// NEWS //

intelligent

. tech

Intelligent SME. tech is an Intelligent Global Media publication for professionals with an interest in global SME news and events.

ello and a warm welcome to the 69th edition of Intelligent SME. tech. Within these pages, you will find news, features and whitepapers from around our regions with a core focus on technology for SMEs.

Most SMEs hanker after sustainable growth; growing steadily enough to make sure founders can keep up. Bret Tushaus, VP of Product Management at Deltek, explores the five fundamentals project-based SMEs and scaling start-ups need to successfully grow in today’ s uncertain market. Turn to page 35.

On this month’ s front cover, we feature Aykut Hilmi, Artistic Director and Co-founder at Starfish Loves Coffee, an awardwinning brunch spot in London. By day it is a celebrity boozy brunch spot, and by night, a cocktail and tapas bar. The company chose to work with Stampede, a provider of unified guest engagement technology, to work on customer retention. Hilmi discusses how the platform has helped boost customer loyalty, increase bookings and provide vital statistics to help the brunch house grow. Turn to page 14 to read more.

Our Talking Point is from Lebogang Luvuno, B-BBEE Executive at Microsoft South Africa. She argues that inclusive partner ecosystems are not a‘ nice to have’, but a core driver of sustainable digital growth in South Africa. Turn to page 18 to read more.

We also have an Intelligent Technology section dedicated to all the latest technology developments affecting SMEs and a page called Project Round-Up which features news from across our regions.

I hope you enjoy the magazine and if you’ d like to contribute to any future issues, please contact me by emailing rebecca. miles @ intelligentglobalmedia. com

Rebecca Miles Managing Editor

As investment continues to pour into the creator economy, much of the conversation has focused on monetisation models, audience growth and platform differentiation. But speak to founders behind the scenes, and a different pattern is emerging; one that tends to surface at the worst time – just as they want to scale. And this is the issue of managing payouts. Manish Vrishaketu, Chief Customer and Operating Officer at Tipalti, explores why payout infrastructure has become an overlooked inflection point for creator businesses. Turn to page 24 to read more.

Intelligent SME. tech

3