- Integral to our ethos
- What gets our attention?
- And who gets our attention?
Integral to our ethos:
- Playing a constructive role in the region’s digital evolution by supporting the new generation of tech entrepreneurs
- Identifying and selecting people of vision and imagination, who share our desire to create partnerships that truly make a difference.
What gets our attention?:
- Early-stage tech start-ups born in eastern and southern Africa with the potential to go global, to change the world and add real value to people’s lives.
- Originality that engages and solves problems. Ingenuity that pushes digital boundaries.
And who gets our attention?:
- Daring, passionate, energetic people behind the words.
- Founders with ambition, and an appetite for the challenges of the long haul. Converting ideas into successful action and tangible results is demanding – we’ll expect pure grit and determination as a minimum.
Integral to our ethos
- Playing a constructive role in the region’s digital evolution by supporting the new generation of tech entrepreneurs
- Identifying and selecting people of vision and imagination, who share our desire to create partnerships that truly make a difference.
What gets our attention?
- Early-stage tech start-ups born in eastern and southern Africa with the potential to go global, to change the world and add real value to people’s lives.
- Originality that engages and solves problems. Ingenuity that pushes digital boundaries.
And who gets our attention?
- Daring, passionate, energetic people behind the words.
- Founders with ambition, and an appetite for the challenges of the long haul. Converting ideas into successful action and tangible results is demanding – we’ll expect pure grit and determination as a minimum.
At DotExe Ventures investment is not just about funding.
It’s about inspirational mentorship and guidance from dynamic, experienced teams committed to realising the full potential of fledgling ventures.
And it’s about collaboration with investors who share the same fundamental goal.
The Company
DotExe Ventures brings to life the intention of IBL Group, the leading Mauritian conglomerate, to accelerate its expansion in Eastern Africa.
A diversified group with a global presence encompassing 9 industries, operated through 287 companies in 18 countries, IBL has an enviable 190-year-old track record of growth and expansion.
Sharing this DNA uniquely positions DotExe Ventures, granting potential founders and fund partners access to multi-sector relationships and networks, robust business expertise, and visionary entrepreneurship.
Our Investment Thesis
Clear, resolute, and single-minded, this is what underpins our modus operandi …
Funding stage
– our primary focus for initial investments are Seed and Series A funding rounds, and growth-stage opportunities will be considered where appropriate.
Sector and Return
– scalable, high-growth tech companies with potential returns of 10-100 times initial investment (or more) will get our attention.
Why DotExe?
The tech world that underpins our intention inspires our name.
Executable files, denoted by the extension “.exe”, are computer files that systems can execute immediately – essentially, a .exe file is a program that your computer can execute or run.
In similar empowering fashion, DotExe Ventures exists to invest in and support promising tech-based founders.
We:
assess.exe
select.exe
invest.exe
partner.exe
… and grow.exe
We turn innovative dreams into digital reality.exe
Our Funds
- Fund I
4DI DotExe Fund I
Partnership with South African-based venture capital fund manager 4Di Capital sees the creation of “4Di DotExe Fund 1 LP”, with IBL Group as the initial anchor investor.
With a shared desire to support young entrepreneurs, particularly in southern and eastern Africa, this early-stage technology venture fund is defined by its people, and the synergies of their collaboration.
And it’s defined too by the extraordinary potential the African market holds. In the 1st quarter of 2022 Africa was the only region to record three-digit growth, with venture funding increasing by 150% year-on-year. Very real opportunities exist here, particularly in the early-stage investment landscape.
The 4Di DotExeFund I
The team
Laurent Fayolle
Mauritius-based Partner with 15 years’ experience in the information technology industry, both at an operational and strategic level. Laurent is currently the CEO of IBL Link as well the Managing Director of DotExe Ventures. He also serves as Non-Executive Director on numerous IBL Company boards.
Anton Van Vlaanderen
SA-based Partner with 20 years’ entrepreneurial experience including involvement in the angel investing and venture capital industry. Anton is currently the Managing Partner of all 4Di Capital activities.
Justin Stanford
SA-based Partner with over 20 years’ experience in tech start-ups and venture capital, as a founder, entrepreneur, angel and venture capital investor. Justin is Co-founder of “The Silicon Cape Initiative” in South Africa.
Laurie Olivier
US-based Partner with 35 years’ venture capital involvement covering the US, Israel, Europe, Africa and Asia. Laurie is a seasoned tech start-up founder with extensive board experience gained in more than 50 companies including a global Fortune Listed corporation.
Erik Van Vlaanderen
SA-based Partner with over 20 years’ experience in tech start-ups and venture capital, as a founder, entrepreneur, angel and venture capital investor. Erik is a Chartered Accountant and former Deloitte Cape Town partner, followed by 20 years senior corporate management experience.
Laurent Fayolle
Mauritius-based Partner with 15 years’ experience in the information technology industry, both at an operational and strategic level. Laurent is currently the CEO of IBL Link as well the Managing Director of DotExe Ventures. He also serves as Non-Executive Director on numerous IBL Company boards.
Anton Van Vlaanderen
SA-based Partner with 20 years’ entrepreneurial experience including involvement in the angel investing and venture capital industry. Anton is currently the Managing Partner of all 4Di Capital activities.
Justin Stanford
SA-based Partner with over 20 years’ experience in tech start-ups and venture capital, as a founder, entrepreneur, angel and venture capital investor. Justin is Co-founder of “The Silicon Cape Initiative” in South Africa.
Laurie Olivier
US-based Partner with 35 years’ venture capital involvement covering the US, Israel, Europe, Africa and Asia. Laurie is a seasoned tech start-up founder with extensive board experience gained in more than 50 companies including a global Fortune Listed corporation.
Erik Van Vlaanderen
SA-based Partner with over 20 years’ experience in tech start-ups and venture capital, as a founder, entrepreneur, angel and venture capital investor. Erik is a Chartered Accountant and former Deloitte Cape Town partner, followed by 20 years senior corporate management experience.
Our Portfolio
Profound expressions of the great things achieved when like-minded people with shared goals come together – our portfolio showcases start-ups that have become fully-fledged forces for good.
Be Inspired!
LifeQ
South Africa, the US and The Netherlands
LifeQ’s solutions generate business-grade biometric and health information, via bespoke firmware from wearable devices, contributing to leading health management solutions for consumer, business and clinical applications.
Cloudline
South Africa
Cloudline is developing a network of the world’s first fully autonomous airships, with the ability to operate inexpensively, safely and quietly in inaccessible locations.
Tagmarshal
South Africa, the US and Ireland
Tagmarshal has evolved from a course pace and flow management solution to a complete golf course intelligence platform, allowing full operational oversight and reporting, and data-driven management.
Talk360
South Africa and The Netherlands
The Talk 360 app enables affordable and reliable calls to any mobile or landline number in the world, without the need for the receiver to have an online connection or specific app.
BFREE
Nigeria and Kenya
BFREE provides innovative digital-first credit collection processes, essentially making these far more customer-centric than traditional options, which are based largely on humiliating customers.
NUMIDA
Uganda
Numida is the first mobile platform in Africa to provide unsecured working capital loans to semi-formal African micro and small businesses.
SENDMARC
South Africa and The Netherlands
Sendmarc is a cyber security SaaS business, whose products provide protection against email impersonation, phishing, and spoofing for all stakeholders connected with an organisation.
LETA
Kenya
LETA is harmonising supply chain and logistics management through an operating system which incorporates an optimisation model determined by tonnage and dynamic routes, underpinned by an AI powered, automated dispatch feature.
Happy Pay
South Africa
Happy Pay is a “Buy Now, Pay Later” platform.
Happy Pay is a South African-based technology company launched in 2021, that operates in the BNPL sector. The business provides their customers with equitable finance options that enhances their overall financial wellbeing, without negatively impacting their credit rating or overburdening them with debt. Happy Pay has built a forward compliant model that takes a customer’s credit score, and therefore their ability to pay back the installment, into consideration. This not only protects the company from potential defaults, but also benefits the consumer, who is charged no late fees.
Kuunda
Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Malawi & Pakistan
Kuunda is a B2B2C embedded digital financial company that provides liquidity to the informal sector.
The business targets MSMEs and agent networks by acting as the intermediary between mobile network operators and lenders such as microfinance banks.Kuunda’s platform facilitates automated micro-lending and collections between these partners through their proprietary liquidity API and credit scoring algorithms that utilise behavioural and transactional characteristics.These technologies combined play an intricate role in helping small businesses and agents get the liquidity they need.
Our Board Members
Christine Marot
- Chairperson
Christine Marot is the Group Head of Technology & Sustainability of the IBL Group. Christine is an accountant by profession and her qualifications include the Executive Management Programme of the ESSEC Business School. She started her career in an audit firm before joining the GML head office (now IBL Ltd) in the 1990’s. As Finance Executive, Corporate and Accounting, she was involved at senior level in businesses and M&A projects within the group.
Arnaud Lagesse
Arnaud Lagesse is the group CEO of IBL Ltd. He is one of the Mauritian private sector’s most prominent leaders and is known to drive IBL Group with innovative and challenging undertakings. In 2016, he initiated the merger of GML Investissement Ltée and Ireland Blyth Limited and created the new entity, IBL Ltd, which has subsequently become the no. 1 group in Mauritius, and the 2nd largest in the region, excluding South Africa.
Jan Boullé
Jan Boullé worked for The Constance Group from 1984 to 2016 and occupied various executive positions and directorships during which he acquired expertise in hospitality and real estate development. He was appointed Chairman of IBL Ltd on 1 July 2016.
Hubert Leclézio
Hubert Leclézio holds a Scientific DEUG and a Master’s in Information Systems and Management. In 2008, he graduated with an MBA from Heriot-Watt University. After 15 years as Chief Information Officer, Hubert Leclézio joined GML in 2011 as Business Development Executive before being appointed Head of Business Development – M&A at IBL Ltd in 2016. Currently heading the Mergers and Acquisitions Department of IBL Group, Hubert Leclézio is a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of several IBL companies. He is a member of the Mauritius Institute of Directors.
Laurent Fayolle
Laurent Fayolle is a seasoned Executive and Board Member who brings extensive leadership experience to his role as Managing Director of DotExe Ventures, IBL Group’s newly launched early-stage tech investment division, as well as CEO of IBL Link. He also serves as a valued member of the board for multiple IBL Group entities. Previously, from 2016 to 2020, Laurent served as Group IT Executive for IBL, where he was responsible for developing and implementing the group’s IT strategy and supporting its digital transformation journey. He played a key role in the successful merger of GML-Ireland Blyth Ltd and leveraged technology as a business enabler to facilitate the group’s growth. Laurent holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of South Africa and is an alumnus of Columbia Business School.
