Pretty lights {{ FIRSTNAME | there}}? Nothing beats this video from the ISS as it drifts through insane aurora lights above the Earth. Behind the scenes, the auroras were caused by a solar flare, and the astronaut who took the video was one of those evacuated from the station for health reasons. 😬
In This Open Letter
Moving Fast: This meal planner helps you order Sixty60.
Local: The Rand’s big roll & local AI payment safety.
Global: Apple AI pin & behind the big American boycott.
Tech Jobs: New roles at Capitec, Lula, OfferZen & more.
Market Watch: The top stocks & markets this week.
Looking for the best new devs in SA?
Here’s a play you probably didn’t know: SA tech companies find the best talent by being visible at DevConf, ‘cos you get around 1’200 new software grads in Cape Town and Joburg, all in one place.
How? Sponsoring DevConf and putting up a stall costs a fraction of the price of normal hiring, and it gives them direct access to meet devs face-to-face.
Want in? You have to hurry: Sponsorship slots are going fast for the events in May, and early bird tickets (for your team) are almost sold out.
TRENDING NOW
A Checkers Chef in Your Pocket
With SA’s grocery delivery market set to hit R80 billion this year, this startup’s got a plan to help customers solve the biggest mealtime riddle of all…
If you’re married or living with your partner, you’ve definitely received the dreaded 4:30 PM "What’s for dinner?" WhatsApp…
You’re not alone in your indecision; surprisingly, studies find the average person makes over 200 decisions about food alone every single day – so the executive function part of your brain is absolutely smoked by dinner time, causing the “evening scramble" and inevitable panic-buy from Mr Eats.
The Age of Grocery Convenience
Five years ago, a mid-week grocery run meant fighting for parking at the mall. Today, every major player is in the game of on-demand groceries delivered directly to your door.
And how: Checkers Sixty60 served 1.9 million South Africans with 7.5 million products at an average delivery time of 33 minutes in the four days between 20 and 23 November 2025 (Black Friday) alone. That’s hundreds of thousands per day.
But while retailers can get a bag of onions to your door in under 60 minutes, they can’t help you use them like Jamie Oliver yet… which is probably why, last week, Checkers collabed with Oliver on Dinner Done Better, but not everyone eats frittatas or wants to spend over R400 on fish the week before payday (in this Januworry economy, no less).
But a local platform has a plan…
The Local Startup Vibe Coding Dinner (and Lunch)
Click2Cook is an AI-powered meal planning platform that packages the convenience of those well-known meal kits with the flexibility of on-demand grocery delivery.
You select ingredient preferences, how many servings (great for busy fams), what ingredients you already have at home, cooking styles, and even which days you want to meal plan for.
Then you generate your meal plan (including recipes), make tweaks if needed, and – here comes the clever part – Click2Cook’s browser plugin will find all the extra ingredients you need on the Checkers Sixty60 web portal, so you can add to cart and buy in real-time.
Click2Cook founder Richard Barry saw the gap between the delivery bike and the dinner plate, vibe-coding the platform while travelling between SA and Canada after one too many “what's for dinner” convos at home.
And if you’re interested:
Richard’s looking for 100 friendly beta testers before the official launch (you’ll get a free annual subscription when they monetise).
You can also win a R300 Checkers voucher for using the Chrome Extension before 15 February 2026.
We’re watching this space…
Have your say…
WITH OUR FRIENDS AT GOVCHAIN
Do I really need a business bank account?
If you’ve ever heard that question around a braai, this guide’s for you.
Running your hustle through your personal account might feel easier until tax season hits, funding gets denied or a client asks for your business details. That’s when it gets real.
Govchain’s new guide breaks it down simply:
✅ Why keeping business and personal money separate matters
✅ Your best banking options: whether you’re a sole trader or registered business
✅ How to pick between traditional banks and digital players like Lula.
It’s everything a South African founder needs to know before choosing their first business account.
IN SHORT
Easing you into the weekend…
🫡 Locking It Down. Local FinTech Ozow is beefing up its security measures for both merchants and consumers alike, thanks to its new partnership with RelyComply. The company uses AI to help businesses guard against financial criminals with a range of KYC, risk assessment and screening solutions. Nice.
🧷 Put a Pin In It. Apple is reportedly working on an AirTag-sized wearable that clips onto the front of your clothing and gives you information about the world around you. It’ll have cameras, microphones and speakers and be powered by AI. Too early for an April Fools joke tbh…
🥊 They Call It A Comeback. The Rand has continued its fight back against the Greenback, reaching its highest level in three years on Thursday at a cool R16.19 to the dollar. Let’s GO!
🇺🇲 Murcan Product Boycott. Apps that help Danish consumers figure out if a product is made in America and then suggest a local alternative have shot to the top of app store charts. This comes after US President Donald Trump's threats to take control of Greenland. LOL.
🌍 Thinking Offshore? For SA founders going global, the Isle of Man offers 0% corporate tax, 0% capital gains tax, 0% withholding tax, UK VAT access and a business-friendly legal system. Finance Isle of Man helps companies move, structure and scale internationally — sans the usual friction.
* From our partners. Find all the best service providers for your business in our Founder Stack.
WHAT YOU SAID
Looking good…
Yesterday, we showed you how Yaga’s bringing safer thrift shopping to SA, asking about the last second-hand item you bought. For most, it was some clothing…
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👕 Clothing/fashion (30%)
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 📱 Tech or gadgets (18%)
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🛋️ Home stuff/furniture (22%)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🎁 Something random I didn’t plan to buy (5%)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ ♻️ Second-hand/thrift only — that’s my lane (10%)
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🆕 I don’t buy used — new items only (15%)
Your 2 cents…
“Most of my outfit compliments come when I am wearing my thrifted shirts, including a whole bunch from my mother's closet. I'm a massive fan.”
Looking good, there, Danei. 😙
“Needed a bike rack to make more boot space to move across the country. The seller sold it at a steal, and was so great he helped me set it up on my car. Sometimes you get lucky I guess?”
Nothing beats how awesome people can be, hey, Gert? 🤜🤛
READY FOR A MOVE?
Jobs in Tech
🏗️ Platform Engineer @ Pollinate
🧑💻 Senior Full Stack Software Engineer @ Entrostat
🧑⚖️ Senior Software Engineer II (JAVA & Microservices) @ LexisNexis Shared Services
🏦 Software Engineer: Full Stack III @ Capitec Bank
📊 Head of Data Engineering @ Lula
🦖 Senior Data Engineer @ OfferZen
OfferZen proudly sponsors Jobs in Tech
The name in SA tech employment for over a decade, OfferZen needs no introduction, and their ability to get you placed is only as legendary as the time, energy and money they save employers in finding top skills.
MARKET WATCH
All this week’s big movers and shakers
Top 5 performing JSE stocks this week
Resource-linked recovery plays led gains as the JSE continued its broader January advance, supported by resilient commodity prices and a strengthening rand that helped lift mining and cyclicals.
RHBOPHELO: +25.00%
DENEB: +12.34%
BRIMST-N: +9.78%
CROOKES: +9.52%
JUBILEE: +8.89%
Data from Moneyweb (Fri 16 Jan 2026 → Thu 22 Jan 2026)
Gold performance this week
Gold briefly hit multi-year highs on rising safe-haven demand and geopolitical uncertainty before trimming gains as markets calmed later in the week.
–0.26% (R 75 389.22 → R 78 354.41)
Data from Investing.com (Fri 9 Jan 2026 → Thu 22 Jan 2026)
Bitcoin performance this week
Bitcoin sold off sharply mid-week as traders reacted to risk-off sentiment and a broad crypto pullback following equity weakness.
–6.98% (R 1 567 984 → R 1 458 624)
Want to get in on the Bitcoin action? Start investing via Binance today.
Ethereum performance this week
Ethereum slumped harder than Bitcoin as a sharp mid-week sell-off hit higher-beta crypto assets during a broader risk-off move across global markets.
–9.98% (R 54 096.2 → R 48 669.1)
Get in on the Ethereum action by investing via Binance today.
AROUND THE WEB
Have some fun…
📖 Tool to Try: TuCuento creates choose-your-own-adventure stories with your kid’s name, values and decisions baked in.
🧪 That’s Interesting: Nobel laureate Tu Youyou discovered a potential cure for malaria in a 1’600-year-old Chinese text, tested it on herself and created the drug artemisinin, which saved millions of lives.
⚔️ Next Level: This guy clearly knows his way around a lightsaber.
🤖 Hack: A guide to 11 of Google’s free AI tools and what each one actually does.
🧠 Wow Site: Stranger Things fans, Hawkins Lab Terminal will give you the weather + the odds of an “inter-dimensional event” occurring today.
NEXT STEPS
Here’s how to get more
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