RUSSEL LUCK H’24
Feeding the Future: The SaaS Platform Connecting African Farmers to Global Markets
As a technology attorney with a sharp eye on future trends, Russel Luck saw the coming wave of automation as both a risk and an opportunity. In 2016, he made a bet that while AI might replace many jobs, the need to feed a growing global population would only intensify. And Africa, rich in land, biodiversity, and agricultural potential, was perfectly positioned to lead that charge. What began as research into agritech solutions led to the founding of swiftVEE, the first agritech platform of its kind to digitize livestock trading in Africa. Today, swiftVEE is a SaaS auction software company that layers Fintech, Insuretech, and Data Products to transform a $200 billion industry into a modern, connected ecosystem.
“I aspire to solve the world's biggest problems by creating profitable technology companies.”
Incorporating AI With Human Ingenuity to Revolutionize Agriculture for Africa and the World
THE CHALLENGE: Livestock trading in Southern Africa has long been fragmented and inefficient. Farmers were often forced to travel great distances to physical auctions just to buy or sell animals, an expensive and time-consuming process made worse during droughts, when cattle would perish before a suitable buyer could be found. Disconnected markets meant sellers had limited reach, and buyers had limited choice. The problem wasn’t local, it was systemic and global, affecting rural economies and food supply chains across the developing world. For Luck, the challenge was clear: build a digital bridge between farms and global markets, and do it with African needs at the center.
THE PROCESS: After three years of R&D, swiftVEE launched in 2019 as a purpose-built, real-time auction platform designed for the African agricultural context. Unlike off-the-shelf overseas solutions, swiftVEE’s software is optimized to function in low-connectivity areas with near-zero latency, enabling buyers from around the world to participate in live auctions hosted on African farms. The company combines software-as-a-service with embedded fintech and insuretech products, offering livestock and game insurance, data analytics, and digital advertising for auctions. The platform serves over 15 industries but maintains a stronghold in agriculture, making it the largest online livestock trading platform on the continent. swiftVEE generates revenue through usage-based SaaS fees with capped commissions on livestock sales.
THE RESULTS: Since launch, swiftVEE has grown 100% year-over-year and now facilitates more than $100 million in livestock sales annually. The platform has onboarded 100,000 users and expanded from South Africa into Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, with eyes on the U.S., Europe, and China within the next five years. In under five years, the company has delivered an 18x return on capital, while maintaining a strong social footprint. Over 53% of the swiftVEE team are women, with women holding 75% of leadership roles, including a female co-founder. The platform has brought financial inclusion to farmers, enabled more sustainable land use, and supported climate resilience by reducing waste from unsold livestock.
swiftVEE is transforming how livestock is traded across continents, creating a fairer, smarter, and more sustainable agricultural future for Africa and beyond.
LEARN MORE ABOUT swiftVEE
swiftVEE is the world’s first multi-disciplinary agritech platform for the livestock trading industry.
Reinventing Agriculture Through Technology
ABOUT RUSSEL LUCK
Luck has a BA in law, politics and history, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Cape Town and a Master of Laws in Information Communication and Technology law from the University of South Africa.
swiftVEE has won several awards, including Google Launchpad winner in 2018, Facebook-MEST Most Innovative SA Company in Africa 2018, GSA Startup of the Year 2018, TT100 Winner 2019, United Nations Best E-Agri Platform in the world 2020, Startup Grind Top 25 Companies 2021 and Standard Bank Rise Above the Noise Series 2022.
I AM A HARAMBEAN
Luck believes that his future learnings will come from peers with experience who have traversed a similar journey. He wants to learn from peers doing business in Africa and believes that the Alliance will build a better Africa for all entrepreneurs trying to make a difference and tackle big challenges on the continent and beyond.
“I hope that swiftVEE is able to make a modest contribution towards empowering African farmers to reach new markets.”