Time to race {{ FIRSTNAME | there }}? A startup’s building a machine that turns atmospheric carbon into petrol for your car. Will it work? We’ll have to see when it launches later in 2026. ♻️

In This Open Letter

SA businesses and taxpayers are losing billions a year to bad career-routing – but this venture’s got a tech solution to help get SA back on track…

Our education system is producing less than 7% of the graduates per year needed for the country’s most in-demand, highest-paying jobs.

Why? For starters, the supply is drying up: SA’s 2025 record 88% matric pass rate belies record-low mathematics performance (enrolment’s steadily declined by 1.2% per year from 46% in 2011 to just 34% in 2025, when only 7% scored more than 50% in maths and distinctions dropped by 66% from 2024 alone).

But then, those who do make it to university/college are not having a good time of it either: Some 50% of first years drop out, only 22% graduate in 3 years, another 30% complete a degree in 5 years, and the rest never graduate at all.

The result? 84% of companies say they cannot find the skills they need locally; if they do, they need to invest enormous amounts into additional training because grads are just not up to par.

A R170bn+ opportunity

The problem is that SA is spending R41.6 billion annually on B-BBEE skills development and R129 billion on higher education and training, but losing 50% of that value to first-year dropouts and chronic graduate unemployment because students take “wrong turns” early in their journey.

So imagine if we could reduce the friction of career discovery… We’d be building the infrastructure that ensures our R170 billion+ state and private spend actually drives high-demand, high-growth employment.

Which is what a local venture’s doing…

Career DNA-mapping for SA’s youth

Yenza is a career pathing platform for SA learners that foregoes the traditional, intimidating psychometric approach in exchange for a fun, mobile-first, gamified interface that maps a user's career DNA.

It all starts with self-knowledge using behavioural and ability assessments that map a learner’s personality, strengths and interests, which Yenza then uses to guide subject choices, course pathways and skill development opportunities (they even offer 4’000 free fast-track courses) – eventually self-mapping directly into the job and bursary ecosystem.

By digitising the soft data of human potential, they’ve created a common language that both a 16-year-old student and a corporate HR head can understand. And it’s gaining traction: with over 50’000 members and partnerships with 120+ schools across SA.

It’s not only about solving the “wrong turn” problem in careers (saving them years of uncertainty), but reducing the friction of creating and finding jobs and, by extension, unlocking the growth SA needs.

We’re watching this space.

SA women’s fashion and lifestyle brand Poetry are masters of lifestyle storytelling on Instagram and Facebook. Their curated exclusivity and powerful personal stories have always been a winning recipe for driving sales.

So, when Chat Inc came on board with the idea of taking it next level on SA’s No 1 platform for personal connections, WhatsApp, the team were cautiously optimistic — Chat Inc had planned a delightful mix of ways to connect over an upcoming sale.

The results? Targeting 61k SA women, Chat Inc helped bring 14.8k to the shop (24%), resulting in R1.58 million in sales, a 269% return on Poetry’s investment.

Want the same?

📺 Dinner Time AI Classes? Microsoft and the SABC are teaming up to show AI and digital skills programmes on the SABC Plus streaming platform. Nice way to reach even more South Africans with AI skills.

👀 Spoilt For Choice. DStv’s new owner Canal+ could be bringing its Canal+ streaming app to SA shores, leveraging its deals with AppleTV and Warner Bros Discovery Inc.’s HBO Max. All this as Canal+ decides what to do with the Multichoice group’s existing streaming app, Showmax. Interesting.

🦄 Unicorns in Europe. 5 newly minted unicorns have crossed the $1 billion valuation mark in Europe in January, including a cybersecurity startup in Belgium, an EdTech from Ukraine and a French defence tech company. Nice. They probs give away free baguettes and champagne before calling it a day.

🤖 Cape Town’s Cellphone Clampdown. The City of Cape Town is working on approval from the National Director of Public Prosecutions to use artificial intelligence (AI) powered cameras to catch drivers who are using their phones while driving and not wearing seatbelts. Goodness.

💸 Faster VC Deals. Why does preparing funding deals take so much longer in SA? Well, the US and UK are speeding it up with templated processes. So Dommisse Attorneys and SAVCA created SA’s first open-source model investment documents – sign up here.*

* From our partners. Find all the best service providers for your business in our Founder Stack.

Institutions keep building even during drawdowns. Major traditional financial players are moving deeper into crypto infrastructure. Fidelity Investments is preparing to launch its own US dollar-backed stablecoin on the Ethereum blockchain, showing that mainstream asset managers are embracing on-chain money and settlement rails alongside their existing products.

Altcoin ETFs are attracting capital. According to Binance Research’s Monthly Market Insights – January 2026, newly launched altcoin spot ETFs, led by assets like XRP and SOL, have drawn over US$2 billion in cumulative net inflows, even as Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs see persistent outflows. So institutions want more diversified exposure than just BTC or ETH.

Crypto companies are hiring (and doing it remotely). Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, highlighted its remote-first operating model this week — just check out their cool brand. For South Africans, this even gives access to global crypto roles without relocation. See their employee brand story and open roles you can apply for.

Disclaimer: Digital asset prices can be volatile. The value of your investment may go down or up and you may not get back the amount invested. You are solely responsible for your investment decisions and Binance is not liable for any losses you may incur. Not financial advice. For more information, see our Terms of Use and Risk Warning.

Last Friday, we told you about Takealot’s driving township e-commerce, asking what you’d want a personal shopper for. And most say it’s not necessary…

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🧻 Groceries & boring essentials (29%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👕 Clothes I don’t want to browse for (7%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🔌 Gadgets/cables/office gear (0)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🍼 Stuff for kids/family/gogo (2%)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 😅 Everything, I’m busy building (20%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🤔 Nah, don't need any help there (42%)

Your 2 cents…

We hear you, Samantha. Luckily, e-commerce is flying in SA. 🛍️

Founder Walk – 5 Feb, Mouille Point: Join Renier & Jason for a 3.5km Cape Town seaside walk and coffee with founders at 17:00. R50 tickets.

iKhokha Journey – 11 Feb, Joburg: Matt Putman unpacks the 14-year grind behind iKhokha’s R1.65bn exit. Hosted by Suits & Sneakers. Book free ticket.

Founder Automations – 13 Feb, Online: Automate your startup stack with a live n8n demo from Vertiqal’s Theunis Duminy. Save your seat.

Search & AI – 27 Feb, Online: Learn how AI is reshaping SEO in 2026 with Chantelle Bowyer’s expert take on staying visible. Register here.

Open Letter Stellenbosch – 5 Mar, Stellenbosch: Our first Open Letter event of the year! WooCommerce founder Adii Pienaar tells us about building global tech from SA, with panels, pre-events & drinks. Get tickets.

🌍 Tool to Try: Earth's News lets you explore global news on an interactive 3D globe.

🌋 That’s Interesting: DNA evidence shows humans almost went extinct 74’000 years ago when the Toba (volcano) supereruption left only a few thousand survivors on the planet.

🍯 Next Level: Watch modern-day humans harvest honey the traditional way in ancient forests.

👕 Hack: A man’s guide to doing the laundry.

🎹 Wow Site: Synthsational lets you make music with your keyboard (or touchscreen).