No rest {{ FIRSTNAME | there }}? So Jason wanted to sell some LEGO sets on Marketplace, asking Renier if he should try allowing Meta AI to sell them for him. So Elvorne sent them the story of one of the first people to use it and how the AI gave away their home address to strangers. Hmm, yeh, maybe don't do that. 😬
In Today's Open Letter
Steal This: 5 YC-backed ideas you could build in SA now.
Local: GLP-1 on instalments & your staff's risky AI use.
Global: Starship reaches orbit, but SA's still left out.
Growth Desk: How Super Group turned its rescue into 36x.
Work Smarter: SAFE or a convertible note? How to choose.
Networking: Three events worth putting in your diary now.
One day to go, KZN 🌊
Three years ago, we worked round the clock to get 50 people into our first room in Stellenbosch. Word spread: real founders and investors, great food and conversations that actually build things. Now we sell out 200 to 300 seats from Stellenbosch to Joburg.
Tomorrow is our first in Durban, and we’ve sold out — if you really need to be in the room, you can enter your email to get notified when/if a spot opens up.
TRENDING NOW
5 Investable startup ideas to steal for SA
Which of the top new startups that Y Combinator (YC) invested in would work here in SA?
We sifted through the 682 names in YC's 2026 cohort lists and asked: which of these ideas could work in SA? Here are ideas to sommer steal and build locally…
Right after Renier has his coffee, of course…
1. Multilingual voice agents
Samora builds multilingual voice agents that handle dialects, with strict safety controls and automatically update CRMs and ticketing tools, without needing engineering teams on-site. SA has 12 official languages, so we're a great training ground, plus the government invests in the BPO sector, so there might be funding/grants available.
Anyone tried it yet? Voicia, Nineteen58.
Where to start:
Pick one industry and one call type nobody owns yet.
Sell to BPOs, not against them.
Build on an existing language API instead of training your own models.
2. AI order entry for distributors
Asakana turns food orders sent by WhatsApp, email, voice note or photo into ERP-ready orders for distributors, and flags anything unclear for a person to check. SA's WhatsApp usage is super high; it should be a no-brainer for staff needing to retype orders by hand.
Anyone tried it yet? Only on the shop side (Jinjer, Vuleka, Yebo Fresh), not the distributor's back office yet.
Where to start:
Start with one food or hardware distributor on Sage.
Accept voice notes and photos from day one.
Charge per order and measure the hours of retyping saved.
3. Credit checks for lenders
Kita automates credit checks for lenders in emerging markets by pulling fraud-checked data from messy bank statements, payslips and e-wallet records. And TransUnion says over a quarter of SA adults are credit invisible.
Anyone tried it yet? Omnisient has some elements of this, but not quite the same angle.
Where to start:
Target small NCR-registered lenders, not banks.
Start with bank statements and affordability checks.
Charge per application.
4. Electricity buying for businesses
Condor Energy helps large electricity users cut costs by forecasting their use and deciding when and how to buy power. In SA, wheeling has started opening the market, so big users have a choice, but there is no neutral tool to compare the offers yet.
Anyone tried it yet? Some sellers (Etana Energy, NOA and Enpower Trading), but nobody sits on the buyer's side yet.
Where to start:
Start with property funds and multi-site manufacturers.
Offer a free bill and tariff savings report.
Turn it into a monthly subscription that tracks the savings.
5. AI for security cameras
Lexius turns existing security cameras into an AI guard that spots incidents, alerts staff in real time, and builds the case file, with no new hardware. SA has 18 times more private security staff than police, and 70 to 80% of private camera networks only record footage that gets reviewed afterwards.
Anyone tried it yet? Safeza.
Where to start:
Sell through armed response companies, not directly.
Start with farms, warehouses and estates that already have cameras.
Process footage on-site so POPIA stays simple.
Checked out YC’s full list? If you know anyone building stuff like this locally, let us know — perhaps they can cop a feature.
Cos, you know we're watching this space…
CHECK THIS OUT
The most expensive number in your business is the one you've never seen
Here's an uncomfortable exercise for a scaling service business: Point at your biggest client (the fat invoice everyone high-fives over) and say, in rands, what it actually costs you to service them. Don't estimate. Get the real number: every hour your team pours in, costed at what those people actually earn.
Most owners can't do this, because the data lives in three unconnected places: bills in Xero, hours in a time-tracking tool and hourly values in payroll.
That gap hides expensive things: The loud client that's actually your thinnest margin. Work delivered and quietly never invoiced. A month that came in soft, and no fast way to say why.
You're missing the thing that joins them.
THE GROWTH DESK
3 things to help you build business better
Grow by fixing the debt first, then expand. In 2009, SA logistics company Super Group was worth only R350 million after losing R1.35 billion. Its new CEO raised cash at 45c a share, sold the extras and was debt-free in three years. Then they did the unexpected: expanded. Last year, selling just its Australian fleet arm paid shareholders R16.30 a share, 36x the rescue price. How they did it.
Win by packaging around what people actually want. DStv's biggest overhaul in 15 years turned its R399 Compact into a Sports package, with every Premier League and Champions League match in it. Same price, a much clearer reason to buy. See the packages.
Get ahead by automating your admin. Capitec Business now lets you schedule statements in the app or online banking: pick the account, how often, the format, and who gets them. Password-protect them too. Set once, done. Set yours up now.
Capitec proudly sponsors The Growth Desk
Whether you're starting out or scaling up, Capitec Business offers simple, accessible banking solutions designed to support your business journey.
IN SHORT
Hot off the press in business and tech…
💊 Weight Loss, Now On Instalments. Obiflex has launched buy-now-pay-later for prescription GLP-1 treatment from R1'499 a month, just months after regulators shut down the cheap compounded versions. Maths, though: payments outlast treatment.
🚀 Starship Finally Makes Orbit. On its 14th flight, SpaceX's rocket reached orbit and deployed 26 new Starlink satellites, despite losing an engine on the way up. Brilliant news for every country allowed to buy Starlink. SA still isn't one of them.
⚖️ Your Staff's ChatGPT Habit Is Your Problem. Bowmans warns that when an employee pastes personal data into a public chatbot, POPIA holds the business accountable, not the person who pasted it. Hmm…
🛒 One Till, One Set Of Numbers. Selling online and across the counter at the same time? Paystack Terminal now links your in-store card payments to the same Shopify account your online store runs on. You'll appreciate it most on the Monday after a festive weekend.*
* From our partners. Find all the best service providers for your business in our Founder Stack.
WORK SMARTER
When a startup is too early to value, founders have two instrument options: SAFE and convertible notes. But, contrary to popular belief, they are not the same thing. So we asked an SA startup attorney who advises founders on raises and cap tables how to pick.
And it turns out, there are 5 specific steps to pick a SAFE or convertible note before a debt deadline picks for you.
WHAT YOU SAID
Working the room…
We featured Kernections' event networking and asked what your move is at a networking event. And most here say they work the room like their life depends on it…
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🧍 Hover near the snacks; they come to me (31%)
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 📇 Collect a stack of cards, email none of them (23%)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🎯 Work the room like my life depends on it (46%)
STARTUP OPPORTUNITIES
Need a lil' bit of help?
Aged 18 to 26 with a business or big idea? Nedbank's YouthX Awards back young South Africans with cash prizes, mentorship and financial training, and the top 3 head to the One Young World Summit. Closes 9 Oct. Enter now.
Two years trading with repeat customers? The SAB Foundation's 18-month Tholoana Enterprise Programme backs proven, 51%+ black-owned SA businesses ready to grow. Closes midday, 13 Oct. Apply here.
Need more than just advice? The Founder Collab bundles R40k+ in tools, cloud credits, legal sessions and a curated founder community into one membership for SA tech builders. Join now.
Want free AI skills training? Google Hustle Academy 2026 offers one-day bootcamps and 60-min webinars for SA entrepreneurs and SME owners. Register for free.
Want to promote your event/programme here? Let us know.
LOOKING TO NETWORK?
Events worth your time
Founders Café, 10 Oct, CPT: A half-day founder morning, 50 seats, micro-talks and a R4'000+ gift bag. Get tickets.
Startup Stories: Biomine, 14 Oct, CPT: Making the gut microbiome useful for everyday health, over lunch. Get tickets.
SA to the USA, 14 Oct, online: Emigrate2USA on visas, costs, healthcare and what the move really takes. Register free.
Powered by Radi. Want your business event in front of 36,000 The Open Letter readers? Host it on Radi, and it lands here.
AROUND THE WEB
Let it go…
🧩 Tool to Try: BrandAxis tracks how your brand shows up across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI answers.
✒️ That's Interesting: Thomas Edison's 1876 electric pen punched tiny holes in paper to make reusable copying stencils. In 1891, Samuel O'Reilly adapted it into the first patented electric tattoo machine. Office admin, meet ink.
