“ICYMI (in case you missed it) What’s New in SMB SaaS” is a periodic series on LSA Insider that curates and offers brief commentary on recent events related to the emerging SMB SaaS ecosystem that you may have overlooked. This week we feature Vendasta, Spotzer, Yoco, and Thryv.
South Africa’s Yoco Rolls Out New “Card Machine” for Micro SMBs
Yoco, known as the Square of South Africa, has unveiled a new product called Yoco Go designed to make its card acceptance service even more affordable for South African small businesses. The new Yoco Go “card machine” costs just 800 South African rand, or about $50. This is less than half the cost of the pre
Only about 7% of South African small businesses accept credit cards, even though more than 75% of consumers carry them.
Yoco was founded in 2013 with the mission of enabling South African small and micro businesses to accept credit card payments. Being limited to accepting cash also limits a business’s opportunity.
“Accepting cards equals growth,” Yoco co-founder Carl Wazen said.
The Yoco Go was designed to reach even deeper into the micro-business sector. The company, which raised $16 million last year, recently surpassed the 50,000 customer threshold.
A quick supporting anecdote. When I climbed Table Mountain in Cape Town earlier this year, the man standing near the trailhead leading up the mountain selling bottles of water out of a cooler had a Yoco card reader.
Spotzer Deal Supports Vendata’s Global Ambitions
Vendasta has announced a partnership with Spotzer to offer the Spotzer Agency marketing and web design services to its partners around the world. This deal adds 26 languages to Vendasta’s capabilities.
The deal involves Spotzer will providing its marketing and web design services to Vendasta channel partners throughout the world. Spotzer, in turn, receives access to Vendasta’s platform for its customers.
“Vendasta will be offering the same fulfillment and marketing services to partners in Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region that our North American partners have come to expect,” said Vendasta CRO George Leith. “This is a tremendous opportunity for Vendasta to respond to increasing demand in multilingual countries throughout the world, and we’re able to do it through a trusted technology partner.”
Business Guru Scott Galloway to Headline Thryv Event
Scott Galloway will be the keynote speaker at Thryv’s October 22 Connect19 event in Dallas, which the company is billing as a “One-Day Success and Growth Summit for Entrepreneurs.”
Galloway, who sits on Thryv’s board, is a professor of marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business and is a familiar face from frequent TV appearances, where he has shown a willingness to be candid and controversial.
Most recently, Galloway offered a damning (and humorous) takedown of WeWork after it filed for its ill-fated IPO. The company recently withdrew the offering in the face of bad publicity and lack of investor interest.
Gallowing also co-hosts The Pivot podcast with Kara Swisher.
We recently featured Galloway’s talk on “Rundles“(recurring bundles) in the LSA Insider’s Video Vault series.
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