ChatGPT movie? OpenAI is teaming up with Hollywood studios to create a full-length feature film with AI. Based on a short they made in 2023, you can see how they vastly improved it with Sora here. A Toy Story-style revolution? Let’s see… 🍿

In Today’s Open Letter

Zero time to exercise? No worries – this startup’s automating your muscles…

Nearly half of South African adults fall short of public health recommendations for physical activity. Maybe because we work longer hours, spend a lot of time in traffic and only get about 6.5 hours of Zzzz’s. Either way, time pressure is an issue.

Also, most people don't know what to do at the gym, and personal trainers are pricey and not always available at convenient times.

Gymtimidation (the mix of not knowing what to do, feeling judged and being overwhelmed by the environment) is a very real thing. Gym newbies can’t always tell who’s actually using a machine, catching up on emails or simply catching their breath.

People want help: Around the world, consumers are increasingly looking for a personalised fitness experience. The global boutique fitness studio market is set to nearly double from $47.94 billion in 2023 to $85.90 billion by 2030 (R1.5 trillion).

The local startup flexing a smarter gym experience

Threezero is a boutique micro-gym built entirely around their Biocircuit, which consists of 6 strength machines and 6 cardio machines. Used right, just this combo can give you a full body workout in just 30 minutes.

They’re making it plug-and-play: You log in once to start your session, and the circuit assigns you a starting station, customising the machine, seat and range of motion to your profile – auto-progressing the load as you improve. 

And it’s powered by leading global high-end sports equipment specialists Technogym’s BIODRIVE engine (developed to help astronauts combat muscle atrophy in space), and adjusts resistance and pace in real time, guiding safe progression automatically. 

The kicker: With this tech, the same Threezero circuit comfortably serves everyone from a Springbok prop to a 57-year-old beginner equally well. So no more gymtimidation or uncertainty.

It’s also customisable: A variety of set programmes lets you pick your body goal, let it do an initial assessment and calibration, and then the tech does the fitness thinking for you.

Want a free sesh?

Threezero owner Andrew Collins told us members get monthly reassessments (one-rep-max benchmarks update the program), and everything is visible in the Technogym app, from total volume lifted to a rolling “moves” score that nudges activity between sessions. 

He also said Open Letter readers can grab a free trial (worth R200) at their Green Point studio in Cape Town. Simply use the code OpenLetter when you fill out the contact form on the Threezero website and Andrew will hook you up.

Tech that helps you stay fit amidst a crazy daily schedule? Sign us up.

We’re watching this space…

Wish your website could talk? Angel CX gives any site a natural voice that answers questions conversationally — keeping visitors engaged 24/7. See how it works.

Google and Meta ads not working? The next era of ads is here: Koah places your brand inside actual GenAI conversations across 50+ apps used by millions — from health to homework help. Try for ROI.

Want to get inside your users’ heads? ForumScout tracks people asking for services like yours, brand mention and more across LinkedIn, 𝕏, Youtube, News sites, forums and more — like social listening on autopilot. Give it a spin.

SMEs employ 60% of the workforce, producing 40% of GDP, and SA’s economy is poised for growth.

Lula believes SMEs that do these 5 things will be best positioned to capitalise on that potential:

1. Know your processes inside out: Traditional banking is evolving as new financial tools and AI-driven insights offer more flexible and scalable options. If you know where you’re at and what you need, you’ll be better positioned to leverage these flexible new financial tools.

2. Maintain good financial records: Access to more data is giving lenders more insights into every part of the economy, which makes more funding accessible. Good records ensure you’ll virtually always have access to capital. 

3. Focus on mobile-first digital commerce: The digital economy looks set to produce 15-20% of SA’s GDP this year. Invest in user-friendly, mobile-optimised e-commerce platforms to expand your reach and capture market share.

4. Ensure smoother digital payments: We’re headed towards a cashless SA by 2035. Adopt mobile wallets, QR code payments, EFT services and contactless terminals now to keep up with consumer demands.

5. Invest in digital infrastructure and tech: Technologies like IoT, AI and cloud computing offer SMEs opportunities to enhance efficiency and customer experience, while automating tasks to increase competitiveness. Assess your current digital capabilities and address skills gaps now to stay ahead of the curve – cloud services offer a cost-effective way to start.

And, if you haven’t opened your Lula business banking account yet, get yourself a free one, with zero monthly fees, right now…

🛟 Floating To New Heights. Local FinTech Float just raised R46 million to fuel its South African expansion and tech platform enhancement in a funding round. Very cool.

🏦 Banking On It. Old Mutual's fresh venture, OM Bank, is off to a flying start with R1.5 billion in deposits and R15.5 billion in lending operations. Talk about making a statement.

🤖 Guessing Games. OpenAI has found why AI language models hallucinate: because standard training and evaluation procedures reward guessing over acknowledging uncertainty. Taking a leaf out of the corporate playbook, it seems (it’s jus jokes, folks).

✅ The Stack. Founders need reliable tools and suppliers. That’s why our Founder’s Stack gives you 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 gave you insights into the Twofold-Octoco purchase of TaxTim, asking what you’d do with lots of tax savings. Most want to be debt-free and grow…

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🚀 Extend runway by months and out-build my rivals (10%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🍹 Take the longest holiday I can legally stay in the Bahamas (2%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🍻 Braai with customers and turn boerewors into MRR (2%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 📈 Kill all my debt and invest the rest in future growth (86%)

Your 2 cents…

The dream, Kieran. The. Dream. 🏝️

Tickets are one of South Africa’s fastest-growing value-added services — and most are sold in-store.

Research reveals:

💡 Most ticket purchases fall between R201–R600, with R401–R600 being the sweet spot.

💡 58% of tickets were bought at retailers, compared to just 18% via banks and 17% from ticketing platforms.

💡 The biggest share of buyers lives in townships, where walk-in retail remains the most accessible channel.

For any player in ticketing, one path to growth clearly runs through physical stores and township economies.

🛠 Tool to Try: JobJette automates your job search with auto-generated CVs & cover letters, while tracking your applications in one dashboard.

🤔 That’s Interesting: The Coens’ first choice to play the “Dude” in The Big Lebowski was Mel Gibson. What?

🔥 Next Level: Watch this AFK streamer’s little brother clutch in online game CS:GO, raking up over 700k views.

🍔 Hack: Log what drains your energy as carefully as what excites you — tasks, environments, collaboration style — then reallocate toward net-positive work.

🌐 Wow Site: YouTube Duration is a free tool that sorts playlists and gives you durations so you can manage your view time.

Hey, Renier here 👋, co-founder of The Open Letter.

I’ve spent 17 years in SA tech and seen hundreds of startups rise and fall. The ones that made it all had one thing in common: a strong community.

That’s why I started The Founder Collab — a space where 100+ SA founders connect for:

☕ Meetups & events

🎓 Weekly masterclasses

📚 35+ expert sessions on-demand

🤝 A network unlike anything else

Come build your startup alongside me and 100+ other SA founders in The Founder Collab.

Spaces are limited — new founders join weekly.

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.