The Open Letter

Fast Five Fridays: This Week's Must-Know SA Startups 🦄 Here's a quick roundup of five exciting startups making waves in South Africa’s startup scene this week: 1️⃣ Your Side Hustle’s New Best Friend Struggling to manage tasks? Sidekick offers fractional personal assistants to take over your to-do list, from handling emails to running errands. Plans start at R3,300/month – perfect for founders, freelancers, and anyone needing a helping hand. 2️⃣ Farming in the Fast Lane Meet Arable, the vertical farming startup using 95% less land, 90% less water, and zero pesticides to grow fresh produce. With farms-in-a-box, they’re feeding urban areas while slashing logistics costs. A sustainable solution to SA’s food challenges! 3️⃣ Revolutionizing Property Tours Truvu - Virtual Tours makes creating virtual property tours as simple as filming on your smartphone. This award-winning platform is perfect for property practitioners looking to attract inter-provincial and international buyers. 4️⃣ Insurance, Simplified Root is disrupting SA’s R1.1 trillion insurance market with a platform that lets businesses launch digital insurance products seamlessly. From embedded insurance to streamlined customer experiences, Root is driving the future of InsurTech. 5️⃣ A Doctor, Anywhere Udok is a game-changer for holiday emergencies. With just your phone, you can consult top doctors, get prescriptions, or even sick notes sent to your nearest pharmacy. Travel stress-free knowing help is just a click away. Want more insights like these? Subscribe to The Open Letter and stay in the loop with South Africa’s vibrant startup ecosystem. Sign up right here! 👉  https://lnkd.in/dpNJeSr7 #SouthAfrica #Startups #FastFiveFridays #Innovation #TheOpenLetter

🔌 Meet The Startup 🔥 Meet Sebastian Patel from Franc ! 🎙️ In this clip, he breaks down what Franc is all about 🚀 Renier Kriel

We have a unicorn! Tyme Group, owners of Tyme Bank in South Africa and operations in the Philippines, raised US$250 million, the largest fintech raise this year in South-East Asia, valuing the business at US$1.5 billion and giving it a unicorn status. The money will be used to further expand, specifically into Vietnam and Indonesia.

Green Tech Gear Up. Local hardware tech incubator Savant has just launched the 3rd Cohort for its Build Programme, a 6-month accelerator aimed at early-stage startups solving complex green economy challenges through science and engineering-based technology. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/dPTAb3-B

Fast Five Fridays: What's Happening in SA's Startup Scene This Week?  5 things happening in South Africa startups you should know about: 1️⃣ Affordable LEGO Adventures BLOCK Shop is giving LEGO enthusiasts a break! Founded during the pandemic, they sell pre-loved, rare, and retired LEGO sets and bricks. Perfect for holiday builders without breaking the bank. 2️⃣ Convenient Car Care Fixxr is a mobile mechanic platform servicing vehicles wherever you are. With over 10 million services up for grabs annually, they’re tapping into a huge market driven by SA’s aging car population and hybrid work setups. 3️⃣ Solving the Student Housing Crisis DigsConnect is making waves in student accommodation, connecting landlords with students to ease the housing headache. They’ve already helped over 161,000 connections and are poised to grow as university enrollments surge. 4️⃣ Big City Convenience in Small Towns Bzaar is bridging the gap for SA’s semigration crowd, delivering local goods and services to small-town residents. Think big-city convenience meets local charm—a recipe for startup success! 5️⃣ Engineering Dreams with Yenza Octoco's new venture studio, Yenza, is empowering SA founders to tackle hardware and deep-tech challenges. If you’ve got a bold vision, this is your chance to build with a team of hardcore engineers. Read the full story right now! Link in the comments!

🔌 Meet The Startup 🔥 Meet Brett Thompson from Newform Foods ! 🎙️ In this clip, he breaks down what Newform Foods is all about 🚀 Renier Kriel

Legal Bot. African law firm Bowmans has become the first in Africa to integrate Generative AI platform ‘Harvey’ into its operations. ‘Harvey’ uses advanced AI algorithms to assist lawyers in efficiently and accurately reviewing contracts, summarising and translating documents, and performing redline reviews.

💡 From Loadshedding to Smarter Energy: The Rise of Solar and Energy Optimization in South Africa ☀️📈 Loadshedding may have peaked in 2023, but it sparked a solar boom, with South Africa importing a record R17.5 billion worth of solar panels that year—more than Eskom’s largest coal plants combined. Fast forward to 2024, and loadshedding has been suspended for 259 days, shifting the conversation from “keeping the lights on” to maximizing solar savings amidst Eskom’s soaring tariffs. Enter Plentify, a home energy management platform helping consumers save big by optimizing their electricity usage. With smart devices like the HotBot and SolarBot, Plentify reduces geyser energy consumption and ensures solar panels are used efficiently—leveraging weather, behavioral, and even past loadshedding data. Their intelligent platform provides real-time insights, saving up to 30% on water heating costs, and has its sights set on "shiftable appliances" like geysers and pool pumps for future innovations. As energy prices rise, platforms like Plentify are becoming game changers. Could smarter energy management be the next big shift in South Africa's energy landscape? Read the full story right here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gXzc4uYQ

Really back the Bokke. A consortium of Altvest Capital, RainFin (Pty) Ltd, 27four Investment Managers and EasyEquities put forward a proposal to SA Rugby to create the means for the public to own up to 40% of the Springbok commercial rights. Now that’s an idea we’d throw some money behind even if it’s just for “gees”.

Why Venture Studios Are Outpacing Traditional Startups 🤷♂️ Startups born in venture studios are redefining the game. They’re more likely to succeed, raise funds faster, and deliver higher returns. According to the Global Startup Studio Report, venture studio startups reach Series A in just over two years, compared to nearly five years for traditional startups. They also achieve an impressive 53% average return, far surpassing the norm. This is why NEXT176 and ByteOrbit have joined forces to create NextOrbit, a venture studio designed to supercharge startup success 🚀. In our latest podcast, Nonjabulo Zondi (Next176) and Liz Ras (ByteOrbit) share why this partnership works, the challenges of running a venture studio, and what makes this model so powerful. Is the venture studio model the future of entrepreneurship? Tune in to hear their insights and let us know your thoughts! 🔥 https://lnkd.in/dBThhYzR