About

Built by an operator, not a vendor.

Twenty years running operations for real South African businesses. That experience now builds the automation that runs yours.

Operations pedigree
SABMiller Estée Lauder Pep Stores ISO 9001
The operator

Most AI agencies have never run a business.

Melissa spent 20 years inside the operations, supply chain, and compliance teams of companies like SABMiller, Estée Lauder, and Pep Stores. Full general management. ISO 9001 quality systems. Real South African business pressure.

That combination of AI knowledge and operational experience is why Foundry builds things that actually work for how your business runs, not how a software company imagines it does.

"AI is the engine. Twenty years is the steering wheel."

Built by an operator, not a vendor
The market

The gap is real.

Small and medium businesses make up more than 98% of all formal businesses in South Africa. They employ most of the workforce. They run mostly on WhatsApp, spreadsheets, and goodwill.

The cost is real. A missed call to a mechanic is a job worth R3 000 to R30 000. A no-show in a dental chair is R800 to R2 000 of empty time. Over a month those leaks add up to serious money. That is the gap Foundry closes.

98%
of SA formal businesses are SMBs
R3 000–R30 000
lost per missed mechanic call
How we work

Four things we hold to, every time.

Trustworthy over clever

The technology only matters if it works reliably for real business owners. We hold a higher bar than clever demos.

Operator-led

Every product decision is run through the lens of someone who has actually managed South African business operations. We build for the real, not the ideal.

Human at the centre

AI is the engine. The owner is still the business. We build tools that amplify a person's judgement, not replace it.

Plain and honest

No invented results, no vague promises, no buzzwords. If we say it, we can prove it.

Ready to stop doing it manually?

Book a free 30-minute call. We'll map out exactly what to automate first. No pitch, no obligation.

Book a free call