded its influence across diverse tech verticals—fintech, space tech, deep tech, logistics, and beyond. Today, its third fund—Knife Fund III—reflects a tighter, refined thesis: invest in innovative startups with high scalability and measurable impact.
The firm believes the next wave of African growth hinges on a business model that’s not just tech‑enabled, but also outcomes‑oriented—particularly in sectors like education, health, climate, and food tech.
As Co‑Founder Keet van Zyl pointed out in recent interviews, the aim is to back “scaleable innovation that moves the needle in people’s lives” and “measure outcomes, not just outputs.”
What This Means for the African EdTech and HealthTech Landscape
Boosting Confidence in Impact‑Driven Capital
Knife Capital’s new deployments are more than mere funding rounds—they serve as a signal to the broader ecosystem. Investors looking for tech with measurable outcomes will view these deals as validation of Africa’s potential beyond fintech and e-commerce.
Inspiring Innovation in Social Tech
By elevating EdTech and HealthTech, Knife Capital will likely catalyse interest in startups tackling school performance analytics, telemedicine, mental health, supply‑chain medicine, and more.
Enhancing Investor-Startup Synergies
Knife Capital is bringing more than money. Sticitt and Optique will gain access to advanced advisory, global networks, and seasoned support—be it in operational excellence, tech development, marketing, or regulatory strategy.
What’s Ahead for Knife Capital, Sticitt, and Optique
Next Moves for Sticitt
- Expand into new provinces
- Partner with educational bodies for curriculum integration
- Enhance youth banking functions to include saving, budgeting, and investing
Next Moves for Optique
- Scale clinics into new regions
- Improve e-commerce and tele-optometry services
- Explore partnerships with NGOs for rural eye care and screening
Broader Strategy for Knife Capital
- Deepen investment in Fund III focused on health, education, agritech, and climate tech
- Build its reputation as an outcomes‑focused investor prioritising impact alongside profit
- Enhance regional presence across Africa through localised startup support
Expert Sentiment
Industry voices reinforce the importance of outcomes‑linked funding:
- Keet van Zyl, Co‑Founder, Knife Capital: “We’re targeting innovation that moves the needle in people’s lives.”
- Leon van Vuuren, Founder, Optique: “This investment will help us deliver world‑class eye care to consumers typically overlooked by legacy providers.”
Final Takeaway
Knife Capital’s 15th anniversary was never going to pass quietly—instead, the firm marked it with a meaningful pivot towards tech that tangibly improves human lives. Through strategic Series A investments in Sticitt and Optique, the company is sending a clear message:
- Africa’s future lies in tech that scales with impact
- Investing in EdTech and HealthTech is not just altruism—it’s smart, sustainable business
- Knife Fund III will be the flagship for an impact-legitimised investment trajectory
As these startups advance, we’ll be watching closely—not just for their financial runway, but for the ripple effects they’ll create in school outcomes, family finances, and vision care access. Africa’s tech ecosystem is evolving, and these are the stories showing how innovation can deliver both returns and real-world transformation.
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