Silverbacks Holdings, a leading private investment firm focused on companies operating in Africa related markets and leveraging technology in high-growth and underserved industries announced a joint strategic investment with ImpactHER in two dynamic fashion companies, Vanhu Vamwe and The Rad Black Kids .
This follows the investors' recent participation at Afreximbank 's Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) platform. Both brands represent Africa's growing influence in global fashion by blending cultural heritage with scalable, foreign-currency-earning business models.
A Multi Award Winning Brand co-founded by Zimbabwean-born Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri and Simba Nyawiri, Vanhu Vamwe is a sustainable luxury brand merging traditional craftsmanship with bold storytelling. The company engages over 150 artisans and currently retails on 48 stockists across the Africa, US, UK, and Asia: on platforms like ْْْْْْْْْْNet-A-Porter, Nordstorm, Neiman Marcus, Selfridges with purchase orders from major fashion houses such as Etoile Group and Vakko. Operating 100% in euros and dollars, Vanhu Vamwe is profitable and rapidly growing, showcasing how African heritage can anchor modern luxury markets.
"Our vision has always been to honor African heritage through sustainable, luxury craftsmanship that resonates globally. Partnering with Silverbacks and ImpactHER thanks to CANEX elevates our mission, opening doors to new markets while staying true to our story and values," said Dr. Pam.
Founded by the eclectic Thulani Ngazimbi, The Rad Black Kids channels Zimbabwean street culture into lifestyle fashion, partnering with global retailers including Amazon subsidiary BOP LLC. Their products have been retailed in Nordstrom, Macy's, PACSUN, and Gotham. Earning in U.S. dollars and established as a profitable business, The Rad Black Kids exemplify how diaspora-rooted stories can scale into international streetwear powerhouse brands.
"The Rad Black Kids expanded its authentic roots, using Zimbabwean narratives into globally relevant streetwear. This investment from Silverbacks and ImpactHER enables us to amplify our voice on the world stage, proving that African creativity and diaspora stories can drive powerful, profitable fashion brands," Thulani commented.
Both brands excelled at CANEX 2024, with Vanhu Vamwe winning first place and The Rad Black Kids placing third, leveraging the platform for enhanced visibility and investor traction. Launched in 2020 by Afreximbank, CANEX is a flagship initiative that finances and showcases Africa's creative economy across fashion, film, music, and art. At the 2024 CANEX WKND pitch sessions, Silverbacks and ImpactHER joined a cohort of angel investors committing $350,000 to early-stage creative ventures, further cementing their role in unlocking capital for Africa's creative entrepreneurs.
"These brands embody the ingenuity and global excellence of African fashion; we are committed to turning Africa's creative brilliance into global business power, while ensuring women entrepreneurs are part of the charge in building export-ready, foreign-currency-earning brands," Efe Ukala, President & Founder, ImpactHER, commented.
These mark Silverbacks' second and third investments in the fashion sector, building on a prior investment in Armando Cabral.
"We are extremely proud to partner with ImpactHER and CANEX to back formidable founders like Dr. Pam and Thulani. Their fashion labels reinforce our convictions: African creativity is ready to deliver jaw dropping products while manifesting profitable businesses. The brands we are supporting are scaling fast because they are not only ingeniously leveraging tech but also adequately capitalizing on phenomenal distribution channels such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstorm, Selfridges, Todd Snyder, Macy's, Amazon’s BOP LLC, Net-A-Porter, Vakko Group, USM Showroom, PacSun, Etoile Group, Gotham, The Shelter and more," added Ibrahim Sagna, Executive Chairman of Silverbacks Holdings.
Silverbacks Holdings continues to focus on globally competitive African companies that prioritize scalable growth, as demonstrated in recent investments. Silverbacks' approach extends beyond capital deployment to improving network optimization within underserved industries, and amplifying dominant brands beyond the African continent.
Over the past few months, Silverbacks has executed a partial exit program, with notable successes in Nigeria (10.7x MOIC, 81.5% IRR) and Egypt (9.7x MOIC, 339% IRR), demonstrating strong returns from African investments. We announced partial exits from OmniRetail and Lemfi, welcomed Sanford R. Climan to our advisory board, and deployed capital into the African Warriors Fighting Championship (AWFC), where we became a significant minority shareholder and board member.
This followed an investment in South African sports-tech company NERGii. Other key investments include Moove (mobility fintech backed by Uber), Wave (mobile money and remittance fintech backed by Stripe and Sam Altman), Flutterwave (payment processing and remittance fintech backed by Mastercard and Visa), Cape Town Tigers (2024 BAL/NBA Africa semi-finalists), and Forever7 Entertainment (delivering top rated Netflix movie content).
Founded in 2019, Silverbacks applies a data-driven portfolio construction model targeting 3x to 5x investment returns and focusing on export-oriented, tech-enabled businesses expanding from Africa to the rest of the world.
