Hi there,

Feeling fit? Scientists might have just discovered an actual exercise pill. A new compound called SLU-PP-332 successfully helped obese mice lose weight and tone up. And you bet everyone’s gonna want to get their hands on it.

In this Open Letter:

• The high life: Renting VS owning in the Access Economy.

• Meteorite Olympics, desert dreams & web buyouts.

• Wealth secrets: Investments you’re not supposed to know about.

• Last chance: Get R2’500s gold in your new account.

• Watch: How does greylisting affect startup funding?

• The results: Your take on SA’s greylisting.

TRENDING NOW

Do You Really Need to Own It?

Imagine a world where "having" doesn't mean "owning." A realm where you can flirt with products, lifestyles, and even energy solutions without tying the knot.

It’s called the Access Economy, and it’s already unlocking a whole new segment of customers for your business.

The Curious Case of Ownership – or Lack Thereof

You know how one has those fleeting moments of passion? A surge of creativity accompanying the sudden urge to capture the world through a high-end camera or an impulse to serenade your cat on a brand-new guitar?

Well, what if I told you there's a way to heed the call without breaking the bank? The Access Economy whispers, "Why buy when you can borrow?"

The Access Economy is basically renting things like appliances, cellphones, laptops or even your solar installation. But more than that, it’s accessing things you need only for the period you need them.

The Nitty-Gritty: Why It's a Hit

This isn't just a single; it's an entire album. And here are the beats that make these tunes so catchy:

• Economic Flexibility: Big dreams, small budget? Renting offers a front-row experience without the VIP price tag.

• Technological Tango: Platforms and apps are the dance floors where all the magic happens. Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify are the DJs, setting the mood just right with affordable prices and subscriptions that enable access to heart desire.

• Eco-Chic: Share more, waste less. Simple, yet revolutionary. Less plastic, less waste, less carbon. Makes sense.

• Urban Space Jam: In bustling cities, space is often limited, meaning while you might have a 3x3 meter patch of grass, storing a lawnmower might not be ideal. Imagine you can rent it twice a month – nice.

• Generational Groove: For many millennials and Gen Z’ers, experiences are the new currency – why have one holiday home when you can go to a different place every time? What’s more, the ownership admin and overhead is something else – and we know how much Gen Z loves responsibility.

• Risk Mitigation: Skip the stress of the depreciating assets and interest rates going bananas. With renting, there are no bad investments.

• Flexibility & Freedom: Why settle for one when you can have a little bit of everything? Don’t deploy all your cash into one item, hire what you need and be able to afford access to it with cash flow.

• Work-Life Remix: Flexible work patterns call for flexible life patterns. It's all about that work-life balance for the gig worker. And as their seasons and opportunities change, so too does their requirements for specific items.

• Global Village Vibes: With the world as your playground, who needs the baggage of ownership? Many modern workers work remotely, travel a lot and don’t want to be tied down.

• Innovate or Bust: New startups are making renting so convenient, it’s a no-brainer and it is bound to threaten those businesses that don’t embrace it.

While Uber and Airbnb get a lot of credit, let's tip our hats to the real O.G.—car rentals. Yeah, Sixt had this figured out way back in 1912. But let's be honest, what’s really made the Access Economy a household name is the development in tech.

Tech is the magic wand that turned this pumpkin into a golden carriage. Access, tracking and payments are all now baked into easy-to-use apps. It’s what made Uber (just an iteration of another access economy business model – taxis) viable.

Access it local

Now, let's shine a light on some remarkable ventures that have tapped into the Access Economy like Cheslin Kolbe in space.

• GoSolr: Energy blackouts got you down? How about renting a solar system? A recent investment from ARC has slashed GoSolr’s lead time to just two weeks. Say adios to energy woes and hello to a sunshine-filled future.

• Strapp: Your garage might be a treasure trove of unused items, from cameras to power tools. Strapp is like the digital marketplace of your dreams where you can list these treasures for others to rent. While it could grapple with the challenges of marketplace dynamics (having enough on offer and enough to buy at all times), there's undeniable potential, especially for niche items.

• Rentoza: Now here's a success story for the books. Starting in 2017, this South African startup has already roped in over 8,000 active customers. Rentoza has more than R100m in assets being rented out and a team of over 110 people. And with a recent $6 million in funding, they’re not hitting the brakes anytime soon, planning African expansion as well as local retail expansion (this could make it blow up 10x).

The Access Economy is no longer just a section in a business textbook; it's a lifestyle choice that's democratising luxury, convenience, and choice. It’s a strategy not just for making life more enjoyable but also more sustainable. It’s not just about consumption; it’s about smart, flexible, and conscious living and this is just the start… we are watching this space.

OVER TO YOU

IN SHORT

🏜️ The Australia of Africa. Namibia could be the next big thing for wealthy dollar millionaires looking to retire. This is due to its low crime rate, favourable tax rates, low population density, abundant natural resources, and the rise in lifestyle estates. Interestingly enough experts say that if South Africa followed our neighbour’s examples especially when it comes to capital gains tax and estate duty policies, it could be one of the wealthiest countries in the world in 10 years.

🤑 Market Consolidation. Dimension Data (who owns local ISP Mweb) has just accepted an offer from a competing ISP, Webafrica, to acquire Mweb. The deal, an undisclosed amount, will see Mweb continue operating independently.

☄️ Meteorite Olympics. In 2021, two meteorite fragments were discovered in the Northern Cape. In August 2023 the Meteoritical Society finally accepted that “Brierskop” and “Wolfkop” are in fact from 2 different meteorites – despite being found only 1km apart. This takes SA’s tally of confirmed meteorites to 51 – the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. Namibia lies 2nd with 18 and Botswana has found 12 Space Rocks.

🕵️‍♂️ Crime (Mini) Boss. The 2023 Global Organised Crime Index was just released and South Africa scored a 7.18 out of 10 criminality score making us 7th in the world. Only the DRC (7.35) and Nigeria (7.28) were other African nations ahead of SA with drug trafficking, cash-in-transit operations, poaching syndicates, robberies, and more the crime of choice for these Mafia-style, well-armed syndicates operating in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban.

🌱 Seed Funding. Local payment API startup Revio has just raised a $5.2 million seed round. The startup provides businesses with an API for payment collection and allows businesses to accept and reconcile more than 70 payment methods including major mobile money products, card schemes, direct bank payments and wallets in 25 countries in African markets.

­THE OPPORTUNITY

The Investments You’re Not Supposed to Know About

Anyone who’s ever read those old Rich Dad Poor Dad books from the 90s will remember the idea that the 1% mega-rich get these super-secret massively profitable investment opportunities that we ordinary people never have access to (the books are basically about how he learns and tries to get access to those elusive opportunities).

One of those vehicles that’s publicly known but seemingly inaccessible to us is gold. Really old, mega-rich families stockpile and profit off gold like we can't even imagine.

And there’s a very good reason why…

Gold never loses its value. In fact, it’s one of the few things that has and probably will always just get more valuable. Sure, the price goes up and down all the time, but the value increase is remarkable, especially if you compare it to cash.

We explained the whole thing in our Open Letter on gold’s investment value, but here’s a practical example that’ll blow your mind:

The real reason why it’s so clever

If you buy stuff with gold, you pay less for it even 10 years later, while everyone else pays more due to inflation. Gold is almost immune to inflation – and it’s the same if you use gold to buy almost everything: coffee, cars, houses. Wouldn’t you be better off today if you could pay less for stuff than you did back in 2008? See why the rich get richer with gold?

But there’s a problem…

Buying gold, as a normal person, is hard because it’s very expensive to buy in quantity, it’s hard to store safely (you paint a target on your back), and you can’t actually go to the shop and pay for groceries with just gold, you have to turn it into cash first.

Now, you will have noticed over the last few weeks that we’ve been promoting a new SA product called Troygold. And the reason we did that is because Troygold solved all those problems – they took all the good stuff about gold, removed all the bad stuff and made it available to all of us normal people.

Here’s the diff…

Troygold gives you access to the gold market with a simple app you download, then you start buying gold in whatever quantity you want. And you can trade, save and borrow cash to spend against your gold. Beautiful, right?

Check out their awesome vid…

Now, before you head off and become a gold magnate, let us help you get started by paying your first R2’500s worth of gold into your Troygold account.

Share The Open Letter and you can win! We’re giving away R2’500 worth of gold, plus this cool merch from Troygold.

And all you gotta do to stand a chance of winning it all is 1, 2, 3…

STEP 1: Go to LinkedIn. 

STEP 2: Create a post on what you think about The Open Letter (as a post to your followers)

STEP 3: Tag us: @TheOpenLetter and hit “post”.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, it’s your last chance to enter. Go get it!

THE THREAD

What Does SA’s Greylisting Mean for Startup Funding?

And how is it impacting the larger ecosystem…

Or if podcast app is your vibe, catch them here:

Like our podcast? Remember to subscribe and never miss an episode.

THE RESULTS

Well, well… we asked your opinion on greylisting and an overwhelming 55% says the government should just make it a legal requirement right now.

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ ❓ What is greylisting? (5%)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ ☑️ Yes, my company is ready. (10%)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 😡 I hate KYC. (15%)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 💁 I don’t care. (5%)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🙃 It’s the government’s job, they mustn’t bother us. (5%)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⚖️ They should just legislate it right now. (55%)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 😲 First I'm hearing of this. (5%)

Your 2 cents…

hear! hear! Chrisja