Q&A with Dr Keitumetse Mothibeli, CEO of Crystal Partners

The majority female-owned and led investments entity, Crystal Partners, had their signing ceremony at the historic Rand Club. The signing at the Rand Club signifies the progress from the old to the new wealth creation change of guard, but not abandoning South Africa’s entrepreneurship origins, their continued success and thus giving credence to the symbolism of the historic location.

When explaining the company’s name, Dr Keitumetse Mothibeli, CEO of Crystal Partners explains: “In the literal and figurative sense, crystals signify the embodiment of clarity, but also, the formation of crystals speaks to a process of robust refinement to produce beauty and strength in one. That symbolises who we are as a company – we are not afraid to make bold moves in the marketplace.”

Could you tell us more about Crystal Partners?

Crystal Partners has been established with the main aim of being the premier partner of choice for global and local companies seeking to establish and expand their footprint on the African continent.

We are a black-female owned and led investment company that seeks to partner strategically with businesses who are in need of access to market, a diversified portfolio and capacity to expand into other regions.

Headquartered in the heart of Sandton, South Africa, Crystal Partners is establishing itself as one of the leading companies focusing on transforming local entities into global corporates.

What was the reason for launching this initiative?

Crystal Partners saw a gap in the market for a strong black-female owned and led investment company that focuses on strengthening the African narrative in the global marketplace. We are deliberate in growing the African companies into successful global entities. These investments and partnerships will increase economic activity within the African continent.

What would you like to achieve?

Generate new and diversified businesses in existing market sectors to solve current problems through innovative and strategic thinking.

Our aim is to introduce practical entrepreneurship through the various sectors and impacting societies.

This will harness and increase business growth through well-matched partnerships with focus on skill-transfer and business impact longevity.

What have the challenges been since launching?

Crystal Partners was launched on the 27 April 2021 and to date has been inundated with partnership requests from local and global entities. We have not experienced any challenges to date. Our main goal is ensuring we capacitate ourselves to build solid partnerships that we will harness and grow into the next level of business growth.

What can Crystal Partners provide to entrepreneurs?

Crystal Partners engage with entrepreneurs and business people who have established organisations that are in the growth phase of a businesses’ life cycle. Our partnership model assists companies who aspire to expand their operations across the African continent, and globally, enabling them to increase their footprint, market share and portfolio.

Could you tell us more about your team, and their experience?

Crystal Partners is a group of young, dynamic and skilled business professionals encompassing qualifications in technology, investments, medical, marketing, engineering, aviation, business development, architecture and corporate finance. The partners’ expertise and extensive experience in these fields will be an advantage for all our strategic partners. The individuals bring decades of collective experience in the marketplace with a broad network of opportunities that our partners will have access to.

Which sectors do you predominantly focus on?

We focus on mining, health, energy, technology and agriculture.

Who are you targeting and is there a criterion?

Crystal Partners is targeting businesses that have saturated their sectors and/or regions and are looking to grow into various other industries. We are experienced and strong in unlocking opportunities across the African continent, so we seek businesses that are ready to get established across Africa and the world.

How can entrepreneurs partner with Crystal Partners? What is the process?

All partnership requests may be sent to az.oc.srentraplatsyrc@ofni for any questions or queries regarding our partnership model. The businesses must send their profiles so that we can determine the partnership level and communicate accordingly following that.