Private Equity

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Optomise

Gadi Cohen leads Johannesburg-based Optomise, combining supply-chain finance tech with direct private investments for individual backers across South...

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Optomise

Optomise helps businesses and investors unlock capital faster and smarter through Supply Chain Finance and Alternative Investments in South Africa.

General information

Firm type

Private Equity

Year founded

AUM

Undisclosed

Location

Region

Africa

Country

South Africa

City

Johannesburg

Corporate office

Johannesburg, South Africa

Principals

Gadi Cohen

Managing Director

Namir Waisberg

Executive Director

Mark Collie

Executive Director

Michael Roffey

Executive Director

Yonni Palay

Chief Technology Officer

Sector focus

FinTechReal EstatePrivate Credit

Frequently asked questions

Who runs investment decisions at Optomise?

Managing Director Gadi Cohen and Executive Directors Namir Waisberg, Mark Collie and Michael Roffey collectively direct investment decisions, each bringing a distinct operational background. Cohen sources and structures private-market deals, Waisberg applies his M&A and listed-market perspective from his role on the FTSE/JSE Index Committee, Collie contributes fintech scaling expertise from the Airvantage exit, and Roffey overlays credit and device-finance experience across African markets. The lean structure means no separate investment committee beyond the four executive directors.

How does Optomise combine supply-chain finance with alternative investments?

Optomise runs a proprietary technology platform, led by CTO Yonni Palay, that settles invoices early for suppliers while allowing corporate buyers to extend payment terms. The receivables book generates fee income, while the alternative-investments arm separately sources direct private deals — spanning real estate, private credit and venture — for individual investors. The two activities share origination relationships but produce different cash-flow profiles: short-duration receivables income alongside longer-duration equity and credit returns.

Is Optomise a family office?

No. Optomise operates as a third-party asset manager raising capital from individual investors, primarily in South Africa. It does not manage a single-family balance sheet, though the leadership team's prior exits from self-founded companies — including StorageWorx, Airvantage and two cellular-finance platforms — mean the principals themselves hold personal wealth that may co-invest alongside external backers.

What investment stages does Optomise typically target?

The firm targets early-stage, expansion and late-stage growth companies alongside direct real estate development and SME private credit. Its leadership has backed residential projects from ground-up construction through stabilization, as well as venture-stage businesses ready to scale. Optomise does not publish strict stage boundaries, but its disclosed track record shows flexibility to deploy across the capital structure and company lifecycle.

Does Optomise accept commitments from institutional allocators or only individuals?

Public-facing materials reference only individual investors. The firm states it has raised more than R600 million in equity from individual investors. No institutional limited partners, pension funds or fund-of-funds relationships are disclosed, suggesting a capital base built on high-net-worth South African backers rather than institutional pools.

How is Optomise's technology used beyond its own balance sheet?

The supply-chain finance platform is a proprietary system designed and built by CTO Yonni Palay specifically for Optomise's corporate and supplier clients. It is not offered as a white-label or SaaS product to third parties. The technology stack reflects Palay's prior work leading distributed engineering teams at Wtax (VAT IT Group) rather than a licensed or vendor-supplied solution.

Does Optomise maintain any philanthropic or foundation structures?

No philanthropic foundation, donor-advised fund or corporate social responsibility vehicle is disclosed in public materials. The firm's website focuses entirely on the two commercial business lines — supply-chain finance and alternative investments — and does not describe any grant-making or impact-investment allocation.

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