Two operators. One firm.
Four of the five people on this page came out of Port2Port. Nicolò co-founded it in 2015. Gerhard ran technology there as Chief Technology Officer. Chris Viljoen spent more than seven years on its back end and integrations. Amber runs it today. Pivot was not assembled from strangers. It was built by people who had already shipped a business together, which is why clients do not get a strategy team and then a handoff to developers. Operators, builders and engineers work together from the first workshop to production.
Chris Lombard
BCom Honours, Stellenbosch University, 2004. M&A at Standard Bank from 2005 to 2014, then head of M&A at Distell from 2014 to 2023, staying in the role through Heineken’s acquisition of the group, which completed in April 2023 and created Heineken Beverages. Has bought and sold businesses of every size, planned and implemented integrations after the ink dried, run capital raise processes and participated in enough boardroom debates to know what moves the needle. Brings deal sense, capital allocation strategy and execution discipline.
Nicolò Pudel
Started out running a digital and e-commerce agency from 2010. Co-founded Port2Port in 2015 and built it into South Africa’s leading online wine and spirits marketplace, now carrying over 3,500 SKUs from 200 vendors. Distell invested in 2019 and exited in 2024, when Pivot Ventures took a stake. Has sat through every flavour of fundraising conversation, from both sides of the table. Today he works alongside C-level teams, on product design, implementing new tools, spotting the gaps and opportunities others miss, and scaling the businesses we invest in.
Gerhard Olivier
Builds full-stack systems across Node.js, Angular and cloud platforms. More than a decade of hands-on e-commerce work, including a spell as Chief Technology Officer at Port2Port. WSET Level 2 certified.
LinkedInAmber-Rose Mostert
Joined Port2Port in 2019 as senior digital designer, then head of production, then Chief Operating Officer from 2022. Became Chief Executive in March 2026. Before Port2Port, creative team lead at UCOOK and lead designer at Superbalist. Advanced Diploma in Multimedia Design and Production, City Varsity. WSET Level 2 certified in wines.
LinkedInChris Viljoen
More than a decade in software development, including more than seven years at Port2Port across back-end systems, integrations and full-stack web development. National Diploma in Information Technology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
LinkedIn