A look at South African tech start-ups whose global acquisitions delivered big exits for founders and international impact.

TechCentral

Ten South African tech startups achieved significant international acquisitions, including Thawte's $575M sale to VeriSign in 1999, Fundamo's $110M acquisition by Visa in 2011, and recent deals like PaySpace's $100M+ sale to Deel in 2024. These companies spanned diverse sectors including digital certificates, fintech, IoT, cloud infrastructure, and online education. Founders typically received substantial financial rewards and senior positions at acquiring companies, though many later returned to South Africa to launch new ventures. The acquisitions demonstrate South African technical innovation in payments processing, engineering, and enterprise software gaining global recognition.

South African tech start-ups that sold big on the world stage

6. CSense Systems – General Electric (2011)