Alan Knott-Craig
About Alan Knott-Craig
Alan Knott-Craig (also written Alan Knott-Craig Jr) is a South African entrepreneur and author based in Stellenbosch. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2002 and started his first business, the mobile location company Cellfind, in 2003. He is not the same person as his father, Alan Knott-Craig Sr, the former Vodacom and Cell C CEO.
From 2006 to 2009 he was CEO of iBurst, which rolled out one of South Africa's larger wireless broadband networks. In 2010 he founded World of Avatar, which acquired the social network Mxit in 2011. He has said Mxit failed because of poor strategy, a weak business model and tough competition, and he left it.
In 2013 he started Project Isizwe, a non-profit that deploys free public WiFi in townships. In 2014 he founded HeroTel, which his site describes as South Africa's largest rural broadband provider. He sold it in 2022 and launched Fibertime, a pay-as-you-go fibre business for townships. He is its founder and CEO. His site says he has founded or funded 21 companies and written ten books.
His own bio says he has founded or funded 21 tech companies since 2003. A Harvard Kennedy School event listing says that between 2003 and 2013 he co-founded and/or funded 17 telecoms, media and technology companies in Africa. The list includes Cellfind, World of Avatar, Toodu, 6th Line, The Daily Maverick, ARC Telecoms and Boom.fm. PitchBook lists him as an individual angel investor with one recorded investment, in Daily Maverick. A full list of his angel cheques is not public.
The one AI round we can confirm is Verascient, a Cape Town company that raised about $1.2M in an oversubscribed pre-seed round in August 2026. Press coverage names Knott-Craig and Shayne Mann as angels in the round. Founder Collective, Andrena Ventures, Cambridge Enterprise and Summit Ventures also took part.
Verascient builds a temporal knowledge graph that connects company documents, email, meeting notes and internal systems so AI agents can use them. It then builds workflows on top. Its first markets are financial services, insurance and logistics. The CEO, Keagan Stokoe, was previously on the founding team at Fibertime.
Knott-Craig has not published an investment thesis, a check size range or a fund. His operating history is in telecoms, internet access and consumer technology, mostly in South Africa. The one confirmed AI deal is a pre-seed round for a South African founding team that has a link to Fibertime. Founders should treat any check size or sector rule as unconfirmed unless he states it himself.
- Verascient: Cape Town AI company that connects company knowledge to AI agents. Joined its $1.2M pre-seed as an angel in 2026.
- Daily Maverick: South African news publisher. PitchBook lists him as an angel investor, and he is named among its co-founders or funders. Year not stated.
- Fibertime: pay-as-you-go fibre internet for townships. He founded it after selling HeroTel in 2022 and is CEO.
- HeroTel: rural broadband provider he founded in 2014 and sold in 2022.
- Mxit: social network acquired by his company World of Avatar in 2011.
- alanknottcraig.com
- alanknottcraig.com/about
- techinafrica.com/verascient-raises-1-2m-pre-seed-to-feed-company-knowl
- thecondia.com/verascient-ai-raises-funding
- finsmes.com/2026/08/verascient-raises-approx-usd1-2m-in-pre-seed-fundi
- africa.harvard.edu/event/south-african-technology-entrepreneur-and-phi
- dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-12-18-from-failure-to-purpose-alan-kn
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/123972-31
Investing activity
Alan Knott-Craig appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Pre-seed, with a median round size of $1M. The most recent is Verascient (Pre-seed, $1.2M, Aug 2026).
Alan Knott-Craig most often invests alongside Founder Collective, Shayne Mann, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures and Andrena Ventures, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Alan Knott-Craig
Does Alan Knott-Craig invest in AI startups?
Yes. He took part as an angel in Verascient's $1.2M pre-seed round in August 2026. We found no other confirmed AI investments in public sources.
What check size does Alan Knott-Craig write?
He has not publicly stated a check size, and we did not find a reliable figure. Ask him directly rather than relying on third-party estimates.
What stage does Alan Knott-Craig back?
His one confirmed AI deal is a pre-seed round, and he has described himself as having founded or funded companies since 2003. He has not published a stage focus.
Which sectors does Alan Knott-Craig know best?
Telecoms, broadband and consumer internet: Cellfind, iBurst, Mxit, Project Isizwe, HeroTel and Fibertime. Verascient is his AI deal on record.
How can founders contact Alan Knott-Craig?
His personal site, alanknottcraig.com, lists a contact email and social links, and he is active on X as @alanknottcraig and on LinkedIn. A warm introduction through his network, such as Fibertime alumni, may also help.
Is Alan Knott-Craig the same person as the former Vodacom CEO?
No. The former Vodacom and Cell C CEO is his father, Alan Knott-Craig Sr. The angel investor and Fibertime founder is Alan Knott-Craig Jr.
Is Alan Knott-Craig an angel investor?
Yes. Alan Knott-Craig invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Alan Knott-Craig invested in?
Alan Knott-Craig's AI investments include Verascient. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Alan Knott-Craig invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Alan Knott-Craig has invested at Pre-seed, with a median round of $1M.
Who does Alan Knott-Craig co-invest with?
Alan Knott-Craig's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Founder Collective (1 deal), Shayne Mann (1 deal), Cambridge Enterprise Ventures (1 deal), Andrena Ventures (1 deal) and Summit Partners (1 deal).