The local landline play? After our post about landlines making a comeback in the US, one of our readers reached out and shared his local startup, TickeyBox, with us. It’s early days, and he is looking for a tech co-founder. Go check it out

In Today’s Open Letter

Africa’s digital literacy problem is bigger than it looks – but this SA startup’s got a plan to close the gap….

While globals talk AI innovation, Africa still battles with concerning digital literacy numbers: 90% of learners leave school without basic digital skills, and, among adults, even something as straightforward as copying and pasting files is a struggle – with some regions seeing as low as 4% proficiency.

As AI tools embed themselves into everyday work, the gulf between those who can use technology and use it well is widening fast.

That gap is becoming expensive

Employers are already shifting their priorities to prioritise skills and experience over tertiary qualifications in a bid to address SA’s growing ICT skills gap.

The irony here is that the tools designed to make people more productive are outpacing the very users they were built for: We’ve built AI before we’ve built AI literacy.

The local startup tackling SA’s digital skills gap

TeknaLabs is a personalised digital skills training platform that helps young people (and soon, adult learners) bridge the digital divide through a structured, outcome-based curriculum.

Their five-module programme takes students from digital foundations (safe online habits, file management, search skills) to applied AI (prompt literacy, tool proficiency and critical thinking frameworks like Human-AI-Human (HAH)). 

The curriculum is presented in three formats:

Promising signals

We caught up with TeknaLabs Founder David Luboya-Mushila, who says that some 12-year-olds in TeknaLabs’ pilot classes have already presented fully built websites at the end of their programme and pitched ideas and prototypes at AWS’s Skills Centre hackathons; a level of digital confidence that was unthinkable just a few years ago.

For SA to compete in the age of AI, we can’t just build smarter tech. We need to build smarter users, too. And that’s exactly the horse TeknaLabs is backing.

We’re watching this space…

Taking on Google? OpenAI launched ChatGPT Atlas, a browser that reads the page, remembers what you’re doing and completes tasks without leaving the site.

Coding right in the browser? Claude Code now runs in secure cloud sandboxes, so you can ship, test and debug straight from your browser with zero local setup.

Losing MRR to failed payments? BetterRetain AI auto-recovers churned revenue via retries, branded emails and SMS (while also telling you why cards failed).

Who says only big brands can have real WhatsApp tech?

Most new and small businesses don’t have time to sit through demos or figure out clunky enterprise software. You’ve got products to ship, customers to talk to and zero patience for red tape.

But what if you could just… start?

That’s why flEX by Chat Inc is such a game-changer — the first pure SaaS WhatsApp marketing platform in South Africa.

✅ You sign up.
✅ Connect your WhatsApp channel.
✅ Buy credits and start sending.

No subscriptions. No platform fees. No gatekeeping.

Whether you’re a boutique store, local brand, or solo founder, flEX gives you the same broadcast and automation tools the big brands use — without needing a whole IT team to run it.

🤖 Blazing Young Guns. Certus AI, a startup built by a couple of young South Africans(one who is 19 years old), has just been backed by Y Combinator. The startup helps restaurants automate bookings, food orders and deliveries using advanced, voice-based AI tools. Mooi man.

🎰 Taking a Gamble. South Africa’s National Gambling Board plans to clamp down on rampant gambling advertising. With 31% of locals joining the "problem gambling" ranks, the gambling watchdog is aiming for stricter regulations. Love to see it.

🐕 Fido360. Family safety app Life360 has launched a new $49.99 GPS tracker for your furry fam, designed to attach to a collar or harness. Cool, but what if you don't really want to find that Jack Russel again?

🚂 Getting Transnet Back on Track? Transnet is set to fork over R127-billion over the next five years to revamp its rail lines and ports to iron out the kinks in its ageing infrastructure. Mega.

✅ The Stack. Founders need reliable tools, so our Founder’s Stack gives you real-time AI insights from Sidekick Lab, zero-monthly-fee bank accounts and business loans with Lula, and more.

From 15 October 2025 to 15 November 2025, each friend you get to sign up to The Open Letter gets you one entry into a draw to win a brand new iPad Air!

Yesterday, we told you about the landline revival opportunity, asking if you’d get this smartphone alternative. Most would sign up right now…

If an SA smartphone alternative were available right now, would you get it?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ☎️ Sign me up! Like yesterday (60%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 📱 Nah, smartphones are harmless (5%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🧐 No kids yet, but see the value (15%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🥶 Dunno how it can roll out at scale here (15%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 💡 Wait, I have an even better idea… (5%)

Your 2 cents…

Indeed, F, and let brands really work for respect on every channel. 📻

SA’s township businesses are turning over real money — and 1 in 4 make more than R500k a year.

Forget the side-hustle stereotype, Standard Bank found that:

💡 51% of township businesses generate over R500'000 a year.

💡 14% report turnover above R1 million.

💡 The township economy is estimated at between R200—R900 billion annually.

The takeaway? There’s a dense, underserved market of traders, shops and services with real scale.

📫 Tool to Try: TryThisEmail gives you instant, disposable inboxes for spam-free sign-ups.

🏅 That’s Interesting: The Nobel Prize awards aren’t paid from Alfred Nobel’s original fortune, just the investment returns, which have grown 19’255% since 1895.

🛹 Next Level: Watch 52-year-old Tony Hawk landing his final 720.

📈 Hack: A visual guide to twelve career truths you might need to accept.

🍔 Wow Site: Age of Wonder shows you amazing stats about yourself and the world, based on your birthday.

Most successful founders will agree, to make it big, you need some luck.

But how does one increase one's chances of success when luck plays such a big role? Increase your surface area of luck!

✅ Meet more people
✅ Get faster feedback on your product builds
✅ Make faster progress when you are stuck with expert help.

That’s what The Founder Collab, SA’s premium community for startup founders, does. Weekly opportunities to meet other founders, get feedback, get unstuck and a network unlike any in SA.

It’s a surefire way to increase your surface area of luck.

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