A holding company & digital product creator
Novolab buys, builds and grows wonderful digital businesses out of Johannesburg, South Africa. We move fast, keep our word, and put people first. Batho Pele, from the boardroom to the database.
Our vision
Novolab Holdings acquires and incubates digital businesses for the long term. No flips, no gutting. Founders hand their company to people who will care for it and grow it.
Novodigital Studio is our digital product arm: 13 years of research, UX, design systems and full builds for banks, telcos, insurers and broadcasters across Africa and beyond. By asking bold and unexpected questions, we drill down past calcified beliefs to unearth new ideas.
Portfolio
Novolab's initial portfolio company: a financial platform for South Africa's gig drivers. Earned-wage access, 0%-interest advances and a real safety net, built end-to-end and live in market with Uber, Nedbank and Mastercard partnerships. Long-term investment and incubation, from architecture to operations.
detour.africa ↗
Corporate venture website build demonstrating end-to-end digital execution, from positioning and design through to a shipped, production site. Novolab handles the ongoing hosting and maintenance on Google Cloud.
Full-scale digital transformation for one of South Africa's biggest radio stations: a WordPress website with custom plugins for live shows, podcasts and events, plus Android and iOS mobile applications, delivered and formally accepted.
Comprehensive digital presence overhaul featuring a modern website and Android/iOS mobile applications for a national broadcaster.
Design and development of the digital home of Radio Sonder Grense, SABC's national Afrikaans station: the website with live listening, podcasts, news and recipes, plus the Android and iOS mobile applications.
Batho Pele-driven service-design workshops across Group segments to define how Old Mutual attracts and onboards talent, guiding Group Executive priorities for 2024 to 2026.
Customer-experience training curated for Sanlam's Digital and Data graduates, building CX capability into the next generation of leaders within the Group.
We look for profitable digital businesses with happy customers and founders who care where their company ends up. Straight answers, fast decisions, fair terms.
Testimonials
"In a sea of average agencies, they are the stand-out exception. Responsive, insightful, intuitive, and the end product was flawless."
"Developing a new identity with Novo gave us the opportunity to question every facet of our business. The result is a positioning we are proud of."
"Novo delivered a high-quality, fully functional and beautiful website on time, communicating frequently and ensuring an effective workflow."