Building high-value startups together
Join The Open Collab to get access to an engaged South African startup community, insights, events and hands on help to get your startup growing!
Level up as a founder with a supportive community around you.
Learn MoreLET'S BUILD TOGETHER
One of our consistent observations working with 100+ founders over the last few years was the problem of not knowing what you don't know. This poses massive risk not only for founder's, but any person working in business!
We believe this can be solved through two primary means:
- Exposure to more startups, their strategies and how they work
- A community of like-minded people that build and learn together.
Our combination of exclusive content (for The Open Collab subscribers only) together with office hours, events and a community chat is everything you need to start uncovering those unknowns and getting better at building your business, your side-hustle or at your work.
what's included
A whole lot of value to help you move faster than ever before!
Deep Dives and Tools
Your Open Letter just got a whole lot better. Each newsletter now has a The Open Collabs members only section featuring deep dives and more :
• Unit economics and growth tactics of the featured industry and startup in every newsletter.
• Why specific startups work (or didn’t)
Plus: Opportunities in the industries and how to work with the featured startup.
Community Chat
Need a key referral/introduction? Stuck with a particular issue? Wanna bounce an idea? Get an early customer? Chances are someone (or a few) in our communityknows exactly what you need, has done it before and can help get you where you need to be, fast.
Our community of founders are on a mission to help each other win – it’s like being in an accelerator 24/7. And you can join, right here, right now.
Building Together
Congratulations! Your startup team just levelled up. With Office Hours, you now have some bonus team members:
• A startup positioning strategist
• An outbound and enterprise sales exec
• A ghostwriter & copywriter
• A founder coach
• A product manager
• Content & SEO strategist
• Marketing strategist
• Plus: 50-odd co-founders!
Masterclasses and AMAs
We do weekly workshops and AMA's where you can learn directly from the best in the business.
We bring specialists in crucial fields – fundraising, finance, growth, market fit, scaling, sales and strategy – and as the name suggests, you get to ask them questions directly and engage with fellow community members to move faster than you can imagine.
Events
Digital’s great, but nothing beats IRL meetups for forging career-making bonds and authentic relationships.
That’s why we’re hosting awesome quarterly get-togethers in Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Joburg with members, founders, experts, investors etc.
And we’re organising our first big founder’s breakaway trip real soon.
Upcoming events
Events exclusive to The Open Collab community PLUS get free access to all our in person events
Come build with us
Our team is ready to help you take your startup to the next level!
renier kriel
Strategy, Growth and Scale
elvorne palmer
Go-to-market, Content and SEO
jason mill
Founder Coach and Writer
bobby sequiera
Product Specialist
in summary
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Deeper Insights
We unpack the economics behind South African startups and why they did (or did not) work in our deep dive sections in our newsletter.
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Community
Get & share advice from peers in our real-time community chat.
Building Together
Join our weekly office hours where you can ask questions, get help and build faster together.
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Masterclasses and AMA's
Weekly online AMAs (ask me anything) or expert workshops with leaders in all things South African startup.
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Events
Free access to any of our in-person events planned for Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Joburg .
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More Soon
Product Discounts +
Discount on all course +
Invites to exclusive excursions and more...
SA STARTUPS NEED SA BACKING
Don’t rely on advice from the valley... building an SA startup has unique challenges and opportunities. We’ve seen every startup mistake in the book and made a bunch of them myself.
Let’s get hands on with your startup to work through the complexities and nuance of building a startup at the southern tip of Africa.
Monthly Plan
R 500 per month
Access Our WhatsApp Community.
1-on-1 Coaching Sessions.
Weekly office hours to ask questions & engage.
Weekly Masterclass, Ask me Anything's and Workshops.
Deep insights on SA startup Unit economics.
Free Access to all In-person gatherings.
Annual Plan - 7 day free trial then...
R 5'000 per year
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Access Our WhatsApp Community.
1-on-1 Coaching Sessions.
Weekly office hours to ask questions & engage.
Weekly Masterclass, Ask me Anything's and Workshops.
Deep insights on SA startup Unit economics.
Free Access to all In-person gatherings.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What will I gain as a founder when I join The Open Collab?
We meet more than 100 startups, corporates, agencies, consultancies, and providers per year and by joining you get access to this network immediately. In addition, you can book coaching sessions with our team, join our masterclasses and Ask Me Anything sessions with industry experts or join for weekly office hours where we help you with inputs and getting unstuck.
Who can join The Open Collab?
Any entrepreneur or startup founder looking for support, resources, and community in South Africa can join The Open Collab. We do however reserve the right to access inline with out community guidelines and standards.
How do I become a member of The Open Letter Pro?
You can become a member by selecting a paid membership plan (monthly or annual) that suits your needs.
What benefits do I get as a member of The Open Collab
Members get access to topical workshops with experts, community chats, deep insights on SA startup strategy, networking and free access to in-person events in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Stellenbosch.
What resources are available to help me build my startup?
Our platform offers community chats for networking and advice, weekly office hours, weekly experts and AMA sessions and exclusive content in The Open Letter newsletter.
What happens if I no longer want to be part of the community?
You can cancel your monthly or annual subscription at any time and your access will expire once your subscription ends.
How do the 1-on-1 sessions work?
Once you sign up for annual membership, you will have access to a link to book your coaching session with Renier, Elvorne, Jason or Bobby.
What kind of events will I be able to attend?
We are hosting expert AMAs (asking me anything) and workshops around different topics online every week. In addition, be on the lookout for upcoming in-person events in Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Johburg. For more, please visit our events section.
What is "office hours" and how will it help me?
Office hours are a set time every week on specific days, where The Open Letter team and other startup-building experts will be around and available for you to ask questions, get advice or get hands-on help with stuff you are working on.
COME BUILD WITH US
Choose a plan that works for you!
Monthly Plan
R 500 per month
Annual Plan - 7 day free trial then...
