The South African brothers who backed a cryptocurrency giant and flipped recruitment on its head are getting into luxury safaris
OfferZen co-founders Malan and Philip Joubert are part of a team behind a new startup aiming to become the digital backbone of Africa’s high-end safari industry.
The two brothers have founded and funded numerous successful startups in South Africa. Both attended high school at Somerset College in Cape Town.
The older of the two — Malan — matriculated in 2003 before enrolling at Stellenbosch University to obtain a degree in electrical and electronic engineering, merged with computer science.
In his last year of studies, he founded FireID as a mobile security business specialising in two-factor authentication solutions for corporates.
Philip matriculated in 2006, before studying industrial engineering at Stellenbosch University between 2007 and 2010.
He admitted in a Fully Vested podcast that he spent more time surfing than attending classes during that time.
Malan invited Philip to work at FireID during one of his varsity holidays. He enjoyed the experience so much that he continued working at the company after his classes resumed.
“Instead of skipping classes and going surfing, I was skipping class and going to work,” he said.
Philip initially worked in marketing while he was still a “very mediocre” software developer. “The tech team was extremely good, and so my ability to make an impact there was quite limited,” he said.
“On the sales and marketing side, they had invested a lot less, so I saw that as my opportunity to shine by focusing on the area of the business where there wasn’t as much attention.”
FireID went bankrupt after a major funding round fell through in 2008 due to the global financial crisis. Malan bought out the company’s investors for a “pittance,” mainly to retain its name and logo.
The company was relaunched as a venture builder in 2009, far removed from its original business. Over the next few years, it would incubate and help launch numerous successful tech companies.
Among the most noteworthy were cryptocurrency exchange Luno, QR code-based payments platform SnapScan, insurance platform Root, JourneyApps, and Pondering Panda.
A bold new idea
In 2015, the brothers founded what they are perhaps most well known for: the reverse recruitment marketplace for IT professionals, OfferZen.
The company flipped the conventional approach to hiring on its head by having companies pitch their job opportunities to software developers.
Over a decade, OfferZen expanded into Europe, with offices in Amsterdam. It has assisted over 100,000 tech professionals with getting jobs.
Philip served as OfferZen CEO for nearly a decade before handing over the reins to Matt Beck in early 2024. The brothers continue to hold stakes in the firm, but have recently taken on a brand new venture.
The brothers’ latest venture is Magic Safari, founded alongside former Root founder Louw Hopley, as well as e-commerce systems builder Chris Lemmer.
Philip is the company’s CEO. While still in stealth, he recently said the firm was profitable and already had some of Africa’s top luxury lists using its software.
In a LinkedIn post advertising for a data engineer to join the team, he provided some details about the company’s ambition.
“Magic Safari is one of those ‘we’re either going to change the industry or explode on impact’ bets,” he said.
“What I can tell you is that we’re certainly not short on ambition — we’re doing what would have been four separate startups a few years ago.”
Setting the stage for lodges to meet visitors early
Philip explained some of the main goals of Magic Safari. “Planning a safari requires human conversations with a dozen suppliers to discover availability, pricing, routing constraints, and rules,” he said.
“It’s slow, error-prone, and expensive. Magic Safari makes planning computable so that trips can be planned in minutes instead of hours or days.”
The data engineer will be given over 10 Claude Code Max 200 accounts to create data pipelines from fragmented booking systems, rate sheets, spreadsheets, PDFs, media folders, websites and inboxes.
On the Magic Safari website, he also explained how the platform would benefit safari lodges. “The best lodges have always treated hospitality like theatre,” he wrote.
“Every detail considered. Every touchpoint choreographed. But the show doesn’t start at check-in. It begins months earlier, when travelers start planning their dream safari.”
Philip said that Magic Safari would allow lodges to claim their place in the guest journey without rejecting agents or spurning others who could amplify their message.
“Your lodge already knows how to hold a guest’s attention once they arrive. The stage is set, the details are rehearsed, and the performance of hospitality is delivered with care,” he said.
“But today, the opening act is online. To stand out, you need a direct presence where guests experience your voice long before they ever step into camp.”
Malan and Philip Joubert — South African tech entrepreneurs
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