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  • The fintech revolution is here and disrupting banking, Bitcoin not so much…

    By on 14 April, 2016

    I have just returned from Money2020 in Copenhagen, effectively Disneyland for anyone interested in the fintech space. Themed "The Centre of the Revolution", the conference brought together the leading lights of the financial service industry, VC funds and also technological innovators. Just under 4 000 delegates from 70 Countries heard from 422 speakers including leading lights such as Sir Michael Morris, Chairman of Sequoia Capital, Carlos Torres Villa CEO, BBVA, Nicolas Huss, CEO Visa Europe, Blythe Masters CEO Digital Asset holdings as well as the head of Mastercard, the VP of Amazon payments, the CEO of Visa, The COO of...

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  • Company Office

    SA consumers doing their product homework before purchase

    CompareGuru on 1 September, 2016

    At a time when most consumers are spending conservatively, with a hawkish eye on every last Rand, value for money has become paramount. Long gone are the days when people sign on to mobile contracts on a whim, or buy insurance products at the behest of a smiling salesman. With deep-seated economic and political uncertainty prevailing, consumers are looking to inform themselves as best they can before spending a cent. “The good news for sceptical South Africans is that a host of new and sophisticated digital tools are coming online, giving people much-needed access to information,” says Ryan Marx, CEO...

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  • 5 tax questions every entrepreneur should ask in 2016

    By on 14 April, 2016

    It’s tough out there. Entrepreneurs need to do more with less and keep an eye on changes in the tax legislation, as these could affect their payroll calculations and the tax they need to pay on behalf of their employees. Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s recent budget speech admirably brought a sound outline for the country’s framework for the next year with some changes in tax legislation. Some of these legislative changes (as included in the amendment Acts and reiterated in the budget speech), such as employee contributions to retirement funds, will most probably have an impact on the company’s payroll...

  • Seedstars World announces 20-country African tour

    By on 14 April, 2016

    Seedstars World, the global seed stage startup competition for emerging markets and fast-growing startup ecosystems, has announced an African tour that will see it travel through 20 countries looking for promising entrepreneurs. The African tour is part of a global effort, comprising bootcamps and pitching competitions in 65 countries around the globe. Alongside bootcamps, each country visited will host a pitching competition with prizes including the opportunity to compete at the Seedstars Summit in Switzerland with the possibility of walking away with up to US$1-million in equity investment and additional prizes. This is the fourth time the organisation...

  • 3 lessons learned from revolutionary changes in the ecommerce space

    By on 13 April, 2016

    With ecommerce rates increasing each year and becoming such a large part of the economy, a tipping point is fast-awaiting many retailers. Ecommerce in 2016 is set for a major revolution. People love to shop. People especially love to shop online because of the comfort it gives them to shop where everything is accessible anytime and anywhere. This access is exceptional - and not just for shoppers. Retailers also get 24/7 access to their customers, residing in different corners of the world. As a result, ecommerce has significantly changed the business model and revised the way shoppers approach...

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  • Nairobi bootcamp to up-skill entrepreneurs in fund-sourcing, deal structuring and negotiation

    By on 13 April, 2016

    A Nairobi bootcamp takes place this week, with the aim of bringing together entrepreneurs and investors and educating startups on sourcing for funds, deal structuring and negotiation. Organised by the East African Angel Investor Network and Viktoria Ventures, the event includes a panel consisting of both angel investors and startups that have gone through previous rounds of financing. In an interactive Q&A session, they will relay their experiences to the startups in attendance. This event, which takes place on 14 April at Strathmore University is part of series of events Viktoria Ventures is organising to connect promising entrepreneurs with the local...

  • Start-Up Tel Aviv South Africa aims to reward top female tech entrepreneurs

    By on 13 April, 2016

    If you're one of the very small minority of female technology entrepreneurs in South Africa, you might want to check this out. The Israeli embassy has launched a competition aimed specifically at female-led startups in the seed stage, with the final prize being a week in Tel-Aviv to consult with some of the city's best entrepreneurial minds. The all-expenses-paid trip will take place in September 2016, during the exciting and innovative DLD Festival. According to a press release sent to Ventureburn, the competition judges are looking for "one woman who is actively involved in an innovative company that has...

  • LeWeb founders announce new startups

    By on 13 April, 2016

    Long-time Burn Media readers know how important LeWeb is to Burn Media. It was at the Paris-conference, after all, that the first lines of code for our flagship site Memeburn were written. So when we receive news that conference founders Loic and Geraldine Le Meur are launching their own startups, we're bound to sit up and take notice. Both startups launch in May at exclusive events in Paris and both are aimed at continuing LeWeb's original vision of helping out entrepreneurs. Geraldine is launching The Refiners, a cross-border accelerator aimed at helping foreign startups thrive in Silicon Valley (co-founded...

  • This startup wants to help you level up your knowledge in the most fun way possible

    By on 12 April, 2016

    These days there's a sense that if you're not constantly looking to improve yourself, you might as well be standing still. Given the rate at which the sum total of human knowledge is expanding, there's probably some merit to that. There are plenty of tools out there that aim to help you keep up, but the truth is very few of them are actually fun to use. Enter 42Courses. This Edtech startup, founded by ex-head of Innovation for Ogilvy & Mather in Africa Chris Rawlinson, aims to make the digital world of education the best, fun and most speedily...

  • 8 SA companies using the Uber business model to disrupt their industries

    By on 12 April, 2016

    Whether you like it or not, Uber's on-demand business model has resulted in a flood of companies using a similar strategy. There are Uber-like services for rival taxi companies, doctors, massages and even dagga, showing that the business model is here to stay. What about South African services that use this strategy? PicUp PicUp promises to take the hassle out of package deliveries by harnessing the power of WeChat. The delivery service boasts a fleet of couriers at your fingertips, using everything from bicycles to cars to transport your goods. Essentially, if it can be hauled on a bicycle or put on the backseat...

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  • Parody Twitter account takes merciless dig at Silicon Cape ecosystem

    By on 12 April, 2016

    Speak to anyone involved in the South African startup ecosystem and you'll likely come away marveling at how enthusiastic and passionate they are about what they're doing. There is, however, a tendency for the whole scene to be a little serious. At least one parody account is, however, determined to change that. Start Up Grindr, which aims to shine "a light on the multi-thousand dollar South African tech scene", was clearly started by someone inside the ecosystem with some, harsh, but funny, truths to tell. There are no sacred cows here, with everyone in the space -- Burn Media...

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