CONVICTION OVER CONSENSUS
Sana Partners is a South African private equity investor. We invest alongside exceptional management teams to build better mid-market businesses.
About Us
Investing in relationships, not just businesses.
Sana has been entrusted with the capital of some of South Africa's premier investment institutions and high-net-worth investors.
Since inception we have worked diligently on building a reputation as a safe, reliable and trustworthy counterpart in negotiations and partner to management teams. We welcome engagement between potential and existing partners in corroborating these claims.
Our Philosophy
Our somewhat contrarian investment philosophy stems from our traditional values. We place great importance on personal relationships built upon integrity, respect and trust, and an appetite for fun. We deploy a refined, "old-school" governance model that contrasts with the spirit-of-the-times "stakeholder capitalism" approach that is perceived as best practice, but which we believe is destructive.
Who We Are
Embracing diversity of thought process.
We focus on building alignment, both financially and energetically, and fomenting creative thinking.
Japie Neethling
Outside the spreadsheet, he's usually training for something that sounds exhausting, plotting his next mountain or marathon, or reassuring his family that leaving the farm was, in fact, a rational decision.
Bernard Sellmeyer
Bernard is a lifelong Capetonian who solves world problems on the mountain, at sea, or in negotiation with his three young children (and young wife).
Nick Hudson
His after-hours activities include harassing global totalitarians by poking holes in their one-size-fits-all policies, trail running, exploring wild places and supporting the wine industry.
Jake Archer
Being a born and bred Capetonian, Jake is delighted to be working back at sea level where the increased oxygen, fine wines and mountain views can only enhance decision making.
Japie Neethling
Japie Neethling is a recent addition to the Sana Partners team, bringing experience in financial structuring and capital raising for commercial-scale projects across Africa. He completed his articles at PwC Cape Town before joining CrossCountry Consulting in New York, where he worked with a NYSE-listed global asset manager. Prior to joining Sana Partners, he was with WaterBorne Capital, focusing on deal evaluation, financial modelling, and transaction execution.
Japie is a CA(SA) and CFA charterholder. At Sana Partners, he focuses on deal analysis, portfolio value-creation initiatives, and supporting strategic growth within portfolio companies.
Bernard Sellmeyer
Bernard has more than a decade of private equity experience. Prior to co-founding Sana Partners he had a background in mergers and acquisitions from his tenure at Mazars and subsequent establishment of a private equity M&A boutique.
He holds an MBA from the University of Cape Town, among other under- and post-graduate qualifications. He plays a crucial role in crafting sound deal processes and negotiating strategies, developing management teams and marshalling detail and complexity.
Nick Hudson
Nick is an experienced private equity professional with over two decades in the industry. Prior to co-founding Sana Partners, Nick was a transactor at RMB Ventures, leading several successful private equity investments that generated a combined IRR of 38%. Before this, he was a corporate finance advisor on Wall Street and a financial reinsurance dealmaker at Swiss Re.
Nick is a Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa, the author of several regularly cited journal articles on various aspects of corporate finance, and, as cofounder and chairman of PANDA, an organisation formed to push back against the destructive follies of the covid phenomenon, is a regular conference speaker and media interview guest internationally.
Jake Archer
During a successful private equity career spanning three decades, Jake has co-headed both RMB Ventures and the Ashburton Private Equity Fund. During his twelve-year tenure at the former, the division achieved a gross IRR of 58% and a 4x money multiple.
He is a lawyer by training and previously worked as a corporate finance transactor at RMB. Jake has served on the investment and advisory committees of Sana Partners Fund I since inception, with the Ashburton Private Equity Fund also being an anchor investor in Fund I. He brings a broad network of relationships across industry and private equity to the Sana team.
What We Do
Unlocking value through strategic alignment.
Sana Partners has been entrusted with the capital of South Africa's premier investment institutions and high-net-worth investors with the mandate of investing in the country's most promising mid-size enterprises. The managing partners are significant investors in our funds and we emphasize our philosophy of alignment in our portfolio companies. We don't do "death by PowerPoint" and regard "best practice" as a construct at odds with value creation.
For Our Investors
Our reputation as a reliable investor affords our investors unique access to attractive investment opportunities in the mid-market space.
Our origination style is in harmony with our approach to investing in that our success in concluding transactions is a result of the chemistry in the relationships that we have engendered. The collective experience of the team is applied with tenacity and ingenuity, making Sana a safe pair of hands.
For Our Investment Partners
Sana does not "buy companies". We invest in people. We invest our own capital alongside management teams and entrepreneurs with exceptional talent, vision and determination.
Rather than introduce "value-add teams" or misaligned consultants we invite past operational executives from our network to co-invest alongside us to offer strategic insight. We back exceptional management teams and provide strategic support rather than operational interference.
It's remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.— Charlie Munger
Investment Partners
Diverse Impact. Focused Growth.
EnergyDrive Systems
Purchases, installs, calibrates and monitors advanced energy savings systems in heavy industrial processes. Saves clients in excess of 50% of their energy requirements.
Ares Holdings
South Africa's leading brand management platform. Includes global brands like Under Armour, Crocs, Birkenstock, Vans, and Oakley.
Brenn-O-Kem
Acquires wine waste and extracts grape ethanol and tartrates. A vital part of the South African agricultural industry based in Wolseley.
Mine Support Products
Manufacturer and distributor of innovative roof-support and roof control systems for the mining industry globally.
Lake International
Supplier of fruit juice concentrates, food additives, and filter aids to the African market. Acquired from AECI in 2025.
EnergyDrive Systems
EnergyDrive Systems purchases, installs, calibrates and monitors advanced energy savings systems in heavy industrial processes.
Sana’s relationship with the founders of EnergyDrive Systems dates back to 2013. Over this period, we have had the privilege of watching the team successfully install ever larger and more complex energy saving solutions across South Africa’s most energy demanding sectors which has resulted in significant saving for their clients.
EnergyDrive has successfully rolled out globally and is domiciled in the UK under holding company Apogee Sustainability Ltd to better service the growing client base. Their audited track record demonstrates that they are able to save clients in excess of 50% of their energy requirements.
In November 2017, our long relationship culminated in Sana's investment in EnergyDrive Systems and we look forward to the continued growth and success of the firm.
Ares Holdings
Ares is South Africa’s leading brand management platform. The business was founded in 2015 and has developed into a multi-brand platform respected globally by brand owners.
Since inception the founders focussed on a direct-to-consumer model and then, together with Sana, invested purposefully in systems, processes and most importantly, people. Sana invested in the business in February 2020 and expects to continue investing and innovating as the market evolves.
Notable Brands
Crocs
Birkenstock
Vans
Hey Dude
Ted Baker
Oakley
Brenn-O-Kem
Brenn-O-Kem, a family business since 1999 and headquartered in Wolseley in the Western Cape, acquires wine waste (wine lees and grape pomace) and extracts from it grape ethanol and tartrates.
Grape ethanol is used in the brandy industry and tartrates are converted into tartaric acid and cream of tartar, which are used in the wine, food and pharmaceutical industries.
Sana acquired a majority stake in June 2020 together with the highly experienced and devoted existing management team, with the founding family remaining invested with a small minority.
We are incredibly pleased to co-invest with management and see huge potential in growing and developing such an important part of the South African agricultural industry.
Mine Support Products
Mine Support Products is a manufacturer and distributor of innovative roof-support and roof control systems for the mining industry.
Technology coupled with an excellent understanding of the requirements of the mining industry has given this business the edge in continuing to grow and develop its product range and support its customers both locally and abroad.
Sana and New Seasons partnered with the founding management team in acquiring the business from the parent company.
The potential to continue to expand into new markets globally, innovate the product range and partnering with an excellent management team appeal greatly to our investment philosophy and style.
Lake International
Lake, the previous food and beverage division of listed company, AECI, was acquired by management and Sana in 2025.
Consisting of three main operating divisions: fruit juice concentrates and products, food additives and filter aids, Lake is a large supplier to the South African and African markets.
Management’s determined approach to the trading environment and attention to detail has placed Lake in a strong position to expand its product portfolio and enhance its service offering.
We look forward to many enjoyable (and fruitful) years of partnership.
Contact Us
We are always looking for the next generation of industry leaders.
Get in Touch
For all enquiries:
japie@sanapartners.co.zaSANA PARTNERS (PTY) LTD IS AN AUTHORISED FINANCIAL SERVICE PROVIDER, FSP NUMBER 47043