Innovative South African companies taking over the tech space
The last 2 years have been challenging for businesses. Everyone did their literal best to navigate unpredictable closures, changes in consumer habits, confusing legislation, and new sanitisation requirements. There’s no doubt that it’s been tough.
That said, while some have really battled, others used tech to their full advantage and adapted and came out the other side with a revolutionary offering.
We asked around our kingdom for everyone’s favourite tech businesses and put together a list of a few local brands that are riding the tech wave to make life easier and more interesting. Now you can use this list to keep up with what’s happening out there!
Here are our top local companies that are taking the tech space by storm.
IKhokha: Digital tools to help entrepreneurs start, run and grow their business
Traditionally, small-to-medium businesses (SMEs) had very little options available when it came to their choice of card payment solutions. Enter iKhokha, a local fintech company that was founded to help SMEs grow their operations through various nifty portable card machines and online payment services. Now businesses of all sizes can accept card payments with an iKhokha card machine and grow their businesses the easy way, with no contracts and no rental fees.
Yebo Fresh: Beautifully delivered groceries
Yebo Fresh offers online shopping services to Cape Town’s townships. The tech-driven food business focuses on making quality, fresh food, and household goods accessible to townships and informal settlements, and helps local spazas, restaurants, schools, day care centres, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) save time, hassle and money by delivering per item and in bulk at great prices! All of which everyone can easily do by navigating their slick online platform that guides you through the ordering process.
TymeBank: New kid on the banking block
TymeBank is a purely digital smart bank with pay-as-you-use services that gives South Africans access to a convenient, uncomplicated, and cheaper way of banking. It’s paperless, there’s a 5-minute online sign-up process, and you can pop over to any TymeBank kiosk inside Pick n Pay and Boxer stores nationwide to verify your account, collect your card, and draw cash. The savings part comes in with no blanket monthly fees, just transaction costs that are reportedly 30 to 50% lower than other banks.
WildEarth TV: Bringing the wildlife into every home
Not everything tech is finance and food. Some companies are disrupting our little worker bee minds with a touch of wildlife. Can’t go on safari? No problem. WildEarth TV connects people from around the world with nature through broadcasting live and interactive experiences from the wilderness. The company is now licensed to provide its shows to SABC 3, DStv, the BBC, Tencent, and China’s CGTN, as well as streaming on YouTube, Facebook, Periscope, and Twitch. Millions are transported from around the world to live wildlife content and it’s amazing.
EasyEquities: An uncomplicated platform to buy shares
Who thinks of investing as easy? What? Nobody? Well, now it is. EasyEquities makes buying shares easy, cheap, and fun so that everyone can use their online platform to own shares in the companies they love. The platform (on their website and app) provides a step-by-step journey for you to follow and communicates all the costs and fees that you pay upfront. This way, you’re guided through the sign-up process, how to add money to your account, how to choose from the companies listed on EasyEquities, and how to select how much to spend. Then you just click to buy and watch your money grow.
The system even gives you useful resources to help you if you really have no idea where to start, including blog posts, and video tutorials.
SweepSouth: Book home services online
This is a tech company that’s in it for both the clients and the employees. Basically, you can book convenient and flexible home services, while the employees can find dignified work opportunities with decent pay. It takes a few minutes to join up on SweepSouth’s amazing website or app and book a customised home service by detailing what you need done and what kind of cleaning products you have available. Then, vetted employees can see where and when they want to work, and they keep 80% of their earnings (and all of their tips). It works for both parties.
Like everyone else on this list, we’re using tech to help our clients do things faster and more conveniently. Recently, we introduced our royal app that empowers you to get car insurance in a few minutes, add additional cover to your policy, do a car inspection on your phone (no more finding your nearest assessment centre) change your car insurance excess, submit a claim, and even update your details.
Now there’s no need to do insurance the hard way!
Find the King Price app in your App Store or if you’re in the mood for a chat, then call us on 0860 50 50 50. You can even visit our website to get a car insurance quote.
