South African tech entrepreneur Zak Calisto has seen the value of his holding in Karooooo Ltd. climb above $1 billion, lifted by a strong rally in the company’s Nasdaq-listed shares and another year of solid financial results.

Calisto, the founder and chief executive of the global mobility software company, has added more than $200 million to the value of his investment since the start of 2026 as investors rewarded the company’s steady earnings growth and expanding international operations.

Strong share rally lifts billion-dollar stake

Calisto owns about 58% of Karooooo, equal to roughly 17.92 million shares. The company’s stock has gained 25.65% this year, rising from $45.50 on Jan. 1 to $57.28 at the time of writing.

The share-price increase has lifted the value of his stake from about $815.36 million to approximately $1.02 billion, reinforcing his standing among South Africa’s richest technology entrepreneurs.

The rally also pushed Karooooo’s market value above $1.7 billion, delivering sizeable gains for shareholders.

Revenue growth supports investor confidence

Investor optimism has been supported by Karooooo’s financial results for the year ended Feb. 28, 2026.

The company reported total revenue of R5.48 billion ($332.77 million), up 20% from R4.57 billion ($277.59 million) a year earlier, driven by continued expansion in its Cartrack business and growing logistics operations.

Subscription revenue rose 19% to R4.84 billion ($294.18 million), accounting for 98% of Cartrack’s total revenue. Cartrack itself generated R4.94 billion ($300.19 million) in revenue, also up 19%, as the company added new customers while expanding sales of its video solutions and Cartrack-Tag products to existing clients.

Karooooo Logistics, the group’s last-mile delivery business, posted a 29% increase in revenue to R540 million ($32.82 million). The division completed more than 8 million deliveries during the financial year, supported by continued demand from e-commerce customers.

The company also declared a dividend of $46.34 million for the year, up 20% from the previous year. Shareholders are scheduled to receive $1.50 per share on July 17, 2026.

From vehicle recovery to global mobility

Founded by Calisto in 2001, Karooooo began as a vehicle recovery business before evolving into a global mobility software provider. Today, the company operates in 23 countries across five continents and serves more than 2.6 million active users through its Cartrack platform.

Before launching Karooooo, Calisto built his experience in the telematics industry as a Netstar distributor, helping expand the business into neighboring African markets.

Karooooo ended the financial year with total assets of R5.79 billion ($352.16 million), up 14.08% from a year earlier. Retained earnings also increased 14.2% to R2.41 billion ($146.62 million), reflecting the company’s continued profitability and disciplined capital management.

The latest rise in Karooooo’s share price underscores investor confidence in the company’s long-term growth strategy while cementing Calisto’s place among Africa’s most successful technology founders.