Investments by leading global network services and i-Commerce solutions provider, Dimension Data, in start-up e-commerce ventures has been vindicated in a national survey on top SA e-businesses.
Dimension Data Protocol, the London-listed Group`s strategic business development arm which operates in both the private equity and venture capital arena, has investments in three of the top ten dot.com companies in the Bain FM E-Index announced last recently.
Two of these companies, Healthbridge - a joint venture between Dimension Data Protocol, Medscheme and Discovery Health - and Tradex, an online share trading, banking products and financial information operation, were ranked second and third respectively.
Career Junction, a job recruitment portal, came in ninth in the survey which was conducted by international management consultants Bain and Company, to establish "what makes a dot.com successful".
Africam, the real time wildlife-viewing portal topped the rankings, scoring a perfect 25 out of 25 for innovation - as did Healthbridge for being the first to create an Internet-based business model which "successfully allows for real time verification of medical claims."
"Several criteria used to evaluate the dot.com ventures included in the survey are similar to those adopted by Protocol when considering an investment," says Angus McRobert, MD of Dimension Data Protocol.
"These include the sustainability of the business model, the innovation exhibited by the business model, the technology used and, a factor which we regard as extremely important, the strength of the management team. It`s gratifying that our confidence in these companies is echoed by independent, international consultants," he adds.
Protocol has direct investments in Healthbridge (33%) and Career Junction (12%). Its investment in Tradex was initiated by Archway Venture Capital, SA`s first IT-focused venture capital company owned jointly by Dimension Data, Genbel Securities (Gensec) and Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank (SCMB).
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Dimension Data
Dimension Data is a leading global network services and i-Commerce solutions provider, focused on enabling enterprises, telecommunication service providers and new economy companies to communicate and transact effectively in an e-enabled environment.
Dimension Data listed on the London Stock Exchange in July 2000 and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. The Group has over 11,000 employees and operates in over 30 countries on six continents. It has achieved a compound annual growth rate in US dollars of 57 per cent in revenue and 36 per cent in earnings per share over the past two years.