Mastercast: Recent Episodes
Bobby Sequeira
Can you build a company on top of WhatsApp?That’s exactly what Jonathan Williams, founder of Chat Inc, has been doing for almost 10 years — bootstrapping without outside funding and delivering innovations like SaFair’s WhatsApp experience.In this episode of How Would You Build It, Jonathan shares: • Why WhatsApp is more than just a chat app — it’s infrastructure to build on • How bootstrapping sharpened their execution and resilience • What big changes from Meta are about to shake the ecosystem • Why the opportunities for building on WhatsApp are still endless👉 Subscribe for more at howwouldyoubuildit.com👉 Join the newsletter: theopenletter.io👉 Connect with founders: thefoundercollab.com00:00 Intro02:12 Founder Story: Moving away from corporate04:26 Innovation Inclusion 06:54 The best explanation of why WhatsApp wins13:02 Founder Story: Getting Safair as a client19:06 Building on WhatsApp21:53 Builder Story: 5 things being built on Meta & Whatsapp28:58 Building a product vs building a business32:51 The impact on startups with the impending corporate culture in SA34:07 Where government is getting it wrong on employment vs entrepreneurship39:23 Builder Story: The ability to build for the international market42:39 What the future looks like for Chat Inc with new WhatsApp functions coming
$6 billion in gaming ad spend is wasted every year. That’s the problem Dan Marcus, co-founder of Kohort, is determined to fix. I
In this episode of How Would You Build It, Dan shares how Kohort is tackling attribution and data consistency — the trillion-dollar alignment issue facing marketing, finance, and product teams.
With over $3B in ad spend already run through their platform and new funding secured in 2025, Kohort is scaling.
Dan explains:
• Why naïve boldness can be a founder’s secret weapon
• How data transparency aligns teams and cuts waste
• Why the future means democratising advanced tools for smaller studios and consumer apps
👉 Subscribe: www.howwouldyoubuildit.com
👉 Join the newsletter: www.theopenletter.io
👉 Connect with founders: www.thefoundercollab.com
00:00 Intro
01:28 Are you born a founder?
03:27 What does Kohort do?
06:57 Pains in the market outside of gaming
09:45 The Candy Crush origins
11:18 Who should own the data component within a business
15:21 Gaming Development regions of the world
16:29 Plans after recent funding round
19:51 How they go their first clients
23:11 Characteristics of a successful founder
25:21 Questions from VC's
28:28 How Kohort is penetrating the market
32:53 There are opportunities to serve smaller businesses and other industries!
36:22 How remote founders stay aligned
41:25 How Dan and Kohort are using AI
45:16 What would you have done differently as a founder?
What can delivering toasted cheese sandwiches teach you about building a startup?
In this episode of How Would You Build It, we talk with Simon Hartley, co-founder of Wumdrop, about the journey from scrappy beginnings to a successful exit to Massmart.Simon shares the quirky story of how he and his co-founder first tested logistics by delivering sandwiches, what it’s really like to integrate with a corporate giant, and the lessons founders need to know when chasing partnerships and exits.
You’ll learn:
• Why understanding corporate seasonality is key to making deals work
• Why your focus should always be on helping corporates make more money
• The hard-earned insights from a founder who’s lived the exit journey
👉 Subscribe: howwouldyoubuildit.com
👉 Join the newsletter: theopenletter.io
👉 Connect with founders: thefoundercollab.com
02:13 What do toasted sandwiches have to do with the Wumdrop founding story
10:06 Learning by being at the coalface
13:24 The tech that made Wumdrop stand out at the time
21:11 How to get a corporate to pay attention to your startup
27:15 Leveraging corporate seasonality36:06 Keep your team motivated when acquired by corporate
41:36 Corporate Seasonality
What does it take to build not one, but two successful startups in South Africa’s tough market?In this episode of How Would You Build It, we sit down with David Torr, co-founder of Faro and former co-founder of Ucook, to talk about the highs, lows, and realities of building in South Africa.
We unpack:
• How Faro raised $6M to tackle unsold fashion inventory using AI & machine learning
• Why TAM (Total Addressable Market) and team are the ultimate startup success formula
• The hard truth about corporates holding back innovation in SA
• How navigating VC challenges in a small market shapes growth strategy.
David’s journey proves that even in the chaos of startups, execution and focus can turn your startup into a success.
👉 Subscribe: howwouldyoubuildit.com
👉 Join the newsletter: theopenletter.io
👉 Founders collab: thefoundercollab.com
00:00 David Torr - ucook/Faro
00:51 Building FARO02:49 SA VC Landscape vs The US.
08:23 The impact on AI for startup ventures
16:12 Unpackng how AI assists Faro's operational model.
24:05 The TikTok viral loop
25:53 From Online to brick n mortar
32:24 Tech foundations at Faro
38:06 Having a mission critical team
41:35 The role grit plays
45:14 Bootstrapping stories
46:59 Dynamics of an early-stage startup in SA
49:11 How corporate SA is hurting startup innovation
Can AgriTech finally work in South Africa?In this episode of How Would You Build It, we speak with Louis de Kock, founder of Nile.ag, a tech-driven marketplace revolutionising agriculture across Southern Africa.This isn’t the first time someone’s tried to digitise agri supply chains — but Louis and his team have succeeded where others haven’t. Why? Timing, execution, and trust.We talk about: • Raising R200 million to scale a two-sided marketplace • Why transparency and word of mouth drive growth in legacy industries • Building what farmers actually want and need — not what looks good in a pitch deck👉 Subscribe at www.howwouldyoubuildit.com👉 Get weekly founder insights at www.theopenletter.io00:00 Intro03:40 Why now is different for Agritech06:18 Tech and the age dynamics of farmers10:55 How Nile built their Tech team12:26 Seasonality and trust15:42 Managing early growth19:13 More than tech to move the needle21:59 Recipe for success24:49 e-commerce vs Logistics company25:38 What were investors looking for that landed funding29:40 The data play opportunity31:46 How funding builds trust36:58 That validation moment40:21 The hidden value Proposition42:08 How transparency unlocks value
What if funding the informal economy could unlock South Africa’s next wave of entrepreneurs?
In this episode of How Would You Build It, we talk to Katie Dodge, co-founder of Koola Capital, who’s helped over 200 informal businesses access funding through loans rooted in trust and long-term growth.
Katie shares the honest story of building a company while learning to build it, the realities of being a female founder, and why relationships beat marketing. Our audience has always enjoyed when we dive into topics around the township economy, and I think you will feel quite inspired after this one.
👉 Sign up to get notified about new episodes at www.howwouldyoubuildit.com
👉 Join the newsletter at www.theopenletter.ioConnect with the Hosts:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-sequeira/https://www.linkedin.com/in/renier-kriel/
00:00 Intro
02:39 Koola Capital - fueling the informal sector
03:36 How did they discover the opportunity
06:46 What constitutes a business for Koola
11:06 Challengers faced by informal businesses
13:11 Impact of crime
16:01 No one teaches us "the how"
19:07 Stories
23:20 Loans vs grants
27:15 Building the business in WhatsApp
31:22 How to manage Applications?
32:42 Journey as a female founder
39:53 Lessons in expanding
43:56 Nuturing relationships vs marketing
47:23 How do you AI?
What if your Product is a 'vitamin' and not a 'Painkiller'? In this episode, we talk to the head of Growth Geoff Forbes from Zuzo, a platform helping companies recognise their employees in meaningful ways by allowing co-workers to give eachother gifts of recognition.We dive into the challenges and realities of early growth when your product isn’t a silver-bullet solution, how dogfooding internally can sharpen your product, and the lessons learned from taking a product from zero to one..
Connect with the Hosts:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-sequeira/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/renier-kriel/
Guest Links:
https://www.zuzocard.com/
00:00 Intro01:39 Peer recognition as a product05:24 Vitamin vs Pain Killer08:45 Selling to remote vs co-located teams10:00 Zero to One 14:30 Pivoting strategies early on19:10 Is GTM a formula?23:03 Feedback loops25:57 Delivering in promises31:36 Dogfooding40:16 Starting a movement
What happens when the hiring market crashes and AI rewrites the rules overnight?In this episode of How Would You Build It, we speak to Matt Beck, CEO of OfferZen, about what it really takes to navigate a company through disruption, pressure, and the unknown.Matt opens up about how OfferZen faced hiring conditions similar to the COVID era, how AI has shaken the foundations of developer recruitment, and why pivoting isn’t a one-time move — it’s a mindset. From expanding overseas to refining their go-to-market playbook, this conversation is a goldmine for startup marketers and tech leaders.👉 Sign up to get notified about new episodes at www.howwouldyoubuildit.com👉 Join the newsletter at www.openletter.ioHosts:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-sequeira/https://www.linkedin.com/in/renier-kriel/00:00 Matt - Offerzen01:50 Journey from head of marketing to CEO05:52 State of hiring devs in 202506:41 How OZ pivoted11:25 Impact AI on demand for Developers15:25 Implementing AI into your business20:50 Optimising IC's22:43 Skillset vacuum being created27:30 Secret to building your Startup team 30:20 Marketing for your (startup) pivot35:40 Start marketing as a startup42:24 Future of hiring & business model46:03 Why are you a builderTech hiring trends, pivoting a business, startup leadership, OfferZen, AI disruption, early-stage marketing
In this episode of How Would You Build It, we meet Mike Houghton and Nick Mills, the co-founders behind a bold new startup using crowdsourcing, data, and AI to tackle one of South Africa’s most pressing issues — crime.
What started with leveraging the network effects of WhatsApp has now turned into a fast-growing platform backed by $500K in funding. They share how they’re collecting insights from communities, how AI is helping them build faster, and how they’re thinking about fundraising, speed, and scale.
00:00 Intro
01:00 Community Wolf founder story
04:59 What is Community Wolf11:00 Tackling crime & safety in SA
12:45 Data as a business model
18:07 Building with AI
27:27 Building in WhatsApp
33:24 Area-based networks
43:19 Marketing hacks
49:31 Building for seed funding
Why do some startups thrive while others fizzle out?In this episode of How Would You Build It, we sit down with Louis Buys, CEO of The Delta, one of Africa’s leading venture studios, to explore what really makes early-stage startups succeed. With years of experience incubating and scaling over 100 ventures, Louis shares 5 hard-earned lessons that every founder should hear — from building culture to market sizing and the underestimated power of young founders.Louis has shared stages at Startup Grind Cape Town and AfricArena Berlin, helping shape the future of African and European startup ecosystems.👉 Join our founder collab👉 Subscribe to The Open Letter👉 More at HowWouldYouBuildIt.comTimestamos00:00 Louis- The Delta05:29 Moulding young founders14:08 How the Delta successfully paved the way for startups in SA 29:21 Growing in SA32:26 TAM40:49 Impact of AI in the venture space44:53 Building outside of SA46:47 The Delta Campus
Next176 & Byte Orbit have joined forces to groom the next generation of startups in South Africa. They have started a joint venture, bringing their unique skill sets to create an ecosystem to help startups take their concepts from ideas to businesses. Listen to the episode to hear more about the story and how they plan to go about grooming founders and startups for success. The Open Letter Team:https://www.theopenletter.iohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-sequeira/https://www.linkedin.com/in/renier-kriel/Guest Links:https://byteorbit.com/https://www.next176.com/00:00 Introduction05:22 Next Orbit10:15 How Byte stopped building products people didn't use13:22 Building for corporate30:59 Focus areas for aspiring founders 32:32 What does Om and Next look for in a success story
There is a move towards connecting more people to the internet. We see it with the likes of Starlink and their move to make the internet accessible around the world. In South Africa, there is a massive need to get more people connecte. And without Starlink available, there are a number of providers who are looking to achieve this while learning about the local market and the user's behaviours.
Sebenza Wi-Fi is a South African startup that provides free wi-fi to commuters using mini-bus taxis. This solves several pain points across the industry. And for them, they get to activate thousands of people and brands utilising their marketplace. 00:00 Intro02:48 Sebenza elivator pitch04:26 How to identify and pursue opportunities07:44 How to unlock the untapped market11:24 How the first mover creates trust20:26 Getting B2B sales for your marketplace22:21 Managing your data25:09 What does the future look like for future internet connections with Starlink 31:19 Growing your team as you scale36:09 How to go about building the tech for your startup41:31 Lightning round
Former CEO of Mxit joins us to share is journey of success and failures.
He shares principles he has learnt along the way as embarks on his latest venture, Fibretime.
A fascinating episode about a Startup that is saving 5 lives a day with its emergency app. The scary stat is that it is quicker to order a pizza through a food delivery app than it is to get a policemen to your house. 00:00 BI78 | Warren Meyers | A ura02:13 What is Aura and why start it?04:01 Why is there a lack of innovation in policing11:31 Creating a path and building a moat16:47 Building for governments and expanding to UK22:52 Managing supply and demand of a marketplace26:10 How founders should plan their burn rate30:57 How about this as a success metric!!!36:07 Future of emergency detection
Solving South Africa's transport issues is hard and complex. But with many years building GoMetro, founder Justin Coetzee is helping bring EV Mini-bus taxis to South Africa. Justin shares his fascinating story about how leveraging data is helping make our complex network more efficient and helping lay the case for the move towards EV's. Listen to the full episode to learn about 5 business ideas for asiring founders looking to get into the EV business. 00:00 Justin | Go Metro03:22 Where GoMetro started - the common problem in SA08:31 How South Africa is a pioneer in informal to formal transport systems15:09 How to convince people when you are disrupting17:42 Breaking into the international market20:30 Where to start when planning to go international22:53 Bringing EV's to SA33:10 Specs of the EV Van39:04 Managing the unit ecnomics of a single EV minibus taxi 42:29 Working with taxi associations46:21 What the future has in store
An interesting story about Skynamo, a sales management platform being built out of Stellenboch. They had to make huge decisions after receiving $32million funding just before Covid as they were rolling their expansion into the US and UK.
The Open Letter Team:
theopenletter.io
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-sequeira/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/renier-kriel/
Guest links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-clarke-19900b4/
Building predictive models are becoming easier and easier in the wake of the AI revolution. It's ability to optimise your business operations could be the next big wave in the new age of AI. 00:00 BI74 James Pattern01:34 Who is Pattern?04:03 Founder mode - how hard is it?07:43 Analytics as a Service for Fashion15:02 Brining multiple data points into the equation20:15 Initial go-to-market strategy for a new product25:42 Cape Union Mart helping innovative startups27:13 Threat of Temu31:36 edited up to here37:12 opportunity in anonymized data41:02 Thrift stores impact
This week we were privileged to host an OG in the South African FinTech space, Anton Gaylard. With years of experience and an extremely impressive portfolio of companies that he has invested in, we dived in to know what it takes to build a FinTech business in South Africa. Sponsor:https://cryptocoffee.co.za/Fill in this form if you would like the opportunity to be a sponsor:https://forms.gle/NSX9WpPGrUkmYGDp9The Open Letter Team:theopenletter.iohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-sequeira/https://www.linkedin.com/in/renier-kriel/Guest Links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anton-gaylard-a1529a5/00:00 Intro20:58 Buying and selling businesses24:03 What Investors look for in entrepreneurs26:00 Is the market heating up for a new wave of founders?28:20 Where is the next wave of innovation in FinTech coming from - Stablecoins?
Disrupting the telco industry. The word disrupt definitely has lost appeal in recent years, but when an industry is laying dormant, with no new players or innovations, is this not a sign to shake things up. Meet Melon Mobile, South Africa's new mobile provider that allows you to customise your package according to your specific needs. Founder and CEO, Calvin joined us to discuss how they are building South Africa's new Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO). We discussed plenty from explaining the Telco industry to getting funding and pulling off a massive billboard campaign around the country. Sponsor:https://cryptocoffee.co.za/Fill in this form if you would like the opportunity to be a sponsor:https://forms.gle/NSX9WpPGrUkmYGDp9The Open Letter Team:theopenletter.iohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-sequeira/https://www.linkedin.com/in/renier-kriel/Guest Links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvin-collett/https://www.melonmobile.co.za/00:00 BI72 Calvin - Melon Mobile02:50 Who is Melon Mobile?06:28 What is an MVNO & MVNE09:53 Company culture driving strategy22:05 The impact Starlink could have on local Telcos32:41 Understanding your customer36:49 Funding such a massive project39:57 Managing margins41:58 Why did Cell C "fail"44:50 Melon's ideal customer47:44 Lightning Round
In this episode, we have another South African founder who has gone to the US to take their startup onto the global stage. Louis is passionate about learning and is creating a startup to motivate and reward people for reading non-fiction books. His startup, Bookt, has created an interactive way for people to read the best non-fiction books while connecting them to a community of readers allowing for sharing insights into a practical experience of the insights provided by the book. It's a great concept and Louis shared some absolute gold in his thinking and approach to building his startup. It's on for the books. Sponsor:https://cryptocoffee.co.za/Fill in this form if you would like the opportunity to be a sponsor:https://forms.gle/NSX9WpPGrUkmYGDp9The Open Letter Team:theopenletter.iohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-sequeira/https://www.linkedin.com/in/renier-kriel/Guest Links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-neil/https://bookt.app/ 00:00 Welcome02:05 Intro to Bookt10:16 Got-to-market strategy for Bookt15:56 Taking on corporates - some nifty insights and tips20:24 How to conduct research in your industry22:44 How you should approach competition27:05 The big South African corporate call out30:24 B2B: Find your champion37:21 Minimal Sellable Product - when were you ready to launch40:43 Why go to San Francisco43:37 Book recommendations
Beginning with the end in mind has shaped the trajectory of Matthew and his startups Lessonspace and CodeforKids. The education space has been disrupted for years with the advancements in technology and with the advent of Covid, remote learning really took off and Lessonspace was given the opportunity to grow. Matthew shares his founder stories and incredible insights into building 2 separate companies on the back of his original Tutor marketplace. He dug deep into the details about how he has made them a success by sharing his philosophy of what the end means for him and his teams. 00:00 Introduction01:13 Welcome to Lessonspace06:23 Solving your own problems that turns into a startup - do you know your customer09:05 Begin with the end in mind12:47 A lesson in trying to forecast B2C15:43 B2C ...21:40 How to understand who your customers are and how to serve them 28:26 Pricing34:43 Advice building more than one business37:57 Expanding overseas & finding partner43:31 Matt's take in AI and education46:36 Lightning Round
In this episode, we spoke to Francois de Wet from Wamly who shared his experience building an HRTech startup in South Africa that is helping companies hire better candidates faster. Coming from an organisational psychology background, Francois started building an asynchronous interview platform allowing candidates upload videos to assist with the application process. It is empowering both companies and candidates save time in the hiring process. Listen to how Wamly are doing this while Francois shares some raw insights into becoming a founder in South Africa. The Open Letter Team:theopenletter.iohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-sequeira/https://www.linkedin.com/in/renier-kriel/Guest links:wamly.io https://www.linkedin.com/in/frandewet/Sponsor:https://cryptocoffee.co.za/00:00 Intro reel02:50 Wamly elevator pitch05:09 The psychology of the interview 08:04 What asynchronous interviews bring to recruitment dynamics in SA labour market14:30 Unpacking pricing19:20 The future of HR22:21 Building a community, building a product27:25 User Interviews..yes or no?34:41 Journey of a non-technical founder40:59 The highs and lows of being a founder [Founder Advice]
Serial entrepreneur, Meg Faure, joined us to share her experience building and exiting startups in South Africa. With the goal of building a business that could pay her in her sleep, she started her journey as an author becoming a household name amongst young parents. Meg shared plenty of pearls of wisdom that any founder building a SaaS business company. She shares the principles and the fundamentals with us that will help you take your startup from zero to one.
00:00 Intro01:23 Megan and Parent Sense02:49 Breaking down LTV for early-stage parenting business 06:15 Building a digital product in the age of free content07:30 Navigating paywall pricing model09:34 Creating authority in your niche13:12 Play Sense - what it does14:06 Understanding the ECD space15:32 How to pivot from B2C20:02 Corporate opportunities24:16 How to build trust with your brand28:59 The elusive non-technical founder advice33:54 If not this, then what?
The buy now, pay later framework has been around for a long time, but in recent years with the advancement of the FinTech spae, we have seen massive growth in this industry. Catch our conversation with Mark about how they have grown into the biggest player in the space in South Africa reaching 2 million end consumers. 0:00 Intro PayJustNow02:22 What does PayJustNow do08:11 How does Buy Now Pay Later work10:33 Cheat sheet to growing your brand16:29 Understanding the market & growth of e-commerce in SA23:40 becoming a subject matter expert26:18 Data and go-to-market strategy29:10 Navigating a launch with low margins32:27 The only unknown in business today is...34:52 The daily metric you look at every day45:03 Advice for new founders
This week we speak to the founder of Savvy Sites. A startup looking to help empower 2.6 million small businesses to get off the ground with an easy-to-build landing page. Trevor shared insights into how he has built up his startup in essence to help other startups do the same. His solution is taking on the likes of Wix and WordPress where early-stage founders or people with side hustles can quickly and easily build a landing page and have a searchable site online so they can build their business.Ironically, he shares his bootstrapping story to help other founders bootstrap their startup. He also shared his go-to-market war stories amongst many other helpful nuggets. 0:00 Intro 01:04 Who is Savvy Sites02:57 How are startups getting their early online presence 05:06 Understanding the ideal customer - social media personality07:53 How Social media and Savvy site can convert your customers early on09:04 Taking on incumbents!10:31 Identifying the ideal client12:34 Conducting market research15:17 The power of Localisation21:13 The Open Letter Pro ;) 21:52 Bootstrapping vs perfection23:38 Savvy as an incubation23:38 Finding your MVP. Golden Nuggets!27:23 Future of the platform28:22 Go-to-market strategy for MVP31:16 Timing of marketing campaigns41:03 Freemium Model War Story
Join us for the latest episode of “How Would You Build It?” as we chat with Shai, a South African tech founder now building a wearables AI startup in San Francisco. Discover his journey from Cape Town humble beginnings in Cape Town to Silicon Valley. Shai shares insights on startup culture, the power of AI, and his top tips for aspiring entrepreneurs.In this episode, Shai discusses his transition from building startups in South Africa to making waves in the US tech scene. Learn about his experiences with Techstars, the challenges of hardware development, and the unique features of Compass. This episode is packed with practical advice and inspiration for anyone looking to innovate in the tech industry. Don’t miss this masterclass in tech innovation and startup success! Subscribe for more inspiring stories.
The use cases for WhatsApp are growing and utilising it to solve problems for companies is growing. In this episode, we invited the co-founder of Jem to share her story of using WhatsApp as a solution for distributed company's HR.We also dived into the importance of building with empathy, by ensuring you intimately understand the people you are building for. 0:00 Introductions01:47 What is JemHR08:08 WhatsApp business case for StarUps11:50 Unit Economics of WhatsApp HR solution15:25 Security Guard Industry Use Case23:48 Building your product with empathy35:08 Immersing yourself with your users38:08 Leadership advice for a growing startup41:24 Are colleagues' family 43:57 Building a startup with distributed founders
We spoke to Ean Barnard from Finch Technologies about how they had to rebrand the company after COVID hit, and they had to rethink their strategy.In this episode, Ean shared how they entered the comparative market to compete with Hippo. Inspired by the Building a Story Brand, he shared how the framework has helped grow their brand. He also shared how digital marketing does not have the same efficiency and shared his view of how to tackle building your startup's brand. 0:00 Introduction02:34 Finch Tech - Competing in the comparative market05:35 Unpacking the current state of fintech and where Finch fits in13:35 How do you position your new self19:31 Hold A Brand workshop24:57 The changing landscape of digital marketing29:09 How much lead generation and digital spend should you do?31:29 How to get started with your marketing 41:51 lighting round
In this episode, we invite Kim Whitaker, a serial entrepreneur and founder of multiple startups as well as a non-profit to tell us her story of how she used design thinking methodologies to quickly spin up MVP's and move fast.
After being frustrated by what was available for founders and businesses in tech, Renier decided to build what has now become a successful Newsletter serving South Africans twice a week with a magical mix of news, advice and interesting insights into the industry. Renier shares the journey we have taken with The Open Letter and provides priceless lessons on the inner workings of how to get emails delivered and ensure reach. 0:00 Intro00:54 Starting The Open Letter 04:03 Getting it off the ground06:39 Some golden insights into email as a medium12:59 Manging content twice a week16:56 Learning how to make sales in Media19:39 Understand how email engagement scoring works22:08 Dealing with "hate mail"27:45 What to do after reaching 10000 subscribers
In May 2024, South Africa passed the NHI(National Health Insurance) bill which is set to radically change how the medical aid industry will work. It is designed to allow equal access to medical treatment across the country. This is going to give a proper shakeup to the industry, so we decided to unpack it and look at how new opportunities can be created on the back of this by looking at countries like the UK who have adopted a similar system. But before we dived into NHI, we also chatted about Renier's new venture, https://www.streamcopy.io/ and the challenges of running the Newsletter on the back of changing careers.
The startup and innovation space is maturing in South Africa and Africa. There is a long way to go, but people like Kieno Kammies and the work he is doing at Innovation City Cape Town is propelling progress. In this episode, we spoke about how the broadcasting industry is not doing justice to the amazing stories taking place. How there is a gap in sharing the right stories and importantly creating a community and ecosystem to allow the innovation space to thrive. 0:00 Kieno 01:27 The problem with broadcasting in SA not telling the innovation stories06:28 The untold stories11:54 Building the ecosystem15:49 A leap of innovation faith22:37 What makes SA attractive to investors31:28 A thread for foundersOn 'How Would You Build It?' we interview people who are helping build awesome products and businesses in South Africa and Africa. We get first-hand stories, tactical advice and stories to help you launch and grow your product or business.
Join us for an insightful discussion with a fintech pioneer introducing digital transformation through the lay-by model. Discover how this approach optimizes retail sales, supports financial inclusion, and helps consumers by offering a flexible purchasing option. Learn from the founder's experience of launching his second startup, stressing the value of meticulous planning in creating successful ventures.
Discover the transformative power of UX within your product team! In this episode of "How Would You Build It," we delve into the crucial role of user experience in fostering innovation and synergy among product managers, designers, developers, and data analysts.Join us as we sit down with the founder of a leading UX and design company, who shares decades of insights on creating effective, collaborative environments that drive successful outcomes. Whether you're part of a startup, an SMB, or a corporate giant, you'll uncover actionable strategies to elevate your team's productivity and creativity.Learn:How to integrate UX principles to enhance team collaboration.Techniques for building a culture that supports innovative thinking.Key factors that define a successful and innovative product team.Don't miss out on these expert tips that could redefine the way your team operates and innovates. Tune in now to transform your product team into a powerhouse of innovation!
You have an idea for building an EdTech platform, but you don't know how to go about building it. After working with over 55 African EdTech platforms over the past few years, Krista and her team at Injini are helping EdTech startups around Africa navigate this complex value chain. We chatted about how Injini is on a mission to improve the quality, accessibility and relevance of education on the continent. So if you are looking to start an EdTech company and want to better understand the industry, then this one is for you. 00:00 Intro01:17 Welcome02:14 Intro into Injini Incubator15:24 Where can EdTech provide the biggest impact19:37 Examples of EdTechs in South Africa23:52 The role of Whatsapp and the like 26:31 Evidence-based decisions32:45 Start with your theory of changeOn 'How Would You Build It?' we interview people who are helping build awesome products and businesses in South Africa and Africa. We get first-hand stories, tactical advice and stories to help you launch and grow your product or business. Subscribe to the channel: https://bit.ly/3odL81p ______ Follow us on Socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howwouldyoubuildit/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/how.would.you.build.itTikTok: @how_would_you_buildi_itWatch our insightful Shorts: https://bit.ly/HWYBIshorts______ Where to find more: The Open Letter: https://www.theopenletter.io/
Gabi started MindJoy which is an AI EdTech platform before the release of ChatGPT in what she calls a perfect example of timing in the startup world. It is becoming a known fact that the world is running out of teachers. The profession is not valued as it once was, and schools are struggling to retain teachers in the current climate. This is only one of many things we discussed in this candid conversation.Timestamps:00:00 Intro10:48 How AI can impact the teacher shortage15:42 Should Education be free?26:43 Identifying customers in EdTech33:03 Buiding an AI Startup to compete with Microsoft39:56 Lessons for early stage founders47:17 The cost of creating teachers52:16 Not so lightning round
On 'How Would You Build It?' we interview people who are helping build awesome products and businesses in South Africa and Africa. We get first-hand stories, tactical advice and stories to help you launch and grow your product or business. Subscribe to the channel: https://bit.ly/3odL81p ______ Follow us on Socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howwouldyoubuildit/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/how.would.you.build.itTikTok: @how_would_you_buildi_it
With the ongoing threat of climate change and the lack environmentally sustainability, there is a need for people to start being rewarded for tweaking their behaviours. In today’s episode, we had the founder of Tweak, Camille O'Sullivan join us. Tweak is an environmental app that is being built to track your spending behaviours and simplifies the process of being rewarded people for sustainable habits. With Tweak, you can measure, track and lower emissions through your most valuable asset being your people. We chat with her as she tells us more about her app and how Climate Technology can be beneficial in today’s environmental crisis.0:00 Intro02:19 Creating sustainable behaviours 11:52 Selling your Carbon footprint13:41 Finding Adoption17:09 African problems bigger?
Finding Product Market Fit is hard. Finding it in Africa is even harder. Roger Norton has been working in the Product and Innovation space as a Product Manager in South Africa and South Africa for years and has been involved in many products breaking into the market. Recently, he moved to OkHi, a Nigerian based company that has been on a mission to solve the problems faced in Africa's informal areas by building tech that can help people verify their addresses, opening them up to many opportunities that were otherwise unavailable. He helps us unpack the concept of product-market fit, what any company needs to do to achieve it and references how OkHi is on it's way to becoming a leader in the continent.
0:00 Intro01:42 Solving Africa's Informal Addresses Issue05:11 Building in Africa15:04 How to use product principles to build innovation17:59 Convining corporates to do business with a startup48:32 Potential impact of doing Product better in Africa55:32 Lightning Round
We always get such strong feedback when we cover the untapped market in South African townships. This week we have Leon Qwabe, the founder of Oder Kasi who has been specialising in last-mile delivery services for the townships since 2018.
He shares his experience over the years while pointing out the secrets to getting things right if you want to take advantage of the untapped potential.
How Would You Build IT turns 1 this week and it coincides with our 50th episode. What an incredible journey learning from the founders on the ground shaping the business landscape in South Africa. To celebrate we packed an episode with a combo of some of our favourite moments and advice we have received over the year. It's packed with goodness and lessons that should get every founder's juices flowing.00:00 Intro01:17 Velani - Aspiring founder advice03:10 Matt - Idea Validation7:50 Zanele - Characteristic of a founder13:28 Andrew - Iteration over perfection14:52 Bubu - Building an MVP20:10 Catherine - Advice for non-tech founders25:19 Andre - Setting up your startup27:33 Dylan - SaaS vs SaaS29:06 Heine - Getting your first B2B Sales34:24 Ben - Boots on the ground. Things that don't scale37:52 Lorne and Ben - Marketplace bible41:25 Luvuyo - Township economy opportunities42:40 Danielle - Leveraging Whatsapp45:58 Dave - Marketing Strategies48:15 Tramane - Building to exit
Leveraging partnerships for your startup could be an ingredient you are missing. The renewable energy, specifically the Solar industry has seen major moves in South Africa in recent years in the wake of consistent stage 6 loadshedding. On the back of the global move towards Electric Vehicles, is creating strong tailwinds for the industry. Through this, our guests Ross Mains-Sheard and Michael Maas have garnered a partnership to help propel their separate businesses in their fields. In this episode, we dived into the latest trends and economics of what is happening in the space in South Africa and how other startups can capitalise on this early industry. CHAPTERS00:00 Intro
02:41 Solar Transition in South Africa
09:25 Benefits to consumers
11:37 Why the slow adoption of EV's in SA
13:48 Breaking down the economics of solar adoption
26:25 Understanding the renewable competition landscape in SA
29:29 Skill Development gaps
30:52 Secondary market opportunities
35:39 Competition vs Partnership
47:07 Lightning Round
The rise of WhatsApp Business brings rise to plenty of opportunities for startups and businesses. Whatsapp is With low code and no code tools at our disposal, we are now able to reach a much larger audience with a penetration rate of 93% in South Africa. We spoke to Danielle Laity and Dean Pienaar about how WigWag is helping businesses who utilise WhatsApp business enable payments using their tech. We discussed how this is making it far easier for startups to accept payments over WhatsApp.
Crypto regulation is coming to South Africa and we believe it going to supercharge the FinTech space. On the cusp of 50 CASP licences on the verge of being issued, many big financial institutions are going to be entering the market and we can expect this is going to bring bigger adoption as there will be more protection for the consumer as well as the potential of global players looking for regulated markets to bring their products. Tobie gave us a deep dive into all of this and gave us real examples of the advances that have been happening in the space in anticipation of the regulation. 00:00 Intro
02:22 Explaining the CASP licence 19:00 Closing the education gap24:16 How regulation will stop scammers34:36 FinTech opportunities created40:30 Wealth Portfolios
With the decrease in investor sentiment globally, fewer startups are getting the funding they require to build and scale to the point where they can become profitable. Where this trend is growing globally, it has always been the case in South Africa and Africa. In the face of this, we have seen the rise of Venture Studios being started to help create an accommodating environment to help early startups de-risk their strategy by supporting the founders in validating their ideas and concepts before spending unnecessarily on building tech. In the episode, we spoke to Tramayne Moraghan from Next176 about the role his Venture Studio plays in the ecosystem while facilitating and testing corporate-backed ventures. We chatted about the state of funding, the trends to follow in the current climate and how founders can build with an exit strategy.00:00 Tramayne from Next176
02:58 Venture Studios vs Incubators and Accelerators06:24 The state of startup funding 11:14 Building to exit23:48 Founder and Studio relationship34:53 Trends for the startup space with funding drying up42:31 Lightning Round - TramayneOn 'How Would You Build It?' we interview people who are helping build awesome products and businesses in South Africa and Africa. We get first-hand stories, tactical advice and stories to help you launch and grow your product or business. Subscribe to the channel: https://bit.ly/3odL81pWhere to find more: The Open Letter: https://www.theopenletter.io/ Solve For Why: https://www.solveforwhy.co.za/ Interviewee links:https://www.next176.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/tramaynem/
You've built your product, but now you need to get people to use it. You'll feed off Dave's energy in this episode as we discussed the importance of creating a story around your brand or business. We dived into the ever evolving world of marketing and how small businesses can adapt to make sure they are made visible in a world full of noise. Importantly we also looked at the role communities play in shaping your brand and how to leverage this in a post-covid world.
00:00 Storymaking: The fundamentals
01:32 Why Storytelling is so important
08:15 Identifying your target audience for your story
18:06 Measuring your story's success
24:50 Marketing for Startups
34:10 Building Communities
44:50 HWYBI Lightning round
An incredibly inspiring story shared by Zanele Matome about her journey and ambition to be a tech entrepreneur in South Africa, Africa and to take on the globe with her Startup Welo Health.
Zanele shared her entrepreneurial journey and insights on building a startup in South Africa and Africa. She also discussed the challenges and opportunities unique to the continent and how she pivoted from traditional business to tech, focusing on health tech. She highlights the importance of being adaptable, listening to users, and learning from experiences.
The episode also delves into the significance of managing cash flow, building in-house teams, and the value of being bold and innovative in the African tech scene.
00:00 Zanele's goal for being an entrepreneur
05:34 Being bold like you've never heard before16:03 Why be an entrepreneur18:29 Mistakes to avoid as a founder25:45 Importance of managing cashflow29:59 How to turn an idea into something tangible - The Welo story
With B2B as the go-to strategy for most startups in South Africa, how do you gain traction once you have that initial product out there. We had a great conversation with JobJack co-founder Heine Bellingan about how they have been growing JobJack over the years. He shared some seriously practical advice on how to build up your sales funnel and shared stories and experience from building up JobJack which now serves the likes of Pep, KFC and other large brands.0:00 Hiene JobJoack02:21 Managing the burn while fundraising06:07 The problem JobJack is solving 14:50 Is there opportunity in the Gig economy?19:38 101 Sales Strategy for B2B23:12 Perfecting your Sales Pitch28:21 CRM's29:59 JobJack Founder Dynamics32:44 quickfire questions
With many years of experience helping advise startups around Africa, Nicole was able to raise $ 5.2 million in funding in 2023 as the co-founder and CCO of Revio.
We spoke to her about her experience and passion for helping empower African startups before diving into her transition as co-founder and COO of Revio.
She shares her experience in how she was able to utilise her experience in guiding Revio to their seed funding in a time where finding capital has been scarce for many startups.
00:00 Intro
02:42 Finding the passion for uplifting Africa
08:46 3 things that make Africa unique
13:34 Nicole's view on the impact of AI in Africa
17:03 Revio's problem statement
23:02 A day in the life of a COO at a scaling startup
31:12 How Nicole landed the 5.2 Million Dollar funding for Revio
33:00 You got funding, now what?
38:22 Nicole's Quickfire Question
No one could have predicted the effect the Pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns would have on early-stage founders. For HouseMe, it was just a step too far, and after the hard decision to close shop, the co-founders decided to give back to the startup community by sharing their learnings.
That led to the writing of The First Kudu, a book about their lessons in building a rental property marketplace.
It was super insightful and loved their take on the industry and their view on the role of a Product Manager.
00:46 What was HouseMe?04:00 Founders who come from corporate to startup06:15 The liquidity & skill crunch in SA11:47 The marketplace bible15:09 CAC to LTV Ratio19:23 So what happened to HouseMe?29:57 Where does the Product Management role fit in a start-up
After the SARS sent out sms's to all company directors threatening prosecution regarding outstanding tax returns, it sparked up a conversation about how the whole registration and DEregistration of companies worked in South Africa. So we invited @AndreBothmaTax onto our show to help us understand what this all meant and he shared advice on how new founders can help navigate the frustrations if you are only starting out. _______On 'How Would You Build It?' we interview people who are helping build awesome products and businesses in South Africa and Africa. We get first-hand stories, tactical advice and stories to help you launch and grow your product or business.
In a world that is becoming increasingly digital and remote, storing information on clouds has become the norm. However, this also brings the risk of cyber attacks.
In his opening statement, Dan reveals that over 95% of cyber breaches are the result of human error. Witnessing the damage that a security breach caused a massive corporate, Dan and his co-founder decided to seize the opportunity to train people in this field.
After 5 years, they have successfully trained 1 million individuals across 20 countries.
Listen to learn how Dan breaks down the industry and explores the opportunities within this space, as well as his firsthand experience in building an International white-labelled, content-driven training platform
The Esports and Gaming industry is brimming with opportunity as we have yet to see it really become mainstream. We are excited to watch as the Gen Z's start entering the market as digital natives who understand what the gaming industry is all about. At the forefront of this is Skiirmish, a play-to-earn model for AAA+ games allowing people to earn while they play their favourite games. But it wasn't plain sailing for this founder, even with their unique idea. Finding funders you can trust is not as easy as it sounds. Listen to how Chris Heaton was able to come from the ashes and back his idea to where he was able to land $2.5 million in funding to take his business to market.
In South Africa, the Electric Vehicles (EV) industry is still in its infancy, which is busy opening a whole new space for opportunities. Michael Maas from Zimi Charge spoke to us about how he is taking on this industry with his Fleet management service. Not only from a hardware perspective but also from building software for his customers. He shared valuable insights and also shared where he sees opportunities for other founders to take advantage of this young industry.Highlights:The state of EV’s in SAUnit economics of owning an EVThe rise of complementary industries - think battery management01:08 Where is SA in terms of EV's?05:16 What range do you EV's have10:41 The unit economics you didn't expect22:36 Pricing strategies25:27 Battery management33:21 Opportunities within the EV space for founders
Is data the the new gold? With data we can better understand a future state we are trying to reach. But in Africa, there is actually so little data available, so for us that spells opportunity. We spoke to Priaash from the Awareness company explaining their story of building a data company from their R&D roots and how they are shaping the African AI and data landscape by ensuring structured data is being created and developed. 00:58 Starting your career in Research & Development03:53 Is Data really the next oil or gold?08:07 Thinking data as a business15:31 The state of South Africa's data18:38 Data for wildlife conservation24:22 Providing data to prime AI28:04 Prioritising the vast use cases available34:29 The African data opportunity
You don't hear many exit stories in South Africa. But this week, we had the opportunity to speak to Andrew McElroy about building and selling Responsive Digital to a listed company!So how do you go from startup to exit.. Andrew and Renier Kriel shared their experience and insights in an impactful conversation on How Would You Build It. We also dived into what it means to build digital products and manage client expectations while ensuring you build valuable products. There were so many nuggets not only for agency founders, but for anyone building a digital business. 02:17 Let's go03:16 Starting a company in the face of new technology (responsive = AI?)06:45 How to gain traction on a niche from the start10:07 How to package value in the beginning14:15 Managing Expectations20:22 Understanding competencies and responsibilities35:54 Planning for an exit41:14 Understanding the different roles and hats in small business, and which one are you wearing!
Starting a business in the informal economy in South Africa is perceived as high risk. But not if you are Luvuyo Rani. After leaving his teaching career, he started selling computers out of the boot of his car which started a journey of becoming a successful entrepreneur in the township economy.
With a strong ambition to be the Mandela of business in South Africa, Luvuyo is on a new path to help enable more South Africans to grow their businesses in the townships.
It was an inspiring, compelling and insightful conversation.
It's been 6 months since South Africa was added to the FAFT Greylisting. At the time our government said it was no big deal, but in a slow economic climate with very little liquidity going around, South African startups are feeling the pinch.We decided to unpack the landscape of the greylisting and how South African startups can prepare themselves in the face of the challenging environment.
Innovation doesn't have to come from something brand new. There is power in studying what is already there, or what has passed and then finding the gaps for innovation. In this episode, we discussed the art of deconstructing successful businesses and products and how you can utilise the art when building out your startup.We share some tricks you can use and examples. We deconstructed the successful Checkers Sixty60 App and how it is contributing an estimated R3,2Billion to Shoprite.
Taking the leap to start a business takes a lot of courage. We go into them with so many unknowns, the uncomfortable lessons that await you. The fear of failure follows you around and the challenge of wondering if you will get support from more than your family and friends.
These are just some of the reasons why one would shy away from building their startup in public. But there is so much upside to why you should take the bold move and share your story as you grow.
You have an idea, but how will it make money? In the current economic climate, investors are looking for revenue above most metrics. However, founders tend to dive straight into the product solution without thinking about how they will get a return on their investment.This week Renier and I took a step back and unpacked 6 business models to consider for your startup or product to ensure it has a revenue approach from the get-go. We unpacked 6 models and shared real-time examples of products we are using and paying for. We also discussed LTV and CAC, two metrics no one is talking enough about.
06:50 Advertising model & CPM15:03 Affiliare marketing18:29 E-commerce/marketplace24:24 Freemium model27:42 SaaS30:33 CAC & LTV35:32 Transaction Fees
On 'How Would You Build It?' we interview people who are helping build awesome products and businesses in South Africa and Africa. We get first-hand stories, tactical advice and stories to help you launch and grow your product or business.
According to GG Alcock, there is a big misunderstanding about the informal economy. There is this misconception that there is no money or industry in South Africa's townships and economy. But in the true spirit of this show, we like to discuss how founders can find opportunities to tap into and in this episode, we dived into opportunities inside South Africa's R425bn hidden economy. From backroom rentals, commercial real estate, construction and food, we ask what role tech can play in helping build and scale businesses within this economy.
Solving both sides of the coin. Creating tech talent and tackling unemployment. It's a known fact that South Africa has a major shortage of Software Developers. Just look at any company's job board. I chatted to another successful female founder this women's month, Jessica Hawkey about how their model not only grooms talent but also facilitates the onboarding into companies within a year.
________
On 'How Would You Build It?' we interview people who are helping build awesome products and businesses in South Africa and Africa. We get first-hand stories, tactical advice and stories to help you launch and grow your product or business.
Subscribe to the channel: https://bit.ly/3odL81p
______
Watch the full video here: Watch our insightful Shorts: Highlight packages: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsJZSanPjqp2Koa2gR-JV6VHt0d-8LsH3
______
Where to find more: The Open Letter: https://www.theopenletter.io/ Solve For Why: https://www.solveforwhy.co.za/ Flint Consulting: https://www.flintconsulting.co.za/
________
Interviewee links: https://redacademy.co.za
________
01:31 Is South Africa already a leader with female representation in the tech space02:56 Who is Red Academy05:08 How to develop "market-ready" graduates10:14 matching the supply and demand11:36 What tech stack trends are happening14:51 Is it hard finding clients/customers17:26 Readiness of graduates with traditional education31:24 Final words for founders33:09 Fireside questions
Going into a startup blind is hard. As Bubu mentions at the end of the episode, we need to hear more stories from the South African startup eco-system. In this episode, Bubu shared priceless tips from the lessons while building Jobox since 2015. A common mistake of diving into the tech before understanding what it means to run a business and manage cash flow.
In the spirit of celebrating Women's Month and Women's Day in South Africa, we invited Victoria Harris from WomHub to tell us about the work being done to inspire female founders in STEM industries.
We touched on the work they are doing at WomHub and dived into what it means to be a woman founder, and broke down how to approach what success looks like.
We also dived into what the circular economy is and the opportunities that are yet to be exploited as the industry matures. 00:00 Introduction to WomHub11:52 How to ignite interest in STEM in young learners.13:57 Are there too many women focused accelerators? 18:25 Support for Founders during Maternity 21:59 Opportunities in the circular economy27:24 ESG & ESD Carbon Credits opportunity30:15 Space for SaaS or Hardware in Circular economy38:22 What does success look like for Female founders
In this truly facinating conversation with Zamokuhle, he drops some powerful insights into the Agriculture industry in South Africa. With the average age of farmers on his database at 62, is this a massive opportunity for young farmers to take on.
With AgriKool's vision of making farming cool, by delivering data-driven solutions for farmers, they are trying to pioneer an industry ripe for innovation.
Have we romanticised venture funding? In this week's episode of How Would You Build It, we spoke to Stephen Osler & Martin Potgieter from Nclose about how they bootstrapped their business to become one of the Financial Times’ fastest growing companies in Africa.
Providing health and wellness to employees has become significantly more important since 2020. Many companies, whether working in-office or remotely, have had to find ways to ensure their staff are looked after while adding culture.This is a massive opportunity that Chris Bruchhausen from Strove explained to us in this week's episode of How Would You Build It.01:01 What is Strove05:03 Will wellness Apss survive in the age post Covid06:13 Why these programmes are sellable to companies.10:24 Creating a sales funnel13:38 What growth metrics are you watching?16:00 Employee performance & helping the not-so-active.22:56 Loss aversion27:22 Utilising web331:07 Upcoming AI strategySubscribe to the channel: https://bit.ly/3odL81p______Where to find more:The Open Letter: https://www.theopenletter.io/ Solve For Why: https://www.solveforwhy.co.za/Flint Consulting: https://www.flintconsulting.co.za/
Doing things that don't scale. A concept made famous by Paul Graham from Y-Combinator. But how does it work? Ben Blaine lives by this concept in his nature. Find out how he was part of and helped grow some of the most successful startups in South Africa.
Imagine turning your subscription model into a currency. After a successful exit from his previous venture, Marc Gregory saw another gap and founded Ollie Health, a virtual B2B mental health platform.Tune in to find out how he achieved this and what else is on his radar.
Are you getting inspired to build a startup after all the incredible opportunities we’ve been presenting to you in The Open Letter and Podcast? Well, we’re not surprised.For this week’s episode of How Would You Built It, we invited Matt Quatra, a seasoned Venture Builder, to share insights into some frameworks he uses to validate business opportunities.
It's not easy being a Startup founder in South Africa when the consequence of failure to daunting for many. So we chatted to Velani Mboweni from Lula to share his tips for starting a startup in the South African ecosystem. Signup to The Open Letter for much more!https://www.theopenletter.io/subscribe?ref=se1BkrdsDa
Looking to give your startup idea some wings or hunting for that partner who'll inject a serious dose of capital to lift your venture skyward? Hey, that's part of the founder's journey!
This week, we've invited our savvy friend, Nick Allen from Savant, to unravel the mystique of getting your startup to sprint, rather than crawl, through an incubator or accelerator program.
Sign up for the bi-weekly newsletter for much more on tech trends and advice on building your startup.
https://www.theopenletter.io/subscribe/d01b37b2-c937-4bb0-8d3a-e063c7b7ea94/referrals
Renier posed an interesting point about looking into the financial results of Public listed companies as a startup founder. These reports give you a glimpse into the consumer market, showing trends and products that are working in the local economy. Going through these, a founder can look at what opportunities exist within the market that these bigger companies are creating. So in the latest episode, we unpacked Dischem's results and dived into potential ideas and opportunities within the healthcare industry.
Highlights:
Loyalty Programs
Online Consulting
Complimentary
Product offerings
The role of smart wearables and their data
The shape of Education is changing around the world. With the internet now in our pockets, everyone has access to a massive information library that used to be confined to schools, universities and the like. With the internet becoming more accessible and more technology being built to harness knowledge, what does that mean for an industry that has the opportunity to hone in on what people need to know, and have it at their fingertips? In this episode, we looked at the South African education landscape and the failing education system along with the brain drain occurring in the workforce. We looked at how Beeline are creating a new way of learning while Dylan shares his experience in getting Beeline to where they are as a startup. 01:05 Beeline elevator pitch03:00 The need for university degrees in 2023?06:23 State of Education in South Africa(STEM)10:29 Where Beeline is focusing their efforts13:11 UBI in education20:01 The South African Brain Drain22:18 Getting to know Beeline & how they released their MVP25:09 Beeline's funding story28:29 Edtech moat in SA35:00 Doubling down on your Sales strategy#edtech #southafrica #Southafricaneducation #blitzscaling #salesstrategy
The conversation revolves around gold-backed financial tools and products as a means of preserving wealth and protecting against inflation. The impact of recent events on the economy is discussed, and the importance of understanding and hedging against inflation is emphasized. The potential of gold as a medium of exchange and its performance compared to other assets, such as Bitcoin, is mentioned. The conversation also touches on the concept of fractional ownership of gold and the convenience of digital access to gold as well as the opportunity in building a Neo Bank.
After releasing their interim results, Purple Group came under fire for their increased expenses. Mainly attributed to their expansion to the Phillippines. This sparked a Twitter 'war', so we thought it would be nice to hear from their Head of Marketing to chat with us about what happened, before diving into how Easy Equities have built their brand, team and community since 2014. 01:18 Twitter wars, playing in the public space 02:36 Partnering in the Philippines07:21 Partnering in public11:18 Building Purple from the ground to a thriving community16:52 Education in the finance20:28 Building a team & brand27:30 Lessons from new ventures30:37 What happens when you hire a dud34:10 Building a community40:04 Know your niche42:45 Education & Partnerships
In this episode, we count back on the fall of the South African Post Office. We share the story of how Mark Barnes fought to turn the Post Office around, just to see it falling to liquidation 4 years later This after appealing to the government to purchase the organisation. We chatted about the logistics industry and how small businesses could thrive if there was a functioning postal service in South Africa.
With some of the worst unemployment stats in the world, South Africa is in desperate need of getting people to work. In this week's episode of How Would You Build It, we discussed the sad reality of the general South African mindset about getting jobs vs applying for government grants. Renier Kriel released some interesting stats in his open letter this week. So we thought let us look at where the opportunities were to build companies on the back of these major issues.
Starting a company is hard. Building a successful company is very hard. What does it mean to build a company successfully, and why is the process so challenging? In this episode, we discuss what it means to build a startup, and dive into whether you should be building your startup alone or if there's any benefit to working with Incubators, Accelerators or Venture studios.00:49 Episode 10 and latching on.03:35 Lack of Entrepreneurial culture07:02 Description of different strategies & YC11:31 South African experience13:33 Limited Partner vs Liquidity Provider17:51 Dealing with budget and runway23:16 Startup mentality24:02 Equity sharing29:01 venture studios
In this episode, we discussed the current state of affairs of Crypto in a time where AI has taken over people's imaginations. Just like Crypto and Blockchain has done in the past. Does it mean that Crypto has had its day, or are we just standing in front of a sleeping giant? The discussion went from Macro fundamentals, South African success stories, to the opportunities that lie within the technology including the tokenisation of assets and stock indexes.
Since the launch of ChatGPT3, the world has been wowed by its capabilities. As the fastest adopted technology in history, it’s hard not to pay attention and understand its impact. So in this episode, we discussed startup ideas and concepts that could disrupt industries.
We shared ideas where using AI could inspire new startups as new concepts for founders to pursue.
In this episode, we covered some amazing tech coming out of South Africa 00:00 HWYBI 601:21 Opportunities such as Strava02:54 Strava leading the integration04:08 Flightscope, South African success in the golfing world23:22 Strove
How would you build a startup without funding? Is that the correct route to take? How is the current climate affecting raising funds? These are all tough questions that founders face, so we decided to unpack the topic after numerous conversations at the Specno Founders Den event.
We discussed the banking disaster unfolding in America with the Startup focused bank Silicone Valley Bank having to close its doors under the current economic headwinds.
Renier was only too excited to then get into the launch of Payshap in South Africa, and what it could mean for the South African payment space.
00:00 Intro
02:34 Funding strategies
06:34 Registering your company
09:47 Cash Flow for startups
15:00 SVB
25:54 Payshap launch
Read more at https://theopenletter.io
Follow Mastercast: Follow for more from Mastercast:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mastercast.media
Twitter: @bobby_seq
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastercast_media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mastercast-media
We are trying a new format on Mastercast, bringing Renier Kriel and guests on to chat about all things economics that is affecting businesses and start-ups. From current affairs, tech, finance and business, join us as we cover the things you should be paying attention to.
In this episode, Bobby speaks to Sahsa Knott, the MD of Job Crystal, about their new innovative AI tool that helps businesses match candidates to their job openings. The world of AI is still young. There are still many ways that we can use machine learning to help us with our daily and professional lives.
They also spoke about women in business. The current job market and trends. Working from vs the office before we dived into Crystal, their new AI matching tool.
Find Job Crystal https://jobcrystal.co.za/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/jobcrystal/
https://www.facebook.com/JobCrystalRecruitment
Follow for more from Mastercast:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mastercast.media
Twitter: @bobby_seq @Moneymaster_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastercast_media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mastercast-mediav
We all remember how hard it was to get that first job and foot in the door. In the latest episode, we spoke to Rebecca, the founder of The Intern, about how she is empowering interns through her platform explaining how both company's and interns can benefit from taking on young talent.
The Intern: theintern.me
Follow for more from Mastercast: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mastercast.media
Twitter: @bobby_seq @Moneymaster_
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastercast_media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mastercast-media
Welcome back! In this episode host, Bobby Sequeira speaks to Francois De Wet from Wamly (wamly.io). A South African based tech company that is innovating the recruitment industry by helping companies hire faster with their online application tool.
The industry and recruitment process is ripe for disruption in the new digital age, and Covid only propelled the Wamly solution even further. Watch as Francois explains how their one way video platform allows candidates to record answers to questions through the platform allowing HR departments to find their most suited candidates before spending time sitting in interviews.
The pair spoke about how Wamly came to being(before Covid) and how the company harnessed strong Product principles to help grow from a product to a thriving business. Francois also shares advice for young entrepreneurs on how they can make their ideas a reality.
In this episode, Bobby speaks to SweepSouth Connect Product Manager, Jasanth Moodley, about lessons learnt from his own startup and then how he moved to SweepSouth to help build a digital marketplace platform to serve all your household needs.
n this episode, Bobby speaks to Zabeth Venter from Averly. Averly was born as a platform that manages the application and rental process for tenants, agents and landlords while guiding and incentivizing positive behaviour. We spoke about the journey of leaving corporate life to dive into entrepreneurship. How the Property industry is ripe for disruption in the digital age and the role AI can play not in PropTech but all new tech.
In this episode, Bobby spoke to Chris Cunningham, a founding member of the revolutionary project management tool whose goal is to build one app to replace them all. ClickUp have put a massive focus on being able to make your project management tool as customizable as possible. Through this, they have been slicing into the market. Listen to the story that has taken ClickUp from a side gig to a major player in the market with massive ambitions.
In this episode, Bobby speaks to Snapscan CTO about his career transition into leadership roles. It's never an easy transition moving into a leadership role and no one can properly prepare you. Kurt shares his experience about navigating challenging times and the lessons he learnt along the way.
In this episode, Bobby speaks to RSA Web Exco Leader, Leonore Lotz about the South African tech landscape. They chatted about the brain drain being experienced in tech companies, the pending arrival of AWS to Cape Town as well as diving into the untapped opportunities of IoT in South Africa and Africa.
In this episode, Bobby speaks to POPIA specialist and IT whisperer, Caroline Mouton about how the POPI act affects businesses as well as the person on the street. What is the POPIA act and why has it been enforced.
We covered:
*What it means for businesses to be compliant
*Understanding responsible parties when dealing with data
*What should start-up businesses do to protect themselves
*Advice for you and me if we feel there was a breach of your data
*And much more
Caroline Links: Monitor her websites: clearwood.co.za | popi-compliance.co.za
Follow her updates on LinkedIn: Unpacking the POPI Act Guide
Follow her on Twitter: @POPIcompliance
Join for free events on MeetUp.com: meetup.com/POPI-Act-Compliance-Workgroup
Bobby Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bobby_Seq
In this episode, Bobby spoke to Business(Agile) Coach, Elise Aplin about her lessons from implementing agile and developing a Product mindset. She explains interesting insights into how working with auditors in mind will save you down the line.
For this episode, Bobby reached out to Revix founder, Sean Sanders to get his insights into starting the Cryptocurrency Investment platform, Revix. The conversation touches on how Sean came to the first version of the product and lessons on starting a business in an extremely disruptive industry.
Part 2 of our conversation with Socotra Williams. In this episode, we spoke about the role a more senior Scrum Master plays for an organisation and team. The conversation goes beyond just understanding the Scrum Framework, but towards the tools and models used to build high-performance teams.
In this episode, Bobby spoke to Tiaan van Zyl, a data analyst from Trafficbrand.com. A lot of people go into ventures without understanding how they will measure their success or the impact they are looking to achieve.
Data plays a fundamental part in how products are built and help shape businesses through their product life cycle.
In this episode, Bobby spoke to Almari Carosini, a freelance Product Designer from Cape Town. They spoke about the journey of becoming a product designer and how one makes the transition from Graphic Design to Product Design. They discussed how the role fits into the Product team and her favourite tools to use.
So it has been a long time coming but we finally got the opportunity to interview a developer on Mastercast. We spoke to Jonathan Dell, a senior developer to share his story of becoming a self-taught software engineer and how that discipline has helped him to grow into a senior role.
In this episode, Bobby spoke to Annelie Coetzee who is new to the role of playing Scrum Master. Annelie chats about some lessons she wishes she knew before she started working as a Scrum Master.
We live in a time where there are many digital products being built and released, but how do you get your product to gain adoption and become successful. This new methodology is gaining momentum and is an important concept to understand if you are a Product Manager or founder of a digital product.
In this episode, Bobby chats to Biase De Gregorio from IQ Business about the interesting findings from their annual 2020 State of Agile Report, released in December.
Perfecting your craft can take time, persistence and a willingness to learn and improve. These are some of the lessons we take away within this conversation with Phillip Burgher.
How do you know if what you are working on is providing your business the impact it needs to reach its goals? Not only do we need to understand if what we are working on is going to provide the most value, but we also need to make sure that the way we are going about it is also the best and most efficient way. Enter Agile Coaching with Stuart Mann who chats to us about these concepts. You’ll gain lots of invaluable insights for you to take into your teams and organisations.
Where do you go to get your financial education? Around the world people are waking up to the importance of understanding how the finance world works. I speak to Higgo van Biljon from FinMeUp to discuss his new App that addresses just that.
What is an agile methodology and does it apply only to software development? Pavel Dabrytski, founder of Think Agile, joins me to discuss this popular topic, including the roles within Scrum and Agile and how Unit Economics is used in product management.
Host Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bobby_Seq
Mastercast:https://twitter.com/Mastercast_
Think Agile: https://thinkagile.co.za/
Immersive technology is growing all around us in the shape of VR/AR. Facebook seems to be taking the lead in this space with their release of the Horizon platform. Other companies such as Zwift recently crossed the 1 Billion dollar mark evaluation with its virtual cycling app that was used during this year’s tour da France virtual race. In this episode speak to some local VR & AR developers from Joburg who helped open my eyes to the industry and shared their insights about how this fits together & how the industry is evolving.
This episode is packed with priceless insights for aspiring product people, so play, pause, rewind and take notes! I unpacked the role of Product Management with industry acclaimed Annu Augustine. It is a role that is still only being realised yet it plays such an important role in product delivery and business success. We also touch on the exercise of Customer interviews, explaining their importance in understanding users and what they want and Annu shares some tips in how to conduct them
What is the difference between UX and UI, and how do you start a career in UX design? In this week’s episode we unpack these questions and a whole lot more with senior UX Designer, Liz Spangenberg.
As we wrap up Women's Month in South Africa, host Bobby Sequeira speaks to authors and Agile coaches, Jay-Allen Morris and Kirsten Clacey, about diversity in a male-dominated Agile tech space. We dive into their newly-released must-read book "The Remote Facilitator's Pocket Guide" - a fantastic guideline (especially in a Covid-19 world) for people who need to manage teams and projects remotely, particularly for Scrum Masters new to the industry.
Bobby Sequeira speaks to Matthew Henshall from Room.sh, about the importance of Beginning with the end in mind when building products and starting businesses. Matthew started his career as a graduate engineer in Cape Town before moving quickly into the EdTech space. Find out about his journey and lessons in this episode.
In this episode, host Bobby Sequeira chats to Nicolaas du Plessis about what it takes to be a Product Manager. Nicolaas introduces us to a Skills Quadrant Matrix and we discuss how understanding Business Strategy, Data, Design (UX), Engineering and, most importantly, People Skills, forms the best recipe to be a successful Product Manager.
In this episode, host Bobby Sequeira explores how someone can get into Agile or become a Scrum Master with Agile Coach, Bevan Williams. The conversation covers some burning questions about what it takes to make the move into the industry and how to navigate taking on the role of a Scrum Master during the time of remote working.
Product Master Links:
Website: productmaster.io
Twitter: @Bobby_seq
Bevan Links:
Twitter: @Bevanwilliams
Think Agile: https://thinkagile.co.za/
Sugsa: http://sugsa.org.za/