Innovate Africa: How RØDE bucked the trend and gave Africa a voice
In a world where most tech companies chase lower costs by outsourcing to China, RØDE did the opposite. They built their design, development and production operation in Sydney, Australia — and stuck with it. The result? High-quality audio tools that are tough, affordable and built with creators in mind.
Unlike many of their competitors, RØDE kept full control of their process. This meant they could innovate fast, make gear that lasts and still keep prices accessible. That's a game-changer, especially for African creators.
For a long time the cost and complexity of pro audio gear kept talented storytellers from getting started. RØDE changed that. With tools that are easy to use straight out of the box, they've helped break down the barriers that used to hold creators back. From mobile content to pro-level production, African voices now have the tech to match their talent.
I sat down with Jason Sutherland of Paul Bothner Music, one of RØDE's key partners in South Africa, to unpack this journey. We spoke about how RØDE's bold decision to stay local has had global impact and why that matters so much for the next wave of African storytellers.
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2 hours ago
- IOL News
Sona Mahendra asks: am I the right founder for this business?
Across these pieces, a founder wrestles with structure versus intuition, received wisdom against lived reality. Image: Photo by Kevin Turcios on Unsplash. I've had a front-row seat to Sona Mahendra's latest entrepreneurial chapter, watching her transition from backing founders at 54 Collective to building her own startup. The transformation has been fascinating: seeing how lessons learnt while supporting other people's ventures now play out in her own. After her initial TechTides Africa column hijack, African Tech's Next Big Challenge: Matching Venture Capital to Realistic Outcomes, I've been tracking how she navigates the founder's chair with fresh perspective from the other side. Her four-part Sona's Field Notes email capsule series offers a window into this evolution, both psychological and practical. The first instalment tackled that haunting question keeping African founders awake: "But is it VC-backable, though?" Mahendra pushed back. Why pre-filter ideas through investor lenses when most founders are too early for VC conversations anyway? Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Freedom from market-size obsession, she argued, actually speeds up learning. March brought The Market Size Misconception, challenging founders who abandon promising ideas over perceived total addressable market limitations. Drawing from Y Combinator wisdom, she called out the "VC toolkit" mentality that kills viable businesses before they prove themselves. In Africa's problem-rich environment, she reasoned, any substantial challenge pursued long enough will grow into real opportunity. April's Principles Over Playbooks cited Cedric Chin's demolition of the "Idea Maze" concept and Peter Thiel's first principles thinking. Mahendra questioned Africa's dependence on imported playbooks. Successful companies, she concluded, emerge from deeply personal journeys that resist cookie-cutter approaches. Across these pieces, a founder wrestles with structure versus intuition, received wisdom against lived reality. Now, in the last in this series of public reflections, Mahendra turns the microscope on herself rather sharply, confronting a question that pervades every entrepreneur's quiet moments. Here's what's on Mahendra's mind, in her words: "Am I the right founder to build this business?" is a recurring question I ask myself. I don't ask this just because the constant curveballs result in inevitable imposter syndrome, but because evaluating any venture requires honestly assessing whether the founder, even if it's you, has what it takes to win in that market. There's a lot of content about "founder archetypes" and "strong founders" across LinkedIn thought pieces. Most of it boils down to lukewarm labels like "execution-focused" or "visionary," which don't actually explain why some people succeed and others don't. By those definitions, nearly anyone passionate enough is a "good" builder until they're not. What does it even mean to be a "strong founder" when markets are this brutal? That question led me down a rabbit hole, with ChatGPT as my thinking partner, to explore common types and how they perform across different markets and business models. While archetypes are inherently limiting (venture capital, after all, is about spotting outliers before they're obvious), they're still a helpful lens for understanding founder-market-model alignment, and for reflecting on your own strengths, values, and context. Here's what I discovered: Different business models demand different people The type of business you want to build determines the kind of person it needs to build it. For example: If you want to build a hyper-scale technology startup, the dominant type that succeeds is a hybrid of the Visionary/Sales and Product builder. These people understand or can build the product but lead with strong vision and optimism about the future. They're great at pitching, which is crucial for raising capital, recruiting early teams, and driving initial traction. However, they might struggle to operationalise as the business scales. On the other hand, execution-heavy ventures (like franchises or infrastructure plays) thrive under Operator types. These are people who are process-driven, detail-oriented, and consistent. They build strong companies based on fundamentals that are ready for scale, but they don't naturally gravitate to startup ideas that align with venture capital's high-growth demands. Different markets reward different people We often look at founder-market fit through the lens of whether the person suits the market. But we should also ask: does the market suit the person? Different industries reward different skill sets: Healthcare rewards operators and domain experts who bring trust and credibility. Deep tech favours highly technical people who can navigate complexity and build deeply technical products. Consumer and innovation-led sectors often reward visionary sellers who can successfully fundraise. People who can tell compelling stories are able to rally teams and attract capital, all of which is needed to get customers to move away from the status quo. What I'm seeing more of is people becoming more deliberate about the kind of business model that suits their industry and reflects their values. Market readiness beats ability 'When a great team meets a lousy market, market wins. When a lousy team meets a great market, market wins. When a great team meets a great market, something special happens.' — Andy Rachleff (Co-founder, Benchmark Capital) Formidable people in a weak market are as good as weak people in a strong market. Turns out, the average person can be great too, as long as the market accepts their solution and its needs are met. Markets are not meritocratic. There are no rewards for process and presentation, only solutions. Play to your strengths These types aren't fixed. Great people evolve from builder to CEO, from sales to product leader. Especially in Africa's young, resource-constrained startup scene, people often wear multiple hats early on. But knowing your default operating mode helps understand where you can stretch yourself and where you realistically can't. People who know their core strengths (builder, operator, visionary) can make smarter hires, find complementary co-partners, and grow more effectively. Assessing a startup's survivability often comes down to evaluating the founding team, not just the individual founder. In a market where it can take up to three years to get a big client, we're all going to need the best teams and partners to improve our chances of success. We do that by understanding the kind of companies that are uniquely suited to what you enjoy doing and are good at. "What are you? Whatever you are, that's how you find success. If you're a salesman, you sell your way to success. If you're a politician, you politic your way to success. If you're a fighter, you fight your way to success. You can't find success by being something you're not" — Alan Knott-Craig (Founder, Fibertime) Success is the only metric that matters In reality, strong people are only recognised in hindsight, after they've succeeded. If you browse LinkedIn bios of high-profile company builders, you'll see a wide variety of backgrounds: music majors, ex-corporates, serial entrepreneurs. There is no formula, and that's the point. People are rewarded for solving problems and investors are rewarded not for the "obvious" bets, but for having a differentiated thesis about what kind of person wins in that particular market and opportunity. Anyone can be a business builder. At the end of the day, success (carving out room for yourself in a market) is the only metric that matters that can truly determine if you're a 'strong' builder. I'm wrapping up this share while grappling with a lot about what it means to build a business from scratch in real time while also navigating a few significant life changes. I'm struck by how much there is still to learn—about markets, about timing, about myself as a builder. Cheers to every founder out there building and learning in public, and here's to sharing what's working, what isn't, and why, as we all figure this out together. Andile Masuku is Co-founder and Executive Producer at African Tech Roundup. Connect and engage with Andile on X (@MasukuAndile) and via LinkedIn. Sona Mahendra - from founder to venture builder and back again. Fresh from helping to transform promising founders' visions into venture-backable businesses at 54 Collective, she's now fleshing out her own alternative healthcare financing venture concept with newly minted venture support expertise and a souped-up connectivity profile to match. Andile Masuku is Co-founder and Executive Producer at African Tech Roundup. Connect and engage with Andile on X (@MasukuAndile) and via LinkedIn. Image: File. Sona Mahendra - Venture Building and Investing in Africa. Image: Supplied. 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IOL News
18 hours ago
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Unlocking Africa's data potential: the launch of the African Bioinformatics Institute
Univeristy of Cape Town. Image: File In an epoch-defining milestone for scientific collaboration and capacity building across Africa, the African Bioinformatics Institute (ABI) has officially launched, inheriting interim hosting support from the University of Cape Town's (UCT) esteemed Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM). This transformative initiative is poised to propel the continent into a data-powered future, driving forward bioinformatics research and infrastructure with the goal of unleashing Africa's vast potential in health, development, and innovation. The launch of the ABI followed a landmark gathering featuring over 200 scientists, policymakers, and institutional leaders hailing from across Africa and beyond. All present shared an unwavering commitment to cultivating an integrated, Africa-led ecosystem devoted to data-driven discoveries, a vital venture for the continent's future. Currently hosted by UCT's IDM, the ABI capitalises on a robust institutional foundation and a rich legacy of leadership in genomics, health, and bioinformatics research. Within the next months, ABI will establish itself as a non-profit organisation (NPO), which will solidify its long-term independence and reinforce its commitment to an Africa-led agenda. The ABI's formation signifies a substantial leap forward for empowering African researchers to lead the charge in bioinformatics and data science. Interim lead of the ABI and head of the Computational Biology Division at UCT, Professor Nicky Mulder expressed optimism about the institute's potential: 'The launch of the ABI marks a major milestone towards building a genuinely Africa-led research ecosystem.' 'Bioinformatics and data science are the cornerstones of research that will help us achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The ABI is well-positioned to play a foundational role in investing in world-class training, infrastructure, and collaboration, which will drive Africa's scientific growth in the coming years,' she said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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The anticipated development of African infrastructure will empower local researchers to analyse pathogens, monitor diseases, and implement evidence-based policy, paving the way for sustained health improvements across the continent. Ekin Bolukbasi, Technology Manager for Data for Science and Health at Wellcome, said there is a growing demand for bioinformatics. 'Given the rapid pace of technological advancement, bioinformatics and data science have become essential for research-driven decision-making. The ABI has an ambitious vision to establish itself as a continent-wide skills and infrastructure hub, enabling the use of biological data to enhance the lives of African citizens.' In recent years, Africa has witnessed a surge in biological and environmental data generation, primarily propelled by advancements in genomics and public health surveillance. However, the infrastructure and expertise required to effectively manage and interpret this influx of data has remained erratic. The ABI aims to bridge this gap through enhanced training, establishing interoperable systems, and championing local leadership in data science. Dario Taraborelli, science program officer at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, said Africa's leaders in genomics, biodiversity research, and disease surveillance have been operating without the unified data infrastructure they rightly deserve. We are proud to support the African Bioinformatics Institute as it lays the groundwork for the data and bioinformatics backbone needed across the continent, addressing the priorities of its scientific community and unlocking breakthrough discoveries that will benefit its distinct and diverse populations.' The African Bioinformatics Institute is focused on aligning its goals with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union's Agenda 2063 by: Enhancing the continent's capacity in bioinformatics through training, infrastructure, and collaborative networks. Establishing infrastructure that enables African researchers to analyse, interpret, and integrate complex datasets essential for tackling local and continental challenges. Supporting pandemic preparedness by providing access to high-quality, interoperable bioinformatics tools and platforms. Facilitating the implementation of One Health by linking human, animal, and ecosystem health to strengthen the response to emerging health threats. Since its inception in January 2025, the ABI has established an interim governance council and is actively identifying regional nodes to ensure comprehensive geographical representation and research diversity. Its interim hosting at UCT's IDM - a globally recognised leader in health research - highlights UCT's pivotal role as a continental epicentre for scientific excellence. Recently, in April 2025, the ABI endorsed the ISCB-Africa ASBCB Bioinformatics Conference in Cape Town, which convened students and early-career researchers alongside established scientists to foster collaboration and information exchange. The institute's momentum is set to continue as it prepares to launch its inaugural training programme and cultivate communities of practice across various thematic research areas.
IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Goodyear South Africa's restructuring puts over 900 jobs at risk
Concern has been raised as Goodyear South Africa serves Section 189 notice to workers' unions National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa on restructuring at their manufacturing plant in Uitenhage Eastern Cape, putting over 900 jobs at risk. Image: David Paul Morris Goodyear South Africa's announcement on Friday to discontinue its manufacturing operations in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, has sent shockwaves through the region, with over 900 jobs at risk due to a Section 189 notice served to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa). The decision, communicated by Goodyear's Managing Director Paul Gerrard, has raised alarm among unions, and economic analysts, who fear the closure could devastate the local economy amid high unemployment. Mziyanda Twani, Numsa Eastern Cape Regional Secretary, said on Friday that the union is dismayed by Goodyear South Africa's announcement to discontinue its manufacturing operations in South Africa. 'The union has been served with a Section 189 notice from Paul Gerrard, the Managing Director of Goodyear Tyres in South Africa. The manufacturing plant is located in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape, and the company envisages that at least 907 employees will be affected by the plant closure,' Twani said. Twani added that as a region, Numsa was deeply worried about the impact on workers and their families in Uitenhage. 'It is becoming a ghost town given that ContiTech, which is part of Continental, closed down and it is also in the same tyre and rubber industry. At the same time, it may not be easy to replace these jobs. The Eastern Cape has a very high unemployment rate at 41.9% according to StatsSA.' Twani said that while the outlook is bleak, as Numsa, "we stand ready to do everything we can to defend the jobs of our members and to negotiate fair severance packages. The dates of the first consultation will be communicated in due course". Video Player is loading. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Chris Harmse, consulting economist of Sequoia Capital Management, said he is concerned about the move. 'One of the issues could well be that the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) could be ending due to the strain on South African and American relations. This could well have led to Goodyear South Africa wanting to scale down operations at its Uitenhage plant. The Agoa most major part is made up of 60% of the motor industry, with the next largest part being the agriculture industry. We hope that if Agoa does end, other major companies don't look to scale down business,' he said. Goodyear South Africa is the heart of business in Uitenhage. 'Another issue is that the cost of doing business in South Africa is becoming too high, including issues with electricity, water, and failing infrastructure. We could see businesses looking to move their operations to other parts of Africa and to countries like Botswana and showing a preference to use Walvis Bay in Namibia for doing business South Africa already faces steep economic challenges. We are seeing that South Africa's GDP is being revised downwards, and this does raise concern about doing business in South Africa,' he said. Nduduzo Chala, the managing executive at South African Tyre Manufacturers (SATMC), said that he is concerned about Section 189 at Goodyear South Africa. 'However, we must remember that Goodyear South Africa has entered a consultative process, and there will be an opportunity for the government, trade unions, and other stakeholders to voice their concerns. It is not set that they would retrench over 900 workers and end operations at the manufacturing plant in Eastern Cape. We just have to wait and see how the process unfolds.' SATMC is concerned about the possibility of the plant closing. 'It's not a great situation for us as SATMC, workers, and the Eastern Cape community, but we have to see what happens during the consultative process,' Chala said. Dr Eliphas Ndou, an economist and author at Unisa's Department of Economics, said the manufacturing sector's contribution to GDP has become smaller over time. 'The sector faces many challenges, including low-cost imports and a decline in local manufacturing competitiveness. The decline in the latest BER business confidence index shows that most businesses are not satisfied with prevailing business conditions. Hence, the development in the tyre manufacturing sector is a clear message to the government that wants to grow the economy, create, and keep employment to fast-track the implementation of structural reforms that will improve the local manufacturing sector's competitiveness, including tyre producers.'
