Zak Calisto

Zak Calisto
Born1966 or 1967 (age 59–60)[1]
Portugal
EducationUniversity of South Africa University of the Witwatersrand
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder and CEO of Cartrack and Karooooo

Zak Calisto (born 1966 or 1967) is a South African billionaire businessman. He is the founder and CEO of Cartrack and Karooooo.[2]

Calisto was born in Portugal, and grew up in the then Portuguese colony of Mozambique, where his father was a government official.[2]

In 2001, Calisto founded Cartrack, a software as a service (SaaS) vehicle-tracking platform.[3]

In 2014, Cartrack was listed on the JSE, and in 2021 the holding company was rebranded and relisted on the JSE as Karooooo.[1]

In October 2025, it was reported that for the half year ended 31 August 2025, Karooooo's revenue had increased 20% to US$139 million, profits by 17.2% to $27.6 million, with subscription services making up 98% of revenue. Karooooo hit an estimated valuation of $1.74 billion as at October 2025 following this performance; with Calisto holding an estimated 58% stake, this meant that he became a USD billionaire.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "The South African billionaire who 'quietly' quadrupled his wealth in 5 years". Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  3. ↑ "Engine Of Growth: A South African Entrepreneur On Scaling To 23 Countries". www.forbesafrica.com. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  4. ↑ "Zak Calisto becomes Africa's newest billionaire with $1.74 billion valuation". Retrieved 17 October 2025.