Tech Aways Podcast

For years, journalism has had a love-hate relationship with technology. First came social media, then podcasts, and now AI, each wave bringing both opportunity and disruption.The rise of content creators and independent publishers has broken traditional media monopolies, giving audiences more voices and perspectives than ever before. But it has also created misinformation, audience fragmentation, and what Tshepo Tshabalala, manager & team lead at JournalismAI, described as “bubble consumption”, where people only follow creators who reinforce their beliefs. At the same time, journalism continues to struggle financially. Despite billions flowing into African tech startups over the past decade, media innovation has attracted relatively little venture capital because news businesses are difficult to scale like software companies.“What we’re struggling to do as journalism platforms is sell the value that is journalism,” Tshabalala said. On AI, Tshabalala warned that Africa risks becoming dependent on systems built elsewhere, especially since many African languages remain poorly represented in global AI models. He argued that African newsrooms need to help build local datasets and AI tools that understand regional contexts. Still, he rejected the idea that AI will replace journalists entirely.“AI won’t replace journalists, but it will replace the journalists who refuse to use AI,” he said. According to Tshabalala, routine newsroom tasks may become automated, but human skills like investigative reporting, source-building, and editorial judgement will remain essential.You can connect to Tshepo on LinkedIn hereCheck out some cool use cases of AI from the JournalismAI library here This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

What synergies can 87 startups, scaleups, VCs and corporates explore when housed under the same roof?That is exactly the kind of sandbox experiment that is going on at 8 Darter Road, Gardens, Cape Town, the home of Innovation City.Founded by Stephan Ekbergh and Kieno Kammies in November 2021, the hub’s business enablement model has proved to be a hit, as shown by the tenants who currently call Innovation City home. These include Yellowcard, Smile Identity, Lauch Africa Venture, Norrsken 22, and MTN Digital.In this conversation, Kammies, who also has an extensive career in broadcasting and journalism, shares how the COVID-19 pandemic showed the need for a hub that was more than just a co-working space, but a microcosm of an ecosystem in itself.You can connect to Kieno on LinkedIn here.Read the full story behind Innovation City here: https://techcabal.com/2024/06/01/innovation-city/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

In computer network design, a supernode refers to a highly capable node in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network that acts as a central hub, relay, or proxy server for ordinary, less-capable nodes.If there is one analogy to describe Will Green’s role in South Africa’s tech startup ecosystem, it would be exactly that—a supernode. From running one of the country’s most efficient accelerators and helping wet-behind-the-ear founders figure out their business models to driving M&A strategies for exiting founders, Will's impact stretches across the entire ecosystem. But restricting his impact to the South African ecosystem would do an injustice to his work. Will has also been a mentor for Google for Startups, assisting African startups with their teething problems to build the next big thing. He is also an advisor, a board member, a venture studio builder, and and and.In this episode, Will shares his take on how to improve the acceleration model, bridging the funding gap from early-stage to growth-stage, the importance of exit planning for founders, and his view on the role of policy in driving innovation.You can connect with Will on LinkedIn here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

There is a convergence that is happening in Africa’s banking ecosystem. Banks, which were originally seen as the subjects of disruption driven by the emergence of digital assets such as cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenised assets, are embracing them.Traditional finance and decentralised finance, once thought to be sworn enemies, are forming new use cases which are addressing some longstanding pain points in Africa’s banking ecosystem.For example, over the last half-decade, stablecoin adoption at the retail level has seen explosive growth, with Africans using them for facilitation of remittance payments and hedging against volatile local currency movements.And now Absa, one of the largest banks on the continent, is expanding its stablecoin offering to its corporate and investment banking clients, with services including treasury management and cross-border payments facilitation. Beyond stablecoins, the bank also offers tokenisation services, including token origination and asset tokenisation, with further use cases, including an Absa stablecoin, a future possibility.In this episode, Nkahiseng describes the various elements of Absa’s stablecoin and tokenisation plays, the rate and state of adoption, and his thoughts on the growth of digital assets on the continent.You can follow Nkahiseng on LinkedIn here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

Zachariah George is a lot of things. He is a guitarist, pianist and vocalist, has been to over a hundred countries, holds a Stanford MBA and is a member of MENSA, meaning he has an IQ score at or above the 98th percentile.In Africa’s tech startup ecosystem, Zach is known as the managing founder of Launch Africa Ventures, one of the most prolific early-stage VC investment firms on the continent. He is also a prominent angel investor and was part of the formation of some of Africa’s revered accelerators, including Startup Bootcamp.The story of how he got into Africa’s tech ecosystem is as interesting as his profile. After concluding his career on Wall Street, which included a stint at Lehman Brothers, the first domino piece to fall in the 2008 financial crisis, he wanted to spend his life making a difference instead of just closing deals in Lower Manhattan.A trip to the 2010 World Cup proved to be the puzzle piece that would set Zach on a path to backing some of Africa’s most innovative startups. Realising that Africa’s ecosystem had the potential to undergo a growth spurt similar to that in India and Latin America, he packed his bags and headed south, settling in Cape Town.The rest, as they say, is history. In this episode, Zach reflects on the early days of VC in Africa, including the important role of accelerators and support from corporates, his investment strategy across his angel investments and at Launch Africa, the current state of early stage VC in Africa and what the future holds! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

What does it take to take the leap from a manager role at one of the biggest technology companies in the world to founding an AI startup? According to Kevin Kissi, it takes a belief that what starts as just an idea can change the world.Hailing from Ghana, Kevin has pivoted his career from mechanical engineering to software engineering, swapping CAD-rendered designs for writing code. Through Zof AI, he is taking it up a notch, enabling mid-market businesses to ship code that has been tested to ensure its quality.In this conversation, Kevin shares his early days in his journey, including stints at a tractor company, a window company and one of the top 5 banks in the US. He shares his motivation for switching careers early on and how always doing more than is required landed him at Microsoft.We also touch on the current state of AI in Africa and how to enable the continent to catch up with the rest of the world.You can connect with Kevin on LinkedIn here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

A fortnight ago, Showmax, which for the last ten-plus years had been pan-African broadcaster Multichoice’s answer to the arrival of global streaming platforms on the continent, shut down.Canal+, Multichoice’s parent company, pointed to the streaming platform’s not-so-pretty financials as the reason for pulling the plug. With Showmax gone, which was the closest Africa-born competitor to Netflix at least from the POV of budget spend, what will become of the continent’s streaming landscape?While Showmax has always grabbed the headlines as Africa’s forefront streaming platform, several other streamers have amassed millions of users by telling African stories. One of those is Wi-flix, founded in December 2020 by Ghananians Louis Manu and Bright Yeboah.Now boasting over 4 million users and a goal to reach 10 million in the next three years, Wi-flix’s focus on an African and mobile-native audience seems to be paying dividends.In this conversation, Manu reflects on the early days of Wi-flix, which included trying to convince telcos that the soft bundling strategy would drive data sales while also convincing content creators that the revenue-sharing model was the right approach. He also comments on the current state of streaming on the continent, including the implications of Showmax's exit and the insatiable appetite for African stories globally. On the future of streaming, he touches on what business models are going to look like as well as the competitive environment.You can connect to Louis on LinkedIn here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

As Africa tries to catch up to the world in adopting emerging technologies such as AI, the importance of digital infrastructure cannot be overstated enough.Data centres are at the forefront of this infrastructure, providing the requisite environment to build out application layers, resources such as fintech apps and e-commerce platforms.In this episode, Hlumelo Fungile, Chief Commercial Officer at PAIX Data Centres, breaks down the challenges facing Africa’s data centres ecosystem, including limited capital investment and energy constraints.He also touches on the opportunities on the continent, including a growing population, which will create demand for data centres, increasing participation, an active role played by hyperscalers, and increasing investment by governments.It is conversation which provides much-needed context on the role that digital infrastructure plays in Africa’s digital transformation ambitions and how to tackle the current challenges.You can reach out to Hlumelo on LinkedIn here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

Why did TymeBank rebrand to GoTyme? A few weeks ago, South African digital bank TymeBank announced a rebrand from its widely recognised yellow-and-black brand to “GoTyme”, featuring a Tiffany blue and charcoal black colour palette.But beyond the change in logos and colours is a much broader view of the bank’s service provision, which is now more globally oriented for a natively South African bank.To shed some insights on the rebrand, head of marketing Lucia Malapane stopped by the Tech Aways podcast to expound on the rationale for the process.She touches on the internal processes which formed the initial rebrand conversation, ensuring that the rebrand aligns with compliance requirements and how the rebrand aligns with GoTyme’s vision of a 2028 IPO. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

How has South Africa’s venture capital landscape changed from the time Mark Shuttleworth sold Thawte to Verisign, up to now?One person who is well placed to answer this question is Keet van Zyl, co-founder and managing partner at Knife Capital. Having cut his teeth in VC at Shuttleworth’s family office, Here Be Dragons, Keet went on to found Knife Capital, which has since evolved into one of the continent’s foremost VC firms.In this conversation, Keet chronicles his early days in VC, including Knife Capital’s early exit successes, the role Section 12J played in catalysing the country’s VC ecosystem, and the importance of the firm’s “Knowledge, Network and Fund” mantra in those early successes.He also shares the recipe behind Knife Capital’s revered exit strategy, which has seen the firm’s portfolio companies exit to global tech companies including UberEats, Garmin and Ticketmaster.If you are a startup founder and are looking to understand the thought process that drives a successful VC’s decision-making, this is the episode for you. If you are a VC and looking to learn from the best in the business, this is also the episode for you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

Early-stage startup founders in South Africa face various challenges, including a lack of capital, struggling to achieve product-market fit, and even loneliness.In 2022, after he himself faced similar challenges when building his early-stage venture, Mathew Marsden founded Startup Club ZA. The community, which comprises in-person events, awards, and now a platform to enable ecosystem stakeholders to share press releases, job listings, etc, has grown substantially.In this episode, Mathew shares about the early days of Startup Club ZA, what is currently missing in SA’s VC ecosystem, the impact AI will have on early-stage builders, and much more.Connect with Mathew on LinkedIn and check out the Startup Club ZA website. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

Why do black tech startup founders get disproportionately less funding than their white counterparts in South Africa?It is a question that has faced the ecosystem for years, but one that is yet to be addressed or even discussed in the mainstream via LinkedIn or at ecosystem events. But Ntsako Mgiba, founder and CEO of the Darkies in Tech community, is actively working to change that.Founded in February 2021, Darkies in Tech was founded out of the frustration that Ntsako experienced as a black founder when navigating the ecosystem. Realising that there was a lack of representation of people like him, he took it upon himself to create a safe space and community for black founders like him.In this episode, he discusses the early days of navigating the white-dominated SA tech startup space, the role that communities like Darkies in Tech play in advocating for equity in the ecosystem, and the challenges faced in that mission.He also touches on the wins that Darkies in Tech has achieved and what the future holds!You can visit the Darkies in Tech website to learn more and connect with Ntsako on LinkedIn. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

For most companies, cybersecurity is not something that is discussed at the board level, but is often relegated to underfunded and underequipped IT teams.This is even though a serious cyberbreach could have detrimental financial and operational consequences. In this conversation with Tony, he outlines the findings from ESET’s latest H2 2025 Threat Report, which flagged phishing as the most prominent cybersecurity concern.He also dives into several issues, including the impact of AI and crypto on cybersecurity, why there is a lack of talent in the sector, some tips to avoid the most common risks and the role that regulation can play in tackling cybersecurity challenges. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

How do you run a business when you are under investigation by South Africa’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) for two years?This was the predicament faced by South African agritech startup Livestock Wealth when it became the subject of an investigation by the FSCA in January 2024.Two years later, according to Livestock Wealth CEO Ntuthuko Shezi, the investigation has completed with a positive outcome for the company, and he is ready to chart the next wave of growth for the company.Shezi also shares more on the investigation process, the lessons he learnt, and much more! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

How much equity should you allocate to a co-founder and first hires? Is it easier to build a B2B or B2C startup in South Africa? Should you be trying raise from local or international investors? Is an IPO a realistic path to exit in South Africa?There are some of the questions that founders ask themselves every day as they navigate the complexities of building a venture-scalable company in South Africa. Answers to these questions play a large part in who becomes a successful company or joins the 90% stat of startups which fizzle out within three years of operations.This week’s guest is well placed to answer these questions. Clive Butkow boast almost four decades of experience across corporate South Africa, as COO of Accenture, and then as a VC, first at Kalon Venture Partners and then at Conducive Capital. As an angel investor, Clive has invested in numerous companies which have collectively seen more than $100 million in revenue.You can connect with Clive on LinkedIn and check out more of Tech Aways here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

As we get 2026 fully underway, which startups in South Africa should you have an eye on as an ecosystem stakeholder? Stephen Timm wrote about six startups he will be keeping an eye on and joins the podcast to explain his selection.Some of what we discussed:* The rationale for picking the startups* Which SA tech startup hub is the most exciting* Why SA startups looking at external markets for growth avenues* How to address SA’s regulatory hurdlesCheck out Stephen’s musings here and connect with him on LinkedIn. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

What were some of the biggest tech stories in South Africa in 2025, and what does 2026 have in store? The brilliant Lindsey Schutters breaks it all down.What you can expect:* Starlink’s licensing fiasco in South Africa* The digital bank battle royale and how it will evolve* The scramble for stablecoinsRead Lindsey’s reporting here and connect with him on Linkedin. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com

The first episode (or is it the pilot?) of the Tech Aways podcast explores the latest in the Starlink vs South Africa saga.What you can expect:* Overview of how we got here* Why the licensing issue has dragged on* What do Elon’s politics have to do with the delay* What will likely happen nextReferences:Daily Maverick: “Why Malatsi believes bypassing BEE rules for Starlink is good for SA”Tech Aways: “Starlink’s Mzansi Entry Has Long Been Coming” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com