Knife Capital 🔪

Growth Equity investment firm accelerating the international expansion of innovation-driven businesses that achieved a product/market fit in a beachhead market.

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

In this video, Vivienne explains why budget & #cashflow go together and why a simple budget alone will not predict the potential real #risks. While #budgets are your optimistic view of the future, cashflow #forecasts are the reality check.
#KnifeCapFinanceSeries #VC

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

Let’s be honest. #Budgets are usually optimistic fiction. #Balancesheets and #cashflow forecasts? That’s where the truth lives.

In this episode, Vivienne van der Westhuizen unpacks how to build #credibility by completing and understanding your different #financial reports.

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

You can have the flashiest #pitch deck in the room, but if your #financials don’t back it up, investors will bounce.

This week, Vivienne breaks down what #investors actually look for during #duediligence: accuracy, transparency, and a #team that understands its own numbers.

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

Exits aren’t just about #valuations and robust negotiations, they’re built on years of disciplined #financial habits.

This week, Vivienne van der Westhuizen, Group #CFO, kicks off our next six-week series with one key truth: #exit success doesn’t happen by accident. #VC

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

This week, Josh explains how a clean, well-organised data room can turn DD from painful to powerful. It’s not just about impressing #investors, it’s about proving your #team is ready to #scale.

Transparency builds trust. Maturity closes deals.

#KnifeCapDDSeries #DataRoomReady

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

Growth doesn’t happen in theory.

It’s built by people, showing up, solving problems, doing the work.

Today we recognise the engine behind every business:
the people who make it move.

#WorkersDay #Workers #Founders #SouthAfrica #VentureCapital

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

Is your #product built to #scale, or is it just duct tape and dreams?

This week, Josh explores what #tech #duediligence really looks at: scalability, defensibility, code #quality, and #productmarket alignment. You don’t need perfect tech, but you do need clarity.

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

Freedom is a responsibility.
To build. To scale. To unlock opportunity.

Today, we recognise the foundation,
and focus on what we do with it.

#FreedomDay #FreedomDay2026 #SouthAfrica

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

This week, Josh tackles the one thing too many #founders ignore until it’s too late: legal and #governance hygiene. Cap tables, shareholder agreements, #IP ownership, and contracts, they all matter. A messy #legal structure can derail a deal faster than a #competitor can.

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

This week, Josh breaks down what investors want to see when they dig into your numbers: CAC, LTV, #margins, burn & the ability to explain your model without spiralling into a #spreadsheet wormhole.

#FinancialDD isn’t about perfection, but proving you understand your own engine.

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

This week, Josh dives into what really matters in team due diligence. A great team tells a story of aligned values, complementary strengths, and leadership under pressure.

Your product can pivot. Your team can’t.

#KnifeCapDDSeries #TeamMatters #FoundersFirst #StartupLeadership

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

Some #startups hatch. Most don't. It's rarely a lack of ambition, but a lack of fundamentals. By the time a startup reaches us, the question isn't "is this a good idea?" It's "can this scale? Is it ready?"

Happy #EasterWeekend to the founders doing the hard work to get there. 🥚

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

Forget vanity metrics. Commercial #duediligence is about proving you’re solving a real problem in a big enough #market, with real traction to back it up.

Want to pass commercial DD? Ditch the fluff, show us the facts.

#KnifeCapDDSeries #CommercialTraction #StartupValidation #VC

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

#Duediligence can feel like a black box to #founders; mysterious, time-consuming, and slightly terrifying. But what if you knew exactly what #investors were looking for?

Josh Miller, #InvestmentAnalyst at Knife Capital, kicks off a 6-week series that demystifies the DD process.

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

Economic participation is a human right. In #SouthAfrica, high-growth businesses create jobs, open #markets, and expand #opportunity. Human Rights Day is a reminder that #rights become real when opportunity becomes tangible.

#HumanRightsDay #GrowthCapital #AccessToCapital #VC

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

It’s easy to assume that not raising enough #capital is what kills #startups. But, it’s remarkable how often companies raise too much money at too high a valuation, introducing #artificial pressure and bad behaviours into the #business that are difficult to correct.
#Funding #VC

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

As a #founder, there will always be (what seems like) a thousand things going wrong in your #business. #Scaling successfully does not require solving every problem. Successful founders understand which fires are important enough to put out and which ones to let burn. #VC

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

Many high-growth #startups reach a critical ‘bet the business’ inflection point in their #growth journey. Too many companies decide to #scale too early, sending the business down a difficult path to back out of without destroying a large amount of value.
#KnifeCapScalingSeries

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

Many #startups decide to #scale too early, sending the #business down a hard path to reverse without losing value.

Make sure your #product is mature, the #commercial model has been proven, the foundations are in place, & your “home base” is strong enough to support #growth.

[Knife Capital 🔪 @KnifeCap]

One of the hardest moments in #scaling is realising you’re the bottleneck. The person who built the product isn't always the person to lead a large scaleup.

Growth takes #selfawareness. Knowing when to step up, skill up, or bring in the right leader for the next chapter.