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January 2012
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If you have not been receiving this newsletter in your e-mail, ensure that you have a current profile on www.siliconcape.com. Alternatively, you can subscribe by updating your profile using the links at the bottom of this page. Please also check that issues of this newsletter are not being blocked by your e-mail service's spam filter.
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Welcome to 2012, it's going to be a cracking year. It's so exciting to see many young entrepreneurs inspired to try their hand at starting a business. Winston Churchill once said: "If
you find a job you really love, you'll never work again." I can tell you from my own experience that when it comes to starting a business you love Winston was 100% correct. The Silicon Cape Initiative encourages all of you to take that idea rattling
round your head and find a way to make it a reality. It'll be an adventure you won't regret.
We've got some great articles in this month's newsletter: from a piece about Cape Town's new fibre optic ring through to a profile on new Umbono-funded startup LocalSort, who look like they have real promise.
Our first Silicon Cape Academy for the year is being held next Thursday (26 Jan) at Alba Lounge. This month it's focusing on HR for startups and given the importance of attracting and retaining talent, I'd strongly suggest you attend. Places are
limited so be sure to get in early.
As always, please share your startup stories with us. The Silicon Cape community wants to hear about you.
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Yours with a passion for digital,
Rob
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Latest news
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The Cape Town metro ring is a municipal fibre network providing a single shared infrastructure capable of supporting multiple networks. It's expected to result in more local bandwidth
and lower costs due to increased competition between ISPs.
Read more about the fibre ring
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Research conducted during 2011 has revealed a significant upturn in e-commerce in South Africa over the last year. It’s been suggested that the recent explosion of group-buying sites,
and the success of companies like Groupon, may be at least partially responsible for this growth spike.
Read more about the South African e-commerce
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Umbono-funded company LocalSort is looking to disrupt the informal way hotels and guesthouses recommend services to their guests.
Read more about LocalSort
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Mobiflock makes
smartphones and tablets safe for children, individuals and businesses, by providing services to monitor and manage mobile devices, secure private information, manage mobile workforces, and protect devices from viruses and malware.
Read more about Mobiflock
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Thank you to our sponsors:
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Announcements
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HR expert Rob Rankin cofounder of HR Advice will take you through the practical side of labour law basics, hiring and firing, building a culture and running a people focused
organisation.
View more details
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Following the success of Silicon Cape VC Office Hours in 2011, we are continuing this initiative in 2012. There will be a total of 10 sessions held on the first Friday of every month.
Each session will comprise six, half-hour slots in the morning. Most of the local VC firms and angel funds will be hosting at least one session each.
The sessions have all been loaded as events on Silicon Cape and we've added the executive summary form to each event for convenience. First up is Andrea Bohmert, experienced VC and angel investor, on Friday 23 February..
View more details and sign up
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Editor's note
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January... that special time when diaries are crisp and new, and entrepreneurs everywhere are excitedly thinking about all the things they're going to achieve this year. This time
around, don't let December catch you by surprise.
Set some realistic goals, and then go to work on them, steadily, deliberately and without too much fanfare. Hopefully this month's stories will fuel your enthusiasm. There's a thread of opportunity running through them: increased online spending,
improved local connectivity, niche markets, and more.
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Until next time,
Kerry-Anne
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