Somewhat spherical? A man wanted to settle the whole round Earth thing once and for all, so he flew a bunch of flat earthers to Antarctica. Based on some of the first videos, they are kinda looking at things and going, “Well, this planet is starting to look round-ish” 🤦🏽‍♂️

We are taking a break next week, so it’s the final Fast-Five-Friday of the year — five startups making waves worth noting. Let’s dive in…

1. ON THE SIDE

Sidekicks for your side hustle (or anything else)…

Since most people had to set up a work-from-home office, we have entered the era of fractional resourcing. In Germany, part-time work has hit record highs in 2024, with as many as 39.1% of workers having a part-time job.

And the trend seems to be catching up here as well. You can get fractional CFOs, fractional CTOs, and fractional content writers. It makes sense then, that you can now get fractional personal assistants.

Enter Sidekick, a local solution to help you get extra hands on some of those tasks you’re just not getting to. You sign up for a plan (starting at R3’300 per month for 12 hours – or a custom plan if you need more), and get paired with a PA to handle the tasks that steal your time and energy.

Anything from personal errands to handling your inbox and calendar, your sidekick puts your work on steroids!

2. GROWTH PHASE

The farmer on the wall…

Getting fresh produce on your plate faces three challenges…

1. Farmlands are shrinking (we’ve written about this before).

2. It uses a heck of a lot of water to grow stuff.

3. The distances it needs to travel after getting harvested add a substantial cost to the bottom line.

Arable is a local vertical farming startup that builds a farm-in-a-box solution. Currently, they supply local restaurants with fresh produce and equip others to do the same by developing the tech specifically for and accessible to the South African market.

They can grow produce all year round, using 100% fewer pesticides, 95% less land, and 90% less water. Moreover, putting up container farms closer to the point of consumption reduces many logistics costs (not to mention the fuel saved).

With urban areas becoming more crowded, demand for food going up and margins of farmers getting squeezed, they might just be onto something.

Check out this mini-documentary to learn more about what Arable does…

3. WALK THIS WAY

Virtual open houses…

Thanks to social distancing guidelines (and certain restrictions placed on movement, etc.) during COVID-19, virtual property tours became necessary for property practitioners to showcase properties. Given the recent emigration surge, they’re adding value to inter-provincial buyers. 

The tricky part is that a property practitioner has to hire a company or agency (oftentimes with production-level equipment) to film and package a virtual tour vid, which is not practical and too expensive.

But what if the agent can film an immersive 3d tour of the property themselves?

Truvu, the 2024 ConsumerTech Startup of the Year winner, allows property practitioners to turn any video filmed on their smartphone into a virtual tour. Truvu then adds the navigational components so clients can navigate the property.

About 50% of the 6.9 million residential properties in SA are priced above R600k, which means there is a sizable market for them here. But this kind of solution can easily be rolled out in other countries, and that’s exactly what the Truvu team is up to. We are watching with great interest.

4. SCALING ON UP

Getting to the root…

Insurance is a well-established industry in SA. Its estimated annual gross written premiums are around R1.1 trillion, with life insurance accounting for half of that number.

The size and robustness make sense, given that insurance in SA dates back to 1835 (Old Mutual was founded in 1845). Obviously, a lot has changed in 180 years, but nothing has quite disrupted insurance, such as the digital era.

Customers now expect to be met where they are with a streamlined process and minimal paperwork.

But just how do you streamline a highly regulated industry using tech?

Root is a South African InsurTech platform that enables businesses to design, launch, and manage digital insurance products easily. Root empowers companies to offer embedded (another company selling your insurance as a bolt-on to their product) or direct insurance products tailored to their specific needs. This enables brands such as Mr Price to offer a range of insurance products at till-point or in the process of online purchases.

Founded in 2016 by Louw Hopley and Malan Joubert (who also co-founded startups such as SnapScan and Offerzen), the company reached 1 million active policies on its platform in 2019. With international expansion in full swing, this is a SA startup to watch.

5. HOLIDAY EMERGENCIES, SORTED

A doctor in your pocket…

Most of us are planning to travel to some extent these holidays. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s a holiday or just a quick trip to the relatives, life still happens…

A flat tyre here, a sore throat, sunburn or upset tummy there. Thing is, when travelling, you can’t always reach your doctor.

That’s why we love Udok. It’s not only great for startups and busy founders the rest of the year – no bookings or waiting rooms, you just see a top doctor on your phone and get a sick note, referral or prescription sent straight to your nearest pharmacy – it’s also ideal for emergencies when travelling.

See a doctor from anywhere and get better. What’s more, you can use it for the whole family: one account gets everyone sorted. And you can pay with a card or medical aid (with no co-payments, nogal). Worth a looksie, just in case over the holidays.

PS: Udok’s founder Piet is in the collab with us, and we all build and grow together. If you want to hang with and learn from founders like Piet and 80+ others, come join the Open Collab. It’s packed with value for SA founders, including:

• Weekly work-together slots where we network, share ideas and collaborate.

• Weekly online masterclasses, workshops and ask-me-anything sessions with SA industry experts.

• Free access to all our in-person events.

• Book 1-on-1 sessions with SA startup experts.

IN SHORT

Convo grease for Christmas Day lunch…

🤝 Kasi Expansion. Township e-commerce platform Yebo Fresh has been acquired by Smollan, a global retail solutions provider, to blend Yebo Fresh's cutting-edge digital innovations with Smollan's expansive operational network, retail insights, and merchandising expertise, to benefit brands, spaza shops, and small wholesalers nationwide.

🐁 Magic Mouse Reimagined. Apple is working on an updated version of its Magic Mouse. Apparently, this update might see its now infa-mouse charging port move from the base (so users can't use it while it’s charging) to literally anywhere else. It’s about time.

💰SMME Supply Chain Boost. Local FinTech Sourcefin has raised R150 million in funding from Futuregrowth Asset Management. Sourcefin provides access to finance and specialist supply chain support SMMEs and the funding will see it support more SMME growth in SA. Nice one.

🎅 Christmas Password Change. Cybersecurity company Intercede has warned against changing your online shopping passwords to any of the following top most breached Chrtismas-related passwords: snowball, christmas, snowman, snowflake, snowball1, christmas1, snowman1, Christmas, Snowball, and Santa, if you don't want your hard-earned Christmas bonus sto-ho-ho-len….

😎 The Stack. Founders need tools and suppliers they can trust. Check out our Founder’s Stack with your own CTO for remarkable tech builds with Octoco, your own CFO for a fraction of the price with OCFO and 12 more vital startup tools & services.

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JOBS IN TECH

Makin’ moves early in the New Year…

🎯 Product Manager (Remote) @ Calm

👨🏻‍💻 Chief Technology Officer @ Crayon

🎨 Senior User Experience Designer @ Foolproof

🤹🏻‍♀️ Head of Projects @ Digemy

Hiring? Get in touch, and we will feature it here.

GAME TIME

Riddle Me This

Who am I? I’m a bottle, made not from plastic's shell,

But from plant-based roots where sustainability dwells.

I hold your drink, but I won't stick around,

For nature reclaims me when I hit the ground.

Who am I?