SA’s Palé selected for Grindstone Ventures, MIC for female founder funding programme
The third company chosen for the groundbreaking female founder funding-readiness initiative operated by Grindstone Ventures and the Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC) is Palé, a creative black female-owned beverage technology platform based in South Africa.
Knife Capital and Thinkroom co-own Grindstone, a global accelerator for high-growth startups that was established in 2013. In contrast, the Mineworkers Investment Trust (MIT) founded the 100% black-owned Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC) in 1995 with the goal of building a sustainable asset base for the benefit of construction, mining, and energy workers as well as their dependents.
With MIC contributing financing and Grindstone offering specialized venture-building help, the two initiated a female-focused program to accelerate the growth and funding-readiness of exceptional black female founders.
The third startup chosen for the program is Palé. Mashokane Ramusetheli founded Palé, a proudly South African AI-powered “pocket sommelier” that offers users highly customized wine and drink suggestions based on their individual flavor profiles.
Palé is transforming the way customers interact with beverages while unleashing data and marketing value for restaurants, retailers, and alcohol brands through strategic relationships with global beverage leaders like Pernod Ricard and an increasing presence at high-profile events.
“We’re excited to welcome Mash and the Palé team into the programme,” said Thandiwe Maqetuka, CEO of Grindstone Ventures. “Mash has built a truly impressive platform, one that not only uses technology to elevate consumer experience, but also champions responsible drinking, promotes proudly South African wine brands, and actively shifts the beverage industry towards greater inclusivity. That’s the kind of vision and grit we back at Grindstone.”
Palé was chosen through Grindstone’s stringent, multi-phase due diligence process because of its distinct value proposition, scalable technology platform, and excellent founder-market fit. The company is well-positioned for future investment and commercial expansion thanks to its early traction, smart B2B alliances, and unique product in a quickly changing market.
“This partnership with Grindstone Ventures and MIC is incredibly meaningful,” said Ramusetheli. “It’s more than just funding; it’s a catalyst for impact. Palé is about making the wine and cocktail space more inclusive, more intelligent, and more culturally relevant. Being recognised and supported in this way not only validates our mission but helps us scale it further.”
