💸 These Customers Spend 70% More...
Like to ride? We got excited when Kawasaki announced this hyper-agile 150cc hydrogen-powered horse/wolf bike hybrid. Only problem is, it’s still a concept and the actual prototype doesn’t seem nearly as agile as the video claims. Still, we dream. 🎠
Right now, though, it’s another Fast Five Friday: 5 things in startup you should know, including number 4’s easy secret to getting e-commerce customers to spend up to 70% more — let’s go!
1. EARLY DAYS
A voice-activated panic button?
House burgled while you’re away? It’s unpleasant, but, hopefully, you’ve got insurance and can get your stuff replaced (albeit with a bit of admin)...
It gets traumatic when it’s a contact crime (where the victim comes into contact with the perpetrator). With nearly 4’000 more contact crimes reported in Q1 of 2023/2024 compared to the same period the year before, contact crimes are on the rise.
So SA's (and the world’s) first voice-activated panic super app comes at a good time.
The Valor app lets users request immediate armed security and other response services with a simple custom voice command. The user’s location is sent to Valor’s control room, and their bank is alerted to lock down their banking profile/s. Plus, the operator stays on the line, listening in on the situation to update response units in real-time.
2. KEEP AN EYE ON THESE
SA’s economic “cheatsheet”
It’s important to keep tabs on various touchpoints of South Africa’s economy…
But the info’s disjointed and sometimes comes with a propaganda-esque flair of alarmism and fear-mongering. So we were happy to find this nifty lil dashboard that visualises all the key economic indicators in SA, all in one place (and without the panic)...
The South Africa Macro Dashboard (or sa-gov) tracks things like interest rates, inflation, GDP, deficits, etc. by taking data from various SARB website routes once a week, and populating the dashboard so we can track the health of SA’s economy.
The dashboard was built by Karl-Alexander Meier Mattern, and he’s already gotten a bunch of suggestions and requests to help improve an already very helpful tool. We’re keeping an eye on this.
3. INTERNATIONAL NEWS
De-extincted zombie wolves?
The dire wolf is an extinct species of wolf that lived in the Americas during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene periods, between 125’000 and 10’000 years ago.
First identified and named in 1858, the species gained a renewed popularity due to its appearance in the TV show “Game of Thrones”.
This week, Colossal Biosciences caused a stir with the announcement that they’d used both cloning and gene-editing based on two ancient samples of dire wolf DNA to birth three dire wolf pups, essentially “bringing this species back from extinction”…
Of course, something like this doesn't come without its detractors, with some scientists saying they’ve essentially cloned a glorified genetically modified grey wolf…
Colossal is apparently also planning to “bring back” the woolly mammoth, the dodo and the thylacine (aka the Tasmanian tiger), not to mention the woolly mouse they announced in March, cloned from woolly mammoth DNA.
4. FROM THE OPEN COLLAB COMMUNITY
Securing the bag, over and over again
One way to build brand loyalty and lock in that sweet, sweet recurring revenue is subscriptions – good for consumables people buy recurringly (monthly, weekly, etc) or even loyalty programmes (think Uber One, Takealot More, etc).
Infact, subscribers of such programmes in SA are likely to spend up to 70% more and transact almost twice as often that those that don’t.
Local e-commerce subscription platform ReserveIt is helping local e-comms process and collect recurring subs and other payments with a simple no-code implementation that gives their clients the ability to cancel, pause or skip a subscription, update the included products, or add new products with a higher level of control and customisation.
It’s all done through a slick subs storefront (also easy no-code implementation) and portal where your customers can manage their subscriptions (pause, add new products or change their shipping information)... Noice.
Don’t be alone on your founder and builder journey. Build with other SA startup founders and builders like Yaseen Hamdulay, one of the founders of ReserveIt in our community: The Open Collab.
5. AND THEN THERE WERE 10
Innovation City’s Top 10 Pitch Event
Things are heating up for Innovation City’s Startup of the Year 2025, and it’s down to the Top 10 finalists:
- Botlhale AI
- Callbi Speech Analytics
- Flood
- Fynbos Money
- Sudor Apps
- Jem
- JOBJACK
- Lawyered Up LLC Powered by Vega
- Sensify
- LeaseSurance
These 10 SA startups will be battling it out on 23 April to see who will be crowned Innovation City’s Startup of the Year 2025 – and you can come watch them battle it out in a live pitching event…
WHEN: Wednesday, 23 April 2025 from 17h00–19h30
WHERE: Innovation City, Darter Studio, Longkloof, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001
Check out what the Top 10 are building, connect with other innovators, learn from industry experts, spot the next trend and future opportunities, and celebrate success in a vibrant, inspiring community.
Plus, come say Hoesit to The Open Letter’s very own Renier Kriel, who forms part of this year’s judging panel.
Get your tickets from Quicket, but hurry, seats are limited.
IN SHORT
Cause dropping a headline or two at the braai never hurt anyone…
📦 On the move. Local food delivery platform Spaza Eats has just dropped its ”Spaza Parcel” delivery service to support informal traders, families, and small businesses in sending and receiving parcels. We love to see it…
👀 For your eyes only. WhatsApp is testing out some more privacy features as it is trialling advanced chat privacy features, including disabling chat exporting and automatic media downloads. What about screenshots, though?
🛻 E-Powered Bakkies. Bakkie-mal South Africa is getting a double-cab 4x4 electric bakkie (no, it’s not THAT one)... Enviro has announced the arrival of the Riddara RD6, a fully electric double-cab bakkie built by Geely. Looks insane.
🍃 Cannabis backtrack. The Department of Health has made a U-turn on the regulations that banned importing, producing and selling of foodstuffs containing cannabis. Hmmm…
😎 The Stack. Founders need tools and suppliers they can trust. Check out our Founder’s Stack with all your VC and startup legal sorted by Dommisse Attorneys, smarter and faster business banking and finance with Lula and loads more vital startup tools & services.
CHECK THIS OUT
Why Is the Isle of Man Talking to South Africans?
It’s not just about tax (although that’s nice too). The Isle of Man is showing real interest in South Africa’s startup and tech scene — and it’s worth paying attention to.
So why the outreach?
1. They see the opportunity
South Africa has talent, hustle, and high-growth ventures. The Isle of Man wants to help founders build a bridge to international markets — with the support of a stable, business-friendly jurisdiction. See their 2025 strategic objectives.
2. It’s a launchpad for going global
Many startups use the Isle of Man as a stepping stone to the UK, EU, and international investors. It offers a simple, trusted route for cross-border structuring and growth.
3. There’s a real startup ecosystem there
From FinTech and digital assets to gaming and e-commerce, the island isn’t just open to innovation — it’s actively enabling it through frameworks and government support.
4. They already work with SA founders
More than 35 South African businesses have a footprint on the island — including past winners of their annual Innovation Challenge.
5. They’re serious about sustainability
The Isle of Man is the only nation designated as an entire UNESCO Biosphere, attracting founders who think long-term and build with impact in mind.
6. They make it easy
From company setup to legal and financial services, the island’s well-established support ecosystem makes it easy to structure globally — without red tape.
7. They’re inviting you
This isn’t a cold sales pitch — it’s a real effort to connect with African founders and offer a platform to scale. You don’t need to figure it out alone.
DON’T MISS THIS
Coming Up in SA’s Most Vibrant Tech Founder Network
Next up in our members-only founder network — The Open Collab.
11 April 12:000 — Chat Roulette: Meet other SA founders and builders when we all log in for an online check-in and chat to get to network — join The Open Collab to attend.
16 April 10:000 — Office Hours: Groups of SA founders log in and “work together” digitally via our platform and WhatsApp for an hour, helping and supporting each other — join The Open Collab to attend.
25 April 12:00 — The Path to Scale Masterclass: Discover the hidden pitfalls and proven tools of growth with Jason Goldberg, Art of Scale author and co-founder of Edge Growth.
PLUS: When you join The Open Collab get access to expert sessions, more than 90 SA founders to network with and weekly online and offline network engagements.
JOBS IN TECH
Some of our friends are hiring. Noah person who fits the brief?
👨💻 Junior Software Engineer roles @ Octoco
🩺 Senior Full Stack Engineer @ Udok
🧱 Product Manager (Syft Analytics) @ Xero
🎨 Senior UI/UX Designer @ 5CA
💥 Marketing Manager @ Franc
Hiring? Get in touch, and we will feature it here.
GAME TIME
Three ZA startup lies and a truth
Only one of these South African startups is real.
WHAT YOU SAID
Pumping iron…
On Tuesday, we asked about your favourite workout, and weights are the game…
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🏃♀️ Running on the treadmill (13%)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🏋️♀️ Lifting weights (41%)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤳 Filming content (4%)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🏊 Swimming (13%)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🧘♀️ Yoga/Pilates (10%)
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🍕 Fitness whole pizza in my mouth (19%)
Your 2 cents…
Nice, Bruce! No cool-off? ♨️
Lekker, Madelein. Also hear the ocean calling sometimes. 🤿
Ha ha, the way you’re running between events, probably counts as cardio. ❤️🔥
Nice, Nick! Pretty sure they’d welcome your feedback over at Octiv. 🎯
BEFORE YOU GO
Here are 3 Ways We Can Help You
Advertise or Partners — Engage 22k South African professionals that read The Open Letter - partner with us or run an ad campaign — Reply to this email to get started.
Grow with Content — Love The Open Letter? Want to build a newsletter just like that for your brand? Want to grow your brand with content? We can do it for you. Check out Stream.
Startup Community — Join 100+ SA founders in our SA startup founder community called The Open Collab. Weekly online masterclasses, in-person and online meetups and a network like never before.
Until next time,
Elvorne, Renier & Jason
