This episode of the BIG5D Podcast is presented by Local Knowledge.

Episode 51 of the BIG5D Podcast, features a conversation about using the subscription model to help South Africans gain access to automobiles in a non-traditional manner with Tinashe Ruzane, the co-founder and CEO of FlexClub.

FlexClub helps South Africans access vehicles when they need them on a pay-as-you-go basis (they partner with major car rental platforms in South Africa).

Ruzane, a former Uber executive, explains why car subscriptions make more sense in a market like South Africa where the need for vehicles is high but accessibility is very limited.

This podcast usually talks to guests with a foot on the ground in Africa or the Middle East. For this episode, we make an exception.

Neal Polachek is an old colleague who has co-founded Dialog, a business doing groundbreaking research around small business use of AI. Dialog is learning not just how many SMEs are using AI but why and what the outcome is of this usage.

The bottom line is no surprise. Time is the SME's most precious resource and AI gives them back an abundance of time.

Dialog is currently US-based but will be expanding globally.

Steven Boykey Sidely is a professor, author, and investor with strongly held views on the threats and opportunities presented by AI.

This candid and engaging conversation spans AI safety, the AI opportunity for startups, and AI's geopolitical implications.

It is a fascinating conversation that you will not want to miss.

This week's guest on the BIG5D Podcast is Houssam Kayal, the chief revenue officer at FOO, a Dubai-based B2B SaaS company that offers banking-as-a-service and other solutions that help corporations offer financial services.

The conversation covers trends in fintech that are making financial services more widely accessible.

The BIG5D Podcast is brought to you by BigFive Digital.

Questions about the show? Write to us at [email protected].

This episode is supported by Fraktional.dev.

"Where innovation meets code, and the possibilities of technology unfold at your fingertips"

Nic Rawhani is a native South African software engineer and McKinsey alum who has co-founded Vula, a company that aims to use AI to solve Africa's SME funding gap, which Rawhani says surpasses $330 billion.

The conversation digs into the bad experiences most SMEs face in Africa as they seek the funding any business needs to operate.

Rawhani shares how Vula uses AI to make the financing application process easier for both SMEs and the banks who stand to gain from closing the continent's SME funding gap.

The BIG5D Podcast is brought to you by BigFive Digital.

Questions about the show? Write to us at [email protected].

This episode is supported by Realm Digital.

"Empowering industry leaders through innovative business solutions"

Imtiyaz Mohamed is the principal consultant at South Africa technology consulting firm Realm Digital. One of Realm's and Imtiyaz's focus areas is augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR).

The conversation focused on clarifying what AR/VR is (and isn't) and how businesses use it today to save money, improve safety, and more.

The BIG5D Podcast is brought to you by BigFive Digital.

To ask questions, recommend a guest, or inquire about sponsorship, write to us at [email protected]

Find @RealDigital on X.

The episode is sponsored by Fraktional.dev

Zane Stenning is the Co-founder of Mia Health Technologies, a Cape Town startup that addresses profound needs in Africa by providing greater access to dental care. Zane and his team do this via mobile clinics. But Mia also leans into new technologies from 3D printing to connected technology to AI to scale its services.

Zane was a speaker at the 2024 BigFive Summit in Cape Town.

Realm Digital sponsored this episode of the BIG5D Podcast. Realm empowers industry leaders through innovative business solutions. Contact them at realmdigital.com.

The BigFive Summit Speaker Podcast Series continues with a conversation with John Kitenge, a young South African entrepreneur who founded Fraktional.dev, a marketplace that matches IT talent with startups and cpr[pporates.

The interview covers how startups can use alternative workplace models to access higher quality talent, along with a lively discussion on how AI is changing the business of coding.

This episode is sponsored by the 2024 BigFive Summit, "Africa's leading small business technology event" which is coming to Cape Town 19-20 March 2024. Learn more at qkt.io/laNIFj

The BigFive Summit Speaker Podcast Series continues with a conversation with Thaheer Mullins. He is the general partner of Savant Venture Fund, which is a deep tech-focused venture firm and startup accelerator.

The interview talks about how the fourth industrial revolution is breeding some very interesting companies that are addressing real needs in Africa.

This episode is sponsored by the 2024 BigFive Summit, "Africa's leading small business technology event" which is coming to Cape Town 19-20 March 2024. Learn more at qkt.io/laNIFj

The BigFive Summit Speaker Podcast Series continues with a conversation with Kimberley Taylor. She is the founder and CEO of Loop, a South African logistics tech company that helps delivery companies with route optimization.

The interview talks about how her company progressed from idea to execution as well as the perspective of a young founder on what it takes to run a tech startup and the hard lessons learned int he process of doing so.

This episode is sponsored by the 2024 BigFive Summit, "Africa's leading small business technology event" which is coming to Cape Town 19-20 March 2024. Learn more at qkt.io/laNIFj