How would you build it?

Can you build a company on top of WhatsApp?That’s exactly what Jonathan Williams, founder of Chat Inc, has been doing for almost 10 years — bootstrapping without outside funding and delivering innovations like SaFair’s WhatsApp experience.In this episode of How Would You Build It, Jonathan shares: • Why WhatsApp is more than just a chat app — it’s infrastructure to build on • How bootstrapping sharpened their execution and resilience • What big changes from Meta are about to shake the ecosystem • Why the opportunities for building on WhatsApp are still endless👉 Subscribe for more at howwouldyoubuildit.com👉 Join the newsletter: theopenletter.io👉 Connect with founders: thefoundercollab.com00:00 Intro02:12 Founder Story: Moving away from corporate04:26 Innovation Inclusion 06:54 The best explanation of why WhatsApp wins13:02 Founder Story: Getting Safair as a client19:06 Building on WhatsApp21:53 Builder Story: 5 things being built on Meta & Whatsapp28:58 Building a product vs building a business32:51 The impact on startups with the impending corporate culture in SA34:07 Where government is getting it wrong on employment vs entrepreneurship39:23 Builder Story: The ability to build for the international market42:39 What the future looks like for Chat Inc with new WhatsApp functions coming

$6 billion in gaming ad spend is wasted every year. That’s the problem Dan Marcus, co-founder of Kohort, is determined to fix. I
In this episode of How Would You Build It, Dan shares how Kohort is tackling attribution and data consistency — the trillion-dollar alignment issue facing marketing, finance, and product teams.
With over $3B in ad spend already run through their platform and new funding secured in 2025, Kohort is scaling.
Dan explains:
• Why naïve boldness can be a founder’s secret weapon
• How data transparency aligns teams and cuts waste
• Why the future means democratising advanced tools for smaller studios and consumer apps

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00:00 Intro
01:28 Are you born a founder?
03:27 What does Kohort do?
06:57 Pains in the market outside of gaming
09:45 The Candy Crush origins
11:18 Who should own the data component within a business
15:21 Gaming Development regions of the world
16:29 Plans after recent funding round
19:51 How they go their first clients
23:11 Characteristics of a successful founder
25:21 Questions from VC's
28:28 How Kohort is penetrating the market
32:53 There are opportunities to serve smaller businesses and other industries!
36:22 How remote founders stay aligned
41:25 How Dan and Kohort are using AI
45:16 What would you have done differently as a founder?

What can delivering toasted cheese sandwiches teach you about building a startup?
In this episode of How Would You Build It, we talk with Simon Hartley, co-founder of Wumdrop, about the journey from scrappy beginnings to a successful exit to Massmart.Simon shares the quirky story of how he and his co-founder first tested logistics by delivering sandwiches, what it’s really like to integrate with a corporate giant, and the lessons founders need to know when chasing partnerships and exits.
You’ll learn:
• Why understanding corporate seasonality is key to making deals work
• Why your focus should always be on helping corporates make more money
• The hard-earned insights from a founder who’s lived the exit journey

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02:13 What do toasted sandwiches have to do with the Wumdrop founding story
10:06 Learning by being at the coalface
13:24 The tech that made Wumdrop stand out at the time
21:11 How to get a corporate to pay attention to your startup
27:15 Leveraging corporate seasonality36:06 Keep your team motivated when acquired by corporate
41:36 Corporate Seasonality

What does it take to build not one, but two successful startups in South Africa’s tough market?In this episode of How Would You Build It, we sit down with David Torr, co-founder of Faro and former co-founder of Ucook, to talk about the highs, lows, and realities of building in South Africa.
We unpack:
• How Faro raised $6M to tackle unsold fashion inventory using AI & machine learning
• Why TAM (Total Addressable Market) and team are the ultimate startup success formula
• The hard truth about corporates holding back innovation in SA
• How navigating VC challenges in a small market shapes growth strategy.
David’s journey proves that even in the chaos of startups, execution and focus can turn your startup into a success.
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👉 Founders collab: thefoundercollab.com

00:00 David Torr - ucook/Faro
00:51 Building FARO02:49 SA VC Landscape vs The US.
08:23 The impact on AI for startup ventures
16:12 Unpackng how AI assists Faro's operational model.
24:05 The TikTok viral loop
25:53 From Online to brick n mortar
32:24 Tech foundations at Faro
38:06 Having a mission critical team
41:35 The role grit plays
45:14 Bootstrapping stories
46:59 Dynamics of an early-stage startup in SA
49:11 How corporate SA is hurting startup innovation

Can AgriTech finally work in South Africa?In this episode of How Would You Build It, we speak with Louis de Kock, founder of Nile.ag, a tech-driven marketplace revolutionising agriculture across Southern Africa.This isn’t the first time someone’s tried to digitise agri supply chains — but Louis and his team have succeeded where others haven’t. Why? Timing, execution, and trust.We talk about: • Raising R200 million to scale a two-sided marketplace • Why transparency and word of mouth drive growth in legacy industries • Building what farmers actually want and need — not what looks good in a pitch deck👉 Subscribe at www.howwouldyoubuildit.com👉 Get weekly founder insights at www.theopenletter.io00:00 Intro03:40 Why now is different for Agritech06:18 Tech and the age dynamics of farmers10:55 How Nile built their Tech team12:26 Seasonality and trust15:42 Managing early growth19:13 More than tech to move the needle21:59 Recipe for success24:49 e-commerce vs Logistics company25:38 What were investors looking for that landed funding29:40 The data play opportunity31:46 How funding builds trust36:58 That validation moment40:21 The hidden value Proposition42:08 How transparency unlocks value