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 strategyDavid’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.com00:00 David Torr - ucook/Faro00:51 Building FARO02:49 SA VC Landscape vs The US.08:23 The impact on AI for startup ventures16:12 Unpackng how AI assists Faro's operational model.24:05 The TikTok viral loop25:53 From Online to brick n mortar32:24 Tech foundations at Faro38:06 Having a mission critical team41:35 The role grit plays45:14 Bootstrapping stories46:59 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.io https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-sequeira/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/renier-kriel/ Guest Links: https://byteorbit.com/ https://www.next176.com/ 00:00 Introduction 05:22 Next Orbit 10:15 How Byte stopped building products people didn't use 13:22 Building for corporate 30:59 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 Intro 02:48 Sebenza elivator pitch 04:26 How to identify and pursue opportunities 07:44 How to unlock the untapped market 11:24 How the first mover creates trust 20:26 Getting B2B sales for your marketplace 22:21 Managing your data 25:09 What does the future look like for future internet connections with Starlink 31:19 Growing your team as you scale 36:09 How to go about building the tech for your startup 41:31 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 ura 02:13 What is Aura and why start it? 04:01 Why is there a lack of innovation in policing 11:31 Creating a path and building a moat 16:47 Building for governments and expanding to UK 22:52 Managing supply and demand of a marketplace 26:10 How founders should plan their burn rate 30:57 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 Metro 03:22 Where GoMetro started - the common problem in SA 08:31 How South Africa is a pioneer in informal to formal transport systems 15:09 How to convince people when you are disrupting 17:42 Breaking into the international market 20:30 Where to start when planning to go international 22:53 Bringing EV's to SA 33:10 Specs of the EV Van 39:04 Managing the unit ecnomics of a single EV minibus taxi 42:29 Working with taxi associations 46:21 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 Pattern 01:34 Who is Pattern? 04:03 Founder mode - how hard is it? 07:43 Analytics as a Service for Fashion 15:02 Brining multiple data points into the equation 20:15 Initial go-to-market strategy for a new product 25:42 Cape Union Mart helping innovative startups 27:13 Threat of Temu 31:36 edited up to here 37:12 opportunity in anonymized data 41:02 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/NSX9WpPGrUkmYGDp9 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/anton-gaylard-a1529a5/ 00:00 Intro 20:58 Buying and selling businesses 24:03 What Investors look for in entrepreneurs 26:00 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/NSX9WpPGrUkmYGDp9 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/calvin-collett/ https://www.melonmobile.co.za/ 00:00 BI72 Calvin - Melon Mobile 02:50 Who is Melon Mobile? 06:28 What is an MVNO & MVNE 09:53 Company culture driving strategy 22:05 The impact Starlink could have on local Telcos 32:41 Understanding your customer 36:49 Funding such a massive project 39:57 Managing margins 41:58 Why did Cell C "fail" 44:50 Melon's ideal customer 47:44 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/NSX9WpPGrUkmYGDp9 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/louis-neil/ https://bookt.app/ 00:00 Welcome 02:05 Intro to Bookt 10:16 Got-to-market strategy for Bookt 15:56 Taking on corporates - some nifty insights and tips 20:24 How to conduct research in your industry 22:44 How you should approach competition 27:05 The big South African corporate call out 30:24 B2B: Find your champion 37:21 Minimal Sellable Product - when were you ready to launch 40:43 Why go to San Francisco 43:37 Book recommendations
