OUR STORY
It began with communities backing one another: building homes, funding education, and creating opportunities together. That same spirit continues today, reimagined for a new era. SUM1 transforms stokvels into collective investment for shared growth.
Where it All Started
SUM1 began with a bold idea: when everyday people come together, they can invest in themselves and their communities – creating real impact and building wealth.
We’ve reimagined the spirit of stokvels into a smart investment platform that makes investing familiar, communal, and within reach .
Investing for good – for the community, by the community. Because with SUM1, the sum of our efforts is greater than one. Together, we grow stronger.
How Stokvels Became the Future
It started with people backing each other: building homes, funding studies, unlocking opportunities as a community. That same spirit is alive today. SUM1 is where stokvels grow into something even greater. By coming together, sharing the load, and dreaming out loud.
Our Faces
We’re a team of builders, doers, and believers. Passionate about changing the way money moves in our communities.
INVESTMENTS
Kurhula
Kurhula has a background in investment management where she worked with leading asset managers in both private and public markets across the continent for 7 years. She believes investments should be a force for good. At SUM1, she develops and manages the investment and risk strategy to meet the needs of stokvels and drive sustainable growth.
OPERATIONS
Kgoshi
Kgoshi ensures SUM1’s operations and investment processes run smoothly. With over 5 years of experience in finance and supporting small businesses, she is passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow and enabling communities to thrive through SUM1’s work behind the scenes.
TECHNOLOGY
Khanyisile
Khanyi believes in using technology for inclusion. She has nearly 10 years of experience in software development and management, supported by a background in computer engineering. At SUM1, she develops and manages financial technology systems that improve operational efficiency and enhance the stokvel experience.
DATA & PEOPLE
Boipelo
Boipelo believes numbers tell a story, and at SUM1 her role is to make that story matter to real people. With a background in Economics and Data Analytics and nearly 10 years in financial services, she drives SUM1’s people strategy and stokvel reporting. She uses data and insights to design financial solutions that help stokvels achieve their goals.
Purpose in Action
BELIEF
For generations, stokvels have done more than save, they’ve been the heartbeat of our communities and the foundation of our dreams. Through the power of ubuntu, rands become possibilities shaping legacies for generations to come.
MISSION
SUM1 is a clever investment tool built for the way South Africans really save; together. We help stokvels to go beyond just saving, turning them into wealth creation vehicles for every goal.
PURPOSE & MANTRA
When people move money together, it goes further.
To help stokvels grow in ways that bring the dreams of everyday people, from all walks of life, closer to reality, together.
VISION
A South Africa where communities grow rands into dreams, savings into legacies, and stokvels into a powerful movement for lasting change by building futures together, one goal at a time.
