DigsConnect, SA startup bags investment from venture builder The Delta
DigsConnect, a student housing marketplace, has secured funding from international startup capital firm The Delta as part of its latest funding round.
The DigsConnect website, which was founded by Alexandria Procter and Greg Ramsay-Keal in 2018, allows landlords, estate agents, and property managers to post their property listings, with students searching and filtering through these ads to find suitable housing and roommates.
The startup, which raised ZAR12 million (US$830,000) in March 2019 and received a ZAR3 million (US$200,000) grant from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation last year, has recently signed an agreement with Student.com, the world’s largest student accommodation site, to expand its presence to approximately 30 new countries and 400 new cities.
It now has over 1.3 million beds on its platform and is expanding its operations to the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, and Europe.
“Hundreds of thousands of African students are choosing to study abroad, and housing remains one of the most significant barriers,” Procter added. “From Singapore to Berlin to New York City, we’ll be focusing on offering safe and affordable student housing options.” Many of these destinations can be reached through Delta’s global operations and networks.”
Employee wellness platform Strove and finance company Revio are among the Delta’s portfolio enterprises, which have operations in South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
The investment in DigsConnect highlighted the firm’s aspirations to support later-stage African startups wanting to grow up and expand into other parts of Africa or globally, according to the company.
“DigsConnect is a fantastic firm, and we’re thrilled to have them as part of our portfolio.” “I believe that Alex and Greg’s enthusiasm for the enterprise, along with the worldwide potential, will make for an exciting ride,” said Louis Buys, The Delta’s CEO and founder.
