Cape Town-based business intelligence (BI) firm Datanomix has signed a black economic empowerment (BEE) transaction with AIH Northwind Holdings (ANH), a majority black-owned B-BBEE investment firm.
The firm did not disclose how much the transaction was worth.
Last year, the South African government gazetted the amended B-BBEE ICT Sector Code by Department of Trade and Industry. Under the code, ICT companies are required to comply with new generic codes set out in the amended broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) ICT Sector Code.
The new ICT sector code requires BEE ownership of 30%, with at least 10% to be held by black women.
Following the announcement, local industry players predicted BEE deals were in the pipeline in 2017 as businesses start feeling the impact of the new ICT sector code.
Gunther Wucherpfennig, group CEO of Datanomix, and Brendon Voogt, MD of NorthWind Capital, described the transaction as a mutually beneficial partnership.
ANH is a joint venture between African Women Chartered Accountants (AWCA) Investment Holdings and Northwind Capital.
The shareholders of AWCA are 61 black women chartered accountants who are captains of industry, spread across different sectors and provinces. Ten percent of the economic interest of AIH belongs to AWCA, a section 21 company, with a membership of approximately 3 000 black woman chartered accountants.
Datanomix specialises in managed platforms based on BI technology and claims it is the first technology firm, globally, to create a BI managed platform based on SAS technology. Datanomix is a global player in the BI market. It partners with SAS, a US-based software vendor in the analytics sector, and German software giant SAP.
According to Wucherpfennig, business analytics global market revenue was recorded at $41 billion in 2016, and the SA market is roughly 5% and growing.
"Our ability to execute on a global scale and locally will give us the ability to increase the local workforce, enabling more opportunities for those graduates seeking employment in these fields," he notes.
"Our key markets for growth are Africa, the Middle East and Europe. With the matured global village, we have automated our technical processes to fully accommodate any customer, in any country, at any time, to facilitate their business intelligence and analytical data requirement from start to finish," says Wucherpfennig.
He explains Datanomix's real value is collating all the data, from all sources, including social media platforms, configuring the information into a common platform and delivering the information into a visual understanding for all executives, then using the facts to establish a growth plan.
"Locally, we are focusing on the ability to provide employment to graduates; this is a major priority. We foresee the advantageous position we will have - to be able to retain South African talent in the statistical and analytical fields."
The company will eventually subscribe to a learning and training facility that provides these skills to undergraduates and those who are eager to enter these fields of expertise.
Graduates can get in touch through the Datanomix Web site or send a comprehensive CV to info@datanomix.co.za.
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