Hi {{ FIRSTNAME | there, }}

A tad surprised? Apparently, streaming sites boost piracy trends. Why? They’ve killed keep-forever formats like DVD, but don’t maintain libraries of old movies forever. So peeps looking for a bit of nostalgia can’t help but go find their oldies in places like Pirate Bay. #Watchagonnado 🤷‍♀️

In Today’s Open Letter

Non-communicable diseases are by far the biggest cause of death in SA – this new tech could help us diagnose them way more effectively (and much cheaper)...

South Africa’s clinical diagnostics sector pulled in nearly R27  billion in 2024; about 10% of government’s R277 billion total health budget. Yet our overall rate of illness diagnosis is considered subpar.

The leading causes of death in SA are heart diseases and strokes, causing 1 in 6 deaths. To the point where, every hour, 5 people have a heart attack and 10 have a stroke – and 10 out of those 15 do not make it.

In fact, most of our biggest killers (diabetes, TB and cancer) are horrific but today also easily diagnosed and often perfectly treatable. So what gives?

SA has the technology. We’ve featured numerous MedTechs over the years, including: 

And now there’s some new tech that could help bring faster, cheaper diagnosis to where it’s really needed.

Diagnosis played by ear

Cerumen is the fancy medical term for earwax, and it contains hormones, metabolites and other biochemical markers that make it an ideal emerging biofluid in clinical diagnosis.

And it's kind of a no-brainer. Earwax is a standout diagnostic sample:

Earwax is already showing promise in measuring glucose levels to accurately reflect chronic glycemia and 100% discrimination between the cancer and control groups in cancer studies. It can even measure cortisol levels to monitor depression and other conditions linked to stress.

Lend us your ear, for this new tech

Trears Biomarkers is a biotech company that makes earwax self-sampling devices. It grew out of University College London’s startup incubator, Hatchery, with a pilot that proved their earwax‑sampling device consistently matches clinical methods in sample quality faster, cheaper and more user‑friendly. 

The ear‑safe test is explicitly designed for self‑sampling biomarkers like cortisol (for stress/depression) and glucose (for diabetes). And it costs just £15.00 and £50.00 (~R351 and R1’170) to get an earwax sample – no needles or trips to the local clinic.

And here’s where it gets interesting for the SA context.

A device that bypasses cold-chain logistics, trained staff and clinic queues could make diagnostics possible in the very places our current system can’t reach. In a market where R27 billion is already being spent, the ability to run reliable, lab-grade tests from a swab of earwax might just be the next big MedTech opportunity.

Question is: Who’s going to bite?

We’re watching this space.

For years, online businesses have been the sleeping giant of South African entrepreneurship — but that’s changing. From now until year-end, we’ll spotlight one standout South African online business each week, continuing our mission to champion local founders.

Few things work harder in SA than the good old municipal bin.

It gets stuffed, scruffed, bashed, dragged, dropped and spray-painted, even losing a wheel or its lid along the way. So they look pretty rough after years of use — not to mention the rich aroma that can only be solved by dumping a bottle of Jeyes Fluid into it occasionally.

It’s an eyesore unless you can hide it out of sight till bin day.

But if you’ve got nowhere to put it, local e-commerce store BinHaus has sleek, weather-resistant bin stands designed to handle SA’s toughest weather conditions.

Each unit has a front door for bin access and a lid for easy rubbish disposal. Choose between single or double units in charcoal or natural wood finish.

Delivered flat-packed, it’s simple to assemble solo in minutes.

A stylish, practical solution to tidy up your outdoor space.

Why build a go-to-market strategy when someone already has your buyers lined up for you?

Cloud On Demand’s ISV program plugs your SaaS product into their partner marketplace, meaning you get exposed to resellers, enterprise buyers, and Microsoft-aligned channels.

You don’t need a sales team or a fancy funnel. You need clients.

Join now and get marketplace-ready by the end of August.

📈 Taking Ground. REdimension Capital just wrapped up a SA-exclusive fund focused on PropTech and sustainability with a whopping R250 million in commitments. The fund's new investors include Hyprop and RDC Property, powering innovations that meld tech with real estate. Nice.

💸 Hands Off. Standard Bank’s branches are ditching in-branch cash handling and shifting it to their ATMs. The bank has already rolled out 65 cashless branches, and sees more than 90% of deposits and withdrawals already happening outside branches. Very, very interesting.

🤖 iRobot. Apple is cooking up a Siri-like robot (think iPad on wheels) set to inhabit your living room by 2027. Powered by generative AI, and with FaceTime features and a natural voice, it aims to inject itself into your daily chats. Folks with small kids already have something like this tbh…

👋 On a Roll. Discovery Bank is the latest local bank to join Home Affairs in rolling out Smart ID services. The push to digital IDs might be the final nail in the Green Mamba’s coffin. Which bank is next?

😎 The Stack. Founders need reliable tools and suppliers. That’s why our Founder’s Stack gives you cloud services and solutions for Azure, AWS, security and AI by Cloud on Demand, B2B tech marketing strategy and execution by Stream, plus loads more vital startup tools & services.

Yesterday, we showed you how Social Circle’s changing mobile DOOH with moving billboards, asking about the future of out-of-home advertising. Most are for traffic light ads…

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 📱 Cellphone-sized panel strapped to your forehead (14%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🚦 Traffic lights that pitch you something every time you stop (32%)

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🛰️ Satellites beaming messages straight into your dreams (25%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🛒 Trolley handles that whisper brand info while you shop (14%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🦜 Trained parrots dropping promo codes in public (14%)

Your 2 cents…

Ha he, we can see it already, Ruan. 🦾

Sounds like a plan, Frikkie. Sommer pitch it to Social Circle if you got the contacts. 💸

🦙 Technical Vetting Contractors @ OfferZen

🤝 Growth and partnerships lead @ Chipin

💼 Business Development Manager @ Inala Software

🧱 Product Owner @ Lula

🧑‍💻 Freelance Frontend Developer (Svelte) @ RunOS

🏗️ Full-Stack Developer @ The Awareness Company

💬 Customer Support Manager @ Jem

✍️ UX Writer @ Luno

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

🛠 Tool to Try: Long contracts? goHeather’s AI contract reviewer scans and highlights any suspicious or risky parts for you.

🤔 That’s Interesting: South Park began as cardboard cut-outs, inspired by Monty Python. The pilot episode was hand-made. They switched to animation from ep 2 onwards.

🔥 Next Level: This is how you ride three unicycles at once.

🍔 Hack: Unsure what to do? Ask what you'd tell a close friend in your shoes, then take your own advice.

🌐 Wow Site: 3D Solar System Explorer is a fully interactive 3D map made in Vercel, you can fly through right now, astronaut.

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.