Author: Gugu Lourie
South Africa’s first online business lender specialising in small to medium enterprises is forging ahead in the financial technology (fintech) space, boasting 65% repeat business in just eight months of operations. By Staff Writer Next generation lender, Pollen, is the brainchild of Louis du Plessis, who is the CEO of the fintech start-up, backed by Anglo African Group majority owner and chairman, JP du Plessis. Overseas, the online marketplace where small businesses can secure loans is an enormous industry with tech-orientated companies such as the NYSE-listed OnDeck in the US and Moula in Australia transforming the financial services landscape. But…
Under its durable chairman MTN has quietly wormed its way back into the hearts of critics. Now the South African-based mobile phone behemoth cannot be ignored. By Gugu Lourie A few months ago, Phuthuma Nhleko came back to the helm of the troubled firm as an executive chairman with only one goal – to sort out the Nigeria fine debacle which culminated in the departure of then MTN CEO Sifiso Dabengwa. Dabengwa resigned when MTN was slapped with a $5.2 billion fine by the Nigerian authorities for failing to register subscribers. MTN’s biggest investor, state-owned fund manager the Public Investment…
As consumers consume more data, surf the internet and share big moments with friends and family, Vodacom is seeking to capture the high-end smartphone market. By Staff Writer After introducing low-cost own-branded smartphones, Vodacom – which is owned by British mobile phone giant Vodafone, is introducing own-branded premium smartphones. Vodacom has entered the premium smartphone market by extending its range of branded devices. The Vodacom Smart platinum 7 and Vodacom Smart ultra 7 were launched earlier today. “With these exciting new devices, Vodacom is now able to offer devices, not only in the entry-level smartphone and tablet category, but also…
Venture capital in South Africa is starting to take hold. With a host of venture funds, section 12J companies, incubators and start up clubs being launched, start ups are becoming more popular and investors are encouraged to consider these new opportunities. Chris Ball, an investment analyst at AlphaWealth and a co-founder of Fincheck.co.za, a financial comparison fintech startup, explains the colloquial jargon of venture investors and start up entrepreneurs. Chris wrote this ‘dictionary’ initially to educate AlphaWealth’s high net worth clients about the start up world so that they could consider becoming investors. Angel investor An angel investor is generally…
As a researcher of nanomaterials, I am often asked: “When are we finally going to start seeing nanotechnology products on the market?” By Cameron Shearer This is a simple question to answer because the average home is already filled with products enhanced or reliant upon nanotechnology. In fact, there are several online repositories listing the more than 2,000 commercially available products that incorporate nanotechnology. The application of nanotechnology in some areas, such as batteries, microelectronics and sunscreens is relatively well known. Let’s take a virtual tour through a home to see what else we can find. But first, what does nanotechnology…
Take an advanced technology. Add a twist of fantasy. Stir well, and watch the action unfold. By Andrew Maynard It’s the perfect recipe for a Hollywood tech-disaster blockbuster. And clichéd as it is, it’s the scenario that we too often imagine for emerging technologies. Think superintelligent machines, lab-bred humans, the ability to redesign whole species – you get the picture. The reality, of course, is that the real world is usually far more mundane: less “zombie apocalypse” and more “teens troll supercomputer; teach it bad habits.” Looking through this year’s crop of Top Ten Emerging Technologies from the World Economic Forum…
Talks by South Africa’s Telkom to buy Broadband Infraco has collapsed, ending attempts by the country’s biggest fixed-line telephone group to goggle up the state-owned telecoms infrastructure firm. Techcentral reported that the parties could not agree on price after Telkom completed a due diligence of Infraco. Citing well-placed sources, Techcentral said Telkom offered to pay R1 for the troubled company, while Infraco was apparently seeking “several hundred million rand” for the deal to proceed. Telkom spokeswoman Jacqui O’Sullivan said in a brief written statement in response to questions from TechCentral: “While there have been discussions … [the] parties could not reach agreement…
Waste is the eternal burden of civilisation. The earliest known urban garbage dumps are found in Crete, made over 5,000 years ago. Not long after that experiments with recycling began: Chinese societies reused bronze and the Aztecs routinely rescued usable materials from their garbage piles. Even regulation is not new: Athenian Greeks decided over 2,500 years ago that a dump should be located more than a kilometer away from settlements. By Ashley Boag Growing urban populations are placing heavy demands on modern waste disposal. There simply is no space to breathe, even in smaller municipal areas. This is made more…
South Africa’s business mogul Andile Ngcaba, the chairman and the majority shareholder of the ICT (Information Communications and Technologies) specialist investor Convergence Partners, travels the globe in hot pursuit of the best startups to invest in as part of his company’s growth plans. By Gugu Lourie Convergence’s goal is to invest in high-growth ICT platforms with global ambitions, Ngcaba laid out the investment firm’s ambitions during an interview with Techfinancials, which took place at Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Johannesburg’s Newtown area. To be able to achieve its objective, Convergence will have to scout for new startups. There are many startups emerging…
Unlisted technology firm Gijima, which is fully-owned by businessman Robert Gumede, is sizing up new growth opportunities in the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence to grow its business after completing a three-year turnaround programme at the end of the 2016 financial year. By Gugu Lourie The Internet of Things (IoT) space is real and is getting more real every day. As IoT expands and the US tech giant IBM is bringing real artificial intelligence applications such as Watson to South Africa, Gijima is positioning itself as close to the action possible. In March, IBM opened its first cloud…