In Africa, startups often need more funding to expand operations but most of them lack access to financial support. Justin Stanford aims to address this issue through his South Africa-based venture, 4Di Capital.

Justin Stanford (photo) is a South African self-taught engineer, entrepreneur, investor, and venture capitalist deeply committed to fostering innovation within the African technology ecosystem. As the Co-founder and General Partner of 4Di Capital, a venture capital firm headquartered in Cape Town and Atlanta, he is focused on supporting and financing high-potential technology startups.

Established in 2009, 4Di Capital, under Stanford's leadership focuses on providing crucial financial backing to African technology entrepreneurs. The firm concentrates its investments in key sectors such as digital health, online education, fintech, green technology, transport, and infrastructure. Noteworthy companies within 4Di Capital's portfolio include Aerobotics, LifeQ, Talk 360, Wasoko, and VALR.

Justin Stanford's journey into entrepreneurship began with a bold move when driven by a passion for technology, he left high school in 2000. In 2003, he co-founded ESET Southern Africa, a company dedicated to distributing ESET's high-end Internet security products in the Southern Africa region. He currently serves on the company's Board of Directors.

In 2009, he took a pivotal step in advancing South Africa's tech landscape by co-founding The Silicon Cape Initiative, a non-profit community movement. The initiative aims to foster the growth of technology startups in South Africa, with a particular focus on the Western Cape region.

"The potential we saw in the very nascent, siloed, and undeveloped local tech startup ecosystem eventually led to us founding the Silicon Cape Initiative in 2009 with my friend Vinny Lingham, to try and kickstart and catalyze things, and the creation of 4Di Capital as a Valley-style early-stage tech VC fund here in South Africa," the South African entrepreneur said, in 2015, on the reasons that prompted the creation of 4Di Capital. 

Over the years, he has received numerous national and international accolades. In 2011, the Mail & Guardian ranked him among the top 200 young South Africans, and in 2013, Forbes listed him in the prestigious 30 Under 30 category of Africa's best young entrepreneurs. From 2014 to 2018, he consistently appeared on the Choiseul Institute's Choiseul 100 Africa: Economic Leaders for Tomorrow list. In 2017, he secured a spot on the inaugural list of the 100 most influential young South Africans.

Melchior Koba