Yenza Venture Studio Completes First Investment

Stellenbosch, South Africa
Week of 18 August 2025

Octoco Group’s Yenza Venture Studio proudly announces the successful closing of its first investment from its venture programme, in Squirrel Away, a pioneering fintech startup transforming the way South Africans think about gifting and financial empowerment.

Through this strategic partnership, Yenza Venture Studio not only assumes investor status but also becomes Squirrel Away’s committed technology partner, as the startup embarks on the next phase in its development journey.

Innovating Gifting for Generational Wealth

Founded by Sibongile Maputla, Squirrel Away empowers families and friends to convert celebrations into lifelong investments. With no minimum deposit requirement, contributors can gift directly into a child’s investment portfolio via a simple, intuitive app interface. The platform is also an authorised Financial Services Provider (FSP No. 54219), blending innovation with regulatory assurance.

Rapid Traction & Visionary Leadership

Launched in May 2025, Squirrel Away quickly garnered hundreds of users on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. At the helm is Sibongile Maputla, a veteran of global financial markets with more than 24 years of experience across South Africa, the UK, and the USA. Her previous leadership role at Benguela Global Fund Managers saw the firm scale to manage over R7 billion in assets in just five years.

Yenza Tech Partnership & Roadmap Progress

Yenza Venture Studio, Octoco Group’s venture arm which focusses on early stage venture investment and incubation, has already completed the first phase of product roadmap planning and product design with Squirrel Away. As next steps, they will begin full-scale development to bring the platform’s upcoming features - such as ETF integration, milestone tracking, and educational content - to life.

“We’re thrilled to have formally concluded our investment in Squirrel Away,” said Jacques Burger, COO at Octoco and Head of Investments at Yenza Venture Studio. “Sibo and her team have built something truly transformative - helping South Africans reframe gifting into meaningful, future-facing investments. Our team is excited to provide the technological and investment expertise necessary to bring this vision to full fruition.”

Empowering the Future Together

With Yenza as both investor and technologist, Squirrel Away is well-positioned to grow into a movement - redefining gifting culture and fostering generational wealth across South Africa.