Ventureburn

Screw the startups, Africa needs more ‘netrepreneurs’

It’s the dream of any tech-person: come up with an idea or concept that you can build up and sell off for millions. Consider…

M-commerce in South Africa: a huge opportunity waiting to explode

The definition for mobile commerce (m-commerce) has expanded as technology and mobile methods have evolved, from the initial Premium Rate SMS payments for 8-bit…

Mavericks, innovation, gaming & expats: Africa’s tech scene at a glance

My favorite thing about Africa right now is how everyone is gingered up about amazing things that are happening in the tech scene. It’s…

Africa’s crowdfunding context: starting up startups the African way

“Crowdfunding is the democratization of [funding] for startups.” People get the opportunity to directly vote with their wallets for the services or products they…

The startup curve South Africa: wiggles of realism

It is sometimes too easy to dish out titbits of startup advice from a venture capital ivory tower without going through the practical realities of…

Martin Bjergegaard talks pitching new ventures, multi-million dollar exits

Martin Bjergegaard was an unknown name to me, till some few weeks ago. His profile, at the time, included him being the co-author of…

7 South Africans behind some of the biggest startup successes in the US

Nope, we’re not talking about PayPal-Tesla-SpaceX founder Elon Musk, or Thawte and Ubuntu main man, Mark Shuttleworth. The people showcased here are behind some…

The lack of tech IPOs is holding back job expansion in US, says leading VC

Robert Ackerman, a leading Silicon Valley venture capitalist and founder of Allegis Capital, says that tech IPOs will remain scarce and that this will…

FNB CEO on Twitter, entrepreneurship, iPad: The Memeburn interview

Michael Jordaan is the 42-year old CEO of First National Bank and a confirmed technophile. The company recently hit international headlines when it teamed…

AMMO: A fresh approach to mobile banking

As I write this story, I’m tucking into my free lunch. Yep, that’s right, I said free lunch. Remember when you were told that…

Saul Klein: Price of SA broadband an ‘absolute disgrace’

One of South Africa’s most successful exports, web entrepreneur and venture capitalist Saul Klein, has labelled the cost of broadband in his home country…

Waytag: A startup changing the way we use location services

A new South African start-up, Waytag, is setting out with the ambitious goal of revolutionising the way we think about and use addresses. Location-based…

Richard Branson on open source, Twitter and entrepreneurship: The Memeburn interview

Virgin founder Richard Branson recently slipped into South Africa to check up on some of the success stories at the Branson School of Entrepreneurship…

Six ways “Young World” entrepreneurs are changing the business landscape

A lot has been written about the “digital generation” – the cohort that grew up marinated in high tech, and whose worldview reflects their constant…

Are classified sites in Africa profitable?

You’ve probably heard of these very popular online classified sites, Craigslist and Gumtree. Both sites offer buyers and sellers an opportunity to engage in…

Startup tips from Mark Shuttleworth

South Africa is the best place to become successful says Mark Shuttleworth, who made it big when he skidded over twenty and then promptly…

Does Mark Zuckerberg need adult supervision?

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, is just 26 and has done very well but his young age does often show itself in various ways….

A quick-ish guide to the SA digital agency landscape [update]

Update: Read The Memeburn guide to the SA digital agency landscape for a comprehensive and up to date look at the space. I think…

Jamiix: The Cape Flats startup that’s going global

Jamiix, a brand new social-media aggregator that was developed on Cape Town’s notoriously under-resourced and impoverished Cape Flats is launching internationally with grand ambitions…

Manifesto for web startup entrepreneurs

I’m going to apologise up front. These aren’t all original thoughts – are original thoughts still possible? I read voraciously online and I am…

The entrepreneurial illusion explained

Entrepreneur, entrepreneur, entrepreneur… You hear this word over and over again, yet few bother to look it up in the dictionary. Go on, prove…

New player enters SA online recruitment market

A new South African online-recruitment portal, “developed out of frustration with existing recruitment methods”, claims to have developed creative solutions for the difficult task…

20 hot Nigerian startups to watch

As we gradually approach the end of the first half of 2010, we are expecting to see more web 2.0 innovations and mobile-based platforms…

ASUS and AMD Launch AI-Driven Expert P Series PCs for South African SMBs

Calls vs Puts: Understanding the Two Types of Options

HONOR celebrates Amajita’s AFCON win with 400 Lite smartphone drop