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A bit wild? While the US celebrates Fat Bear Week, here’s a reminder you can get out in nature too: All SANParks are still free to enter today and this weekend, all the way till Sunday.

In Today’s Open Letter

With head-injury prevention a big focus for our billion-Rand rugby industry, the markets are ready and perhaps need some new tech…

Head injuries are a part of any contact sport, accounting for a good percentage of the nearly 70 million traumatic brain injuries that happen each year.

You don’t even need a Mike Tyson knockout punch to get significant long-term cognitive issues. People who’d suffered as few as four concussions showed poorer attention, processing speed and working memory.

The 2015 film Concussion brought home the realities of chronic brain degeneration suffered by pro NFL players, and former Springbok Pat Lambie was forced to retire in his prime at the age of 28 after a string of concussions.

Safety is big business

Sports organisations have a vested interest in ensuring player safety: The landmark group action lawsuit involving 1’100 former professional rugby players at the UK High Court right now spells serious repercussions for World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union.

And while SARU is not named there, the UK case could set a precedent, and researchers are already asking whether SARU is ready for a potential backlash based on the English ruling.

It’s not inconceivable that SA Rugby will want to start investing even more of its annual R1.5bn turnover into head injury prevention soon. It’s already happening elsewhere…

New tech to keep heads safe

At this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, players are wearing smart mouthguards with built-in sensors that detect if a head impact exceeds set thresholds. The mouthguard flashes a bright red light if there’s a possible big hit, and match-day doctors get an instant alert to trigger a head injury assessment immediately – no wait for a break in play.

Check the mouthguard in action (courtesy of World Rugby’s South African advisor, Lindsay Starling): 

Locally, SA Rugby has already introduced its Blue Card (ref or doc shows blue card on the field to signal possible head injury) system as part of its BokSmart safety programme. And its medical advisor, Wits’ Prof Jon Patricios, founded Sports Concussion South Africa in 2003, an online resource of information, protocols and a series of speciality concussion clinics around SA for schools and clubs.

The other big Q is whether this could jump across to other sporting codes…

If you can fit a gumguard, you can flag dangerous impacts in MMA, boxing, hockey, motorsport pit-lanes, even schoolboy rugby. Fewer missed concussions means more careers protected – a win on everyone’s scoreboard.

We’re watching this space…

Building a business is like running an obstacle course — every decision counts. With finance playing a critical role in success, have you ever wondered: how healthy is my finance function really?

Meet OCFO’s Financial Health Tool — your fast, smart, CFO-in-your-pocket. In under 10 minutes, it dives into your business, spots risks, highlights opportunities and gives clear, actionable insights, without the long meetings or endless spreadsheets.

Here’s what you’ll get:

Think of it as a financial check-up, turbocharged with AI and backed by CFO expertise.

Stop guessing. Stop worrying. Take a few minutes to understand your finances and gain the confidence to make smarter decisions, seize opportunities, and plan for growth.

Every week on a Friday, we pick an up-and-coming SA e-commerce store and feature it here for you to explore. This week, we are looking at vintage fangear…

Sports loyalty in South Africa runs deep: We don’t just “like” Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates or The Bokke. It’s in our bones.

Part throwback, fully “Gees”, Old School has built a fanwear collection that spans the golden years of local football, rugby and even a range inspired by SA’s very own UFC Champ Dricus 'Stillknocks' Du Plessis.

You’ll find retro jerseys, provincial colours, supporter tees, and even the kind of off-duty gear you actually want to wear outside the stadium.

Old School was born in a dorm room at Stellenbosch University back in 2019, when two brothers, Daneel & Stef Steinmann, were in search of something unique they couldn’t find anywhere: the perfect vintage South African rugby jersey.

And they weren't the only ones. One social media post later, and the rest, as they say, was history… Old School’s catalogue is a reminder that sport here is heritage, and heritage deserves to be worn.

On 30 October, at Innovation City in Cape Town, The Open Letter’s last in-person event of the year is a power SA e-commerce-themed affair, featuring none other than Takelot CEO Frederik Zietsman — how they scaled, lessons along the way and what’s in store for SA.

We’ll start with a special panel on e-commerce in the age of AI, then Frederik, networking and drinks (with Blaauwklippen as wine sponsor), and then a breakaway panel on the future of online payments in Africa.

It’s 4 hours of incredible tech, business and startup insights, and the ultimate place to make valuable connections with key players in the local startup ecosystem.

Get R100 off with an early bird ticket right now.

🇿🇦 UJ's Global Science Stars. 82 researchers from the University of Johannesburg have made the World’s Top 2% Scientists list released by Stanford. The list spans 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields, representing the top 2% of the nearly 9 million researchers worldwide. Mega.

🍟 Chips Guys. Taiwan has decided to halt its newly imposed chip export restrictions on South Africa, just days after their initiation. This pause highlights Taiwan's hesitance to use its tech exports as bargaining chips amid diplomatic tensions. Interesting.

📈 FinTech Moves. Major EU neobank Revolut wants to shake up SA’s financial sector by applying for a local banking license. With 65 million users globally, they're speeding towards a 100 million customer base by 2027. Hmm, we ready for this?

🔍 OpenAI's Ad Gamble. OpenAI is on the hunt for a strategic exec to lead advertising efforts, signalling a move toward squeezing revenue from ChatGPT beyond subs, direct from the Playbook of Zuck: Ads. LOL — the beginning of the end, thank you very much.

🎓 Startup Finishing School. Y Combinator is flipping the Silicon Valley dropout culture script with a new program allowing students to graduate before launching startups. This “Early Decision” track lets students secure funding while still in school, joining YC after finishing their degrees. How thoughtful.

✅ The Stack. Founders need reliable tools and suppliers. That’s why our Founder’s Stack gives you real-time AI insights and decision automation from Sidekick Lab, zero-monthly-fee bank accounts and business loans in 4 minutes from Lula, plus loads more vital startup tools & services.

Yesterday, we showed you how FoundIt’s looking to help SA find better local deals, asking where you search first. Most still Google…

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🔎 Google it (66%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 💬 Ask ChatGPT (30%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 📱 Check TikTok / Insta for vibes (0)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👥 WhatsApp a friend / local group (2%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 😎 I am the one they ask (2%)

Your 2 cents…

Yes, Malesala, now we also want to win a cool R2.5 million. 🎰

That’s true, Hendrik. Google AI Mode is fast becoming a research staple. 🦾

💼 Business Development Consultant @ Outsourced CFO

🐮 Creative Director +29 more jobs @ Flash Group

🤓 Rockstar Developer @ TaxTim

☁️ Head of Go To Markets @ Cloud on Demand

🦖 Head of Sales @ OfferZen

💎 Senior Account Executive @ Jem

🐒 Senior Software Engineer @ Rafiki Works

🧑‍💻 Software Engineer @ Octoco

Hiring? Let us know here and we’ll feature it next week.

🛠 Tool to Try: Freebeat instantly creates music for any video you upload, matching the vibe and pacing.

🚪 That’s Interesting: The Romans had three gods just for doorways, including Cardea, goddess of door hinges.

🗺 Next Level: Unreal view from the top of Christ the Redeemer in Rio.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Hack: A complete guide to what to call every family member (seriously).

🎹 Wow Site: CircleofThirds lets you explore, hear and visualise musical chords and scales. Use your keyboard or MIDI for hands-on learning.

Hey, Renier here 👋, co-founder of The Open Letter.

I’ve spent 17 years in SA tech and seen hundreds of startups rise and fall. The ones that made it all had one thing in common: a strong community.

That’s why I started The Founder Collab — a space where 100+ SA founders connect for:

☕ Meetups & events

🎓 Weekly masterclasses

📚 35+ expert sessions on-demand

🤝 A network unlike anything else

Come build your startup alongside me and 100+ other SA founders in The Founder Collab.

Spaces are limited — new founders join weekly.

Help us make The Open Letter more useful to you.

Vote in the poll, leave a quick comment, or hit reply — we read every single one.