The Open Letter

🍸 The winners have been drawn! 🍸 A huge thank you to everyone who entered our Ginologist giveaway. Two lucky winners will soon be enjoying a Ginologist Sensory Experience for two, plus a case of their award-winning canned G&Ts. We'll be contacting the winners directly via email. Thanks to our friends at Ginologist for making this possible. 👀 Keep an eye on our socials — we've got more giveaways and experiences coming soon.

Are we entering a world where AI replaces research? We asked Tim Treagus, founder of Yazi, this. With AI moving this fast, it’s easy to think it replaces everything. His answer? Not quite. Watch this clip — Rapid Fire with Renier Kriel. Want to stay in the loop with what SA’s top founders are doing? Sign up to The Open Letter - https://theopenletter.io/

A slice of SA startup life… 🇿🇦 8 weeks of runway. One very ambitious Cape Town startup. Still not a unicorn. Will they make it? 🦄 New comic drop every Friday in The Open Letter — sign up at theopenletter.io ☝ Send this to the person you'd build a startup with.

Yoco just made its biggest move beyond payments. The fintech has acquired Cape Town startup Dyner, an AI-native operating system built for restaurants and independent businesses. The deal brings inventory, supplier management, reporting and margin tools into Yoco’s ecosystem of 200,000+ merchants. It’s another sign that SA fintechs are racing to become full operating systems for commerce — not just payment providers. Read the full article → https://lnkd.in/dDHnMKJp

Big upgrade for the team today 👀 We spent the morning at Jonsson Workwear and safe to say… their range is next level. The Open Letter team got fully kitted out and we’re looking properly official now 🔥 Good branding + quality gear = dangerous combo.

12 million deskless workers, but still no proper software. We asked Simon Ellis from Jem HR why no one has really built software for these millions of people who still don’t have access to basic tools that most companies take for granted. His answer puts it into perspective in this Repid Fire video with Renier Kriel.

Cape Town… you did it again 🔥 Our 4 June Gathering happening at Innovation City Cape Town is officially SOLD OUT. The energy around this one has been unreal. And judging by the speed tickets disappeared… we might need a bigger room next time 👀 If you missed out, don’t stress just yet. 👉 Fill out the waiting list — we’re cooking up a plan. https://lnkd.in/eTGf8hvE Philip Joubert | McElory Hoffmann | Simon Ellis | Alex Shabala | Nick Mills | Dirren Subbiah | Renier Kriel | Cloud On Demand | chatinc.com | Praelexis AI | Octoco | Finance Isle of Man | The Founder Collab | DoubleShift | Jonsson Workwear | Dommisse Attorneys Inc | finvoke | Paystack

Last chance to enter 🍸 Tomorrow (26 May) is your final day to enter our giveaway. 2 winners will each receive: • 2x Ginologist Sensory Experience Vouchers • 12 cans of Ginologist’s award-winning G&Ts Think tinted glasses, immersive audio, curated aromas, and a proper multi-sensory experience. This is not your average giveaway 👀 👉 Enter here: theopenletter.io/giveaway

Building in SA is one thing. Scaling globally is another. We asked Kyle Brijder how Bag Drop is thinking about taking on the international market. This is how they’re approaching it. 🎥 Watch now - Rapid Fire with Renier Kriel

Cape Town — tickets for our 4 June Gathering are almost gone. Only a few spots left. 👀 One of the conversations we’re especially excited for: Panel Chat: Enterprise AI in Action — How Corporates Are Actually Using AI A practical, fireside-style discussion unpacking how large South African companies are actually implementing AI inside their businesses — beyond the hype. Featuring: • Alex Shabala — leading data-driven innovation and AI at scale inside one of SA’s biggest banks. • Dirren Subbiah — building and scaling data, analytics, and AI products across the Shoprite ecosystem. Plus audience Q&A and real-world insights you can actually apply. 4 June 2026 — Innovation City Cape Town Last tickets available now: https://lnkd.in/eTGf8hvE