TechCentral (main feed)

• TCS | Kiaan Pillay on fintech start-up Stitch and its R1-billion funding round

  Cape Town-based fintech start-up Stitch last month caught the attention of many people when it announced it was raising R1-billion (US$55-million) in a significant series-B funding round. Co-founder and CEO Kiaan Pillay is our guest in this episode of the TechCentral Show, where he tells TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about the funding round, which was led by QED Investors with participation from a range of new and existing investors. The latest round brings Stitch’s total funding to date to nearly R2-billion, or $107-million. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Pillay unpacks: • His background and why and how Stitch was founded; • How well-known South African comedian Trevor Noah became one of the participating funders in the latest funding round; • What Stitch is doing differently to other fintech and payment start-ups that has allowed to raise the quantum of funding that it has; • The significance of Stitch’s recent acquisition of Exipay – and why it’s important for Stitch to be a player in the in-person payments market; • Stitch’s plans in the cryptocurrency space; and • Why the company is focused (for now) on the South African market. Don’t miss a great discussion! TechCentral

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• TCS+ | Switchcom and Huawei eKit: networking made easy for SMEs

  Networking equipment wholesaler Switchcom Distribution has partnered with Huawei Technologies to bring new offerings to the South African market and elsewhere in Africa. In the first episode of this series, Switchcom national sales manager Lynton Brits and Huawei account manager Tanki Lebatla told TCS+ about the rationale behind the partnership and some of the networking and backup power equipment the companies have on offer. That video is available here. In this second episode of the series, Brits is back on TCS+, this time accompanied by Jan Keyser, CEO of Konnekt SP, a provider of networking solutions to small and medium enterprises. In this episode of TCS+, Brits and Keyser delve into: • Why networking solutions providers and small and medium enterprises are draw to the Huawei networking eKit distributed by Switchcom; • The different types of networking equipment that comes with the eKit solution; • The software support Huawei provides to make network configuration easier for engineers using the eKit; • The advantages of purchasing a homogenous solution from the same brand in making network configuration easier for installers; and • Tools for managing the software-defined networks deployed using the eKit as customer need evolve over time. This insightful conversation is not to be missed, especially for SMEs looking for networking solutions and the vendors who install them. TechCentral

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• TCS | How Covid sparked a corporate tug-of-war over Adapt IT

  Shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Tiffany Dunsdon – at the time CEO of JSE-listed Adapt IT – found herself having to fend off an unwanted takeover bid from Huge Group. Dunsdon did not feel the deal made much sense for Adapt IT – a fast-growing enterprise software services provider whose share price, like many others at the time, had been knocked lower by the uncertainty caused by the pandemic. The Huge Group approach was opportunistic, said Dunsdon. So, instead of entertaining the approach from Huge Group, she set about engineering a very different deal: one involving Canadian-listed Constellation Software: Constellation subsidiary Volaris Group would buy out Adapt IT and delist it from the JSE. Dunsdon, who was recently appointed as acquiring group leader at Omegro – a portfolio company within Volaris Group that houses Adapt IT – joins Duncan McLeod on the TechCentral Show for an update following the conclusion of the sale. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Dunsdon also discusses: • Adapt IT’s performance since its acquisition and delisting; • The Huge Group hostile approach and how that played out inside Adapt IT; • The timeline of events that led to the acquisition by Volaris Group; and • What’s next for Adapt IT and Omegro. Don’t miss the conversation! TechCentral

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• TCS | From fibre to clean tech: Khudu Pitje on New GX Capital’s next chapter

  New GX Capital, one of the principal investors in Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa parent CIVH, recently announced it was launching a R2.4-billion clean-tech investment fund in partnership with RMB Ventures. To unpack the details of the new fund and why it’s being established, New GX Capital founder and CEO Khudusela Pitje joined TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod in the latest episode of the TechCentral Show for a wide-ranging conversation. In the interview, Pitje chatted about the fund – called the Airnegize Capital Fund – and its plans to invest in renewable energy and water and gas infrastructure across Africa. New GX Capital and RMB Ventures have described the fund as “one of the largest of its kind on the continent”. The fund has secured R2.4-billion in initial commitments, with the companies targeting a further R1.6-billion before financial close in the coming months. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, Pitje expands on: • His career background and the formation of New GX Capital; • The role his father, the late HM Pitje, a businessman and former mayor of Mamelodi, played in his life and career choices; • His role in helping build Dark Fibre Africa and CIVH; • Why he feels the decision by the competition authorities to block the acquisition by Vodacom of a 30% co-controlling stake in Maziv – a subsidiary of CIVH that houses Vumatel and DFA – was wrongheaded; • The role New GX Capital plays today, as well as its investment philosophy; • What led to the creation of the Airnegize Fund with RMB Ventures; and • The role and future of black economic empowerment in South Africa. Don’t miss a fascinating conversation! TechCentral

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• Meet the CIO | Yosheen Padayachee's unconventional journey into tech leadership

  Yosheen Padayachee, group IT director at Tsebo Solutions Group, is our guest in this episode of TechCentral’s Meet the CIO. -- Yosheen Padayachee was named as one of the top 100 most influential women in technology in 2024 and has been recognised among the Cyber 50 leaders in cybersecurity in Africa. Padayachee, who serves as group IT director at workplace management solutions company Tsebo Solutions Group, is TechCentral’s guest in this episode of Meet the CIO. Previously CIO for Africa at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings, Padayachee is pursuing a doctorate in technology innovation. She shares her story in this interview. She unpacks: • How her career pivoted from healthcare into IT and IT management; • Her career journey so far, which has included roles in the banking sector at Nedbank and FNB, and important lessons she’s learnt along the way; • The role of IT at Tsebo Solutions Group; • The big technology projects she’s currently helping lead; • Her insights on cybersecurity in modern organisations, and why security must be embedded at the foundation of all digital innovation; • The impact of AI on the ability of companies to protect themselves from cyber adversaries; and • Why gender diversity in the male-dominated technology industry is vital – and what needs to be done to encourage more young women to choose technology as a career. Don’t miss this insightful conversation. TechCentral

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