From Paper to Platform: How Tumi Letsaba’s Next Curve Creations Is Digitising Township Retail
From Paper to Platform: How Tumi Letsaba’s Next Curve Creations Is Digitising Township Retail. Tumi Letsaba was not looking for inspiration in a boardroom or lecture hall, he found it in the daily routines of township retailers in Frankfort, Free State. Walking into small shops, he saw a recurring problem: inventory was tracked on paper, orders were made manually, and no one had real-time data. These informal businesses were the backbone of the local economy, but they were disconnected from the digital revolution.
Rather than watch this inefficiency continue, Letsaba and his co-founders, Bandile Ntombela, Ditjaba Selema, and Kgomotso Sebitlo, set out to build something better. That “something” became Next Curve Creations, and more specifically, a product called Stocke, a mobile app built for township retailers to manage their inventory with ease.
Designing a Product with Local Insight
The team knew one thing from the start: this app had to be built for township conditions. That meant offline functionality, simple UX, and no need for expensive scanners or complex systems. The first version of Stocke allowed users to scan barcodes, track inventory levels, and monitor sales, all through a mobile phone.
Rather than build for Silicon Valley, they built for the shopkeeper who only had a feature phone yesterday and a smartphone today. That grounded approach proved critical..
Starting Small, Scaling Smart
The MVP (Minimum Viable Product) launched in early 2021 with just ten users in Frankfort. These weren’t just test users, they were real businesses. Their feedback guided product improvements, proving the power of community-led development.
This small pilot validated the team’s core belief: the need was real, and the solution was working.
Fueling Growth Through Incubation
April 2021 marked a turning point. Next Curve Creations was selected for support by Black Umbrellas, a leading business incubator affiliated with the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation. Through this, the team gained access to experienced mentors, workshops on investment readiness, and introductions to networks in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) space.
This incubation process helped the founders refine their roadmap, prepare investor pitches, and sharpen their product’s positioning.
The Rebrand to Stocke
With early user feedback and a clearer direction, the team decided to rebrand their product from Progressive Creations to Stocke, a name that more directly reflected its function. This rebranding wasn’t just cosmetic. It aligned with the growing seriousness of the venture and its appeal to new users across the Free State and beyond.
Strategic Visibility at the Digital Hub
Another defining moment came in 2022 when Tumi Letsaba was invited to present Stocke at the launch of the Botshabelo Industrial Park and Digital Hub. In attendance were provincial leaders, ministers, and tech stakeholders. Speaking at this event brought Stocke government attention and added legitimacy to the brand.
This visibility positioned Stocke as not just a startup, but a solution aligned with national goals of digital transformation and township economic development.
Expanding with Partnerships
By early 2022, Stocke had reached 30 township retailers and over 200 users. Growth was not just user-driven, it was powered by strategic collaborations. The Free State Black Business Council helped introduce the product to more small businesses, creating a pipeline for growth without heavy advertising spend.
These partnerships turned Stocke from a local project into a scalable platform.
Solving a Digital Divide
Beyond just functionality, Stocke is helping bridge the digital divide for township entrepreneurs. It offers a transition from manual systems to modern data-driven business management. It empowers informal traders with the same capabilities larger retailers take for granted, inventory data, supplier management, and streamlined operations.
This isn’t just digitisation for the sake of it. It’s empowerment with real economic benefits.
Lessons for Entrepreneurs
- Solve what you see. Next Curve Creations didn’t dream up a problem, they observed one and addressed it head-on.
- Build for context. Stocke works because it understands the realities of township retail. That attention to context is everything.
- Start small and validate. Ten users were enough to test and refine the app before scaling.
- Tap into incubators. Black Umbrellas helped the team accelerate, formalise, and position their brand for growth.
- Speak and be seen. Presenting at public forums like the Digital Hub launch helped boost credibility and visibility.
- Partner for growth. Business councils and local networks can help you reach more people than social media ads ever could.
Looking Ahead
Next Curve Creations is not just building an app, it is laying the foundation for a digital economy in spaces that have long been left out. With a growing user base and a team driven by purpose, Stocke is poised to scale beyond the Free State, with potential to expand into other provinces and even across the continent.
For entrepreneurs, Tumi Letsaba’s journey is a reminder that impactful innovation doesn’t start in a pitch deck. It starts on the ground, in the aisles of informal stores, with eyes open and a mind ready to build.
