Total autonomy? A Chinese tech company just unveiled a humanoid robot that can change its own batteries. Cool to watch, a little unnerving (gives iRobot vibes) but totally necessary if we want to upscale industry to 24-hour dark factories. To the future. 🚀

In Today’s Open Letter

Want to take a promising AI product to the moon? You’re not gonna believe that today’s exciting AI startup is actually a job ad – and you can apply now to become its founding CEO…

Back in 2003, South Africa introduced the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (38 of 2001), or FICA, to combat financial crimes like money laundering, fraud and terrorism financing. And that now means opening a bank account, applying for a loan or even buying a SIM card requires you to prove your identity and where you live.

And even if you’ve submitted these before, many institutions are legally required to re-FICA you every few years, especially if your info changes or they update their compliance processes.

So chances are, every few months, someone asks you for your documents. Maybe you find it. Maybe you don’t. Either way, you’ve lost 10 minutes (and a bit of your soul) to admin.

Don't even get us started on the workplace

It’s even worse for businesses. Nearly 2 hours per day are wasted looking for documents and information in the workplace.

You’ve got businesses, banks, insurers, pension funds and even HR teams (all legally required to verify your documents every few years, or when you make a claim, apply for credit, or switch providers) that need you to provide these documents – so it’s a time sink all around.

The local startup putting your docs in your pocket

Docaroo is an AI-powered platform designed to declutter your document life.

Users get a secure vault with smart “pockets” that auto-organise files by theme, from health to housing and everything in between. You can share documents with expiring password links, set reminders for renewals (passports, licenses, policies), and even get nudged by Roo, your document-savvy AI sidekick.

It’s already live and gaining traction with B2C adoption looking promising, and some hush-hush B2B pilots are in the works.

Here’s where you come in…

Docaroo is one of the first projects birthed out of Next Orbit, a venture studio powered by NEXT176 and Byte Orbit. We chatted to Tramayne Monaghan, Chief Venture Officer at NEXT176, recently, and he shared with us that they’re searching for a Founding CEO to take Docaroo from MVP to market leader. 

As Founding CEO, you’ll validate the model, refine strategy, and prep for funding with the venture studio. Post-funding, lead go-to-market, shape the roadmap, and build the team.

If you’ve worked in startups, worn ten hats, and felt the thrill of building from zero, this isn’t just another job opportunity. It’s a shot to turn working tech into a working business. 

Applications close 13 August 2025.

Keen? Click download for info on how to apply right now… 👇

Google was kinda late to the AI game. By the time Gemini (their ChatGPT equivalent) became good, a lot of people had already found an AI companion in ChatGPT or Claude. But Google have been building some incredible AI products.

Here are five products Google are building in AI worth taking note of:

1️⃣ Gemini: Google’s equivalent of ChatGPT but with some added features that integrate deep into Google’s search capability and your G Suite documents. It also integrates into Veo3, Google’s advanced video creation tool. It creates videos with sound, so you can get an AI model to say something. Access it here.

2️⃣ Flow: An AI film creation tool that uses Veo2 and Veo3 with editing capabilities to connect Veo scenes together to allow you to make longer-form videos, even full-length films in time. Check it here.

3️⃣ Notebook LM: Drop your sources (documents, links, videos, etc.) and then you can chat with it to ask questions, and it draws from the documents. You can also create AI-generated podcasts to get you skilled up on everything that’s in the documents. It’s a great tool for learning new things. Learn more here.

4️⃣ Stitch: From idea to mobile to web interface. Stitch allows users to build user interfaces simply with AI prompts. Great for seeing how your idea can come to life! Build with it here.

5️⃣ Project Mariner: An agent that executes tasks for you on the internet. Prompts like “Find me three jobs in engineering on P-net”, and it will get to work for you. Get it to work for you.

Keen to learn more? Check out this video by Greg Isenberg on these tools.

What will you build with AI today?

Because every law firm has its own documents.

In the US and UK, standardised templates mean faster closings and less legal bloat.

In SA, we’re still redlining Word docs for weeks.

That’s why Dommisse worked with the South African Venture Capital Association (SAVCA) to create open-source model investment documents for South Africa. It means faster deals, more clarity, less cost.

Want in? 

📡 Pay-TV Power Play. Canal+ just got the nod from South African regulators to snap up MultiChoice, paving a golden path to becoming Africa's streaming kingpin. This R53 billion transaction is set to wrap before October 8, bolstering their subscriber base to a hefty 50 million. Maybe now we'll get to cherry-pick our channels...

🐝 Buzzing into AI Wearables. Amazon has acquired Bee, the AI startup creating bracelets that record your every chat to serve as a personal assistant. With a low price of $50 plus a subscription, the buy marks Amazon's dive into wearables. LOL. What could go wrong?

🍔 Pick a Burger. Pick n Pay is stretching grocery budgets by offering R15 burgers through a combo of smart shopping and banking perks. This sizzler comes from their FNB partnership, allowing Smart Shopper cardholders to grab a full burger meal at a steal for R60. Looks like the weekend menu is sorted.

📲 Vodacom's Money Moves. Vodacom's empire is rolling in the dough, pushing an eye-watering R8.1-trillion through its mobile money platforms in just one year. Anchored by international gains, the telecom giant saw a 10.6% boost in revenue. Meanwhile, financial services are clearly their golden ticket as they race past "just phones". Yuge…

✅ The Stack. Founders need tools and suppliers they can trust. Check out our Founder’s Stack with your own CFO for a fraction of the cost with OCFO, WhatsApp marketing with 2'000% ROI powered by Chat Inc, and loads more vital startup tools & services.

Yesterday, we showed you Zuzo’s awesome employee recognition tech, asking what you find most familiar at work… and just having to be content with a paycheck is very common…

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🗣️ HR once said, “Recognition is a value here”. Once. (19%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🏆 Got a mug once for “exceeding expectations”. (12%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🧁 One awkward birthday cupcake + applause. (4%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🙌 Actually getting recognised and appreciated. (19%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 💰 Apparently, I get recognised once a month on payday. (46%)

Your 2 cents…

Love it, Charmaine. Guess Zuzo’s like that, but with gifts… 🖐️

Wel said, Ruan. Ja, a lot of companies derived their management strategies from the industrial revolution, hence we seeing the big work revolution now. 🎯

He he, ja Chris, most expensive photo ever for former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron. 😅

Today, we look at internet connectivity in South Africa.

We need to get SA connected:

💡 The vast majority use mobile data to go online.

💡 Fewer than 10% of people in most provinces have internet at home.

💡 Generally, low internet usage in Limpopo, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape could be due to infrastructure and service availability.

A lot of need/opportunity right here in our backyard.

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