The solution behind the startup was established as SmartWage. Later, its founders decided to broaden its offering. So they updated its name. 

Jem is a digital solution developed by a South African startup. It enables employers to share documents and information with their out-of-office employees. The Cape Town-based startup was founded, in 2019, under the name SmartWage by Alex Platt, Caroline van der Merwe, Nick Platt, and Simon Ellis. It has raised around $2.5 million to, among other things, support its growth and develop its technology.

"Payslips and leaves are still done manually with paper printouts, while employee communication is done using notice boards or apps, which have huge usage drop-offs. Onboarding and disciplinary procedures are still paper-based, costing businesses precious time, money, and resources," says Simon Ellis.

The digital solution is accessible via WhatsApp instant messaging app, so users won't have to download any apps from the Play Store or App Store. Jem allows users to receive company-wide communications, access payslips, request time off, or even access financial wellness products, all via WhatsApp.

"If we can save employers time and money through digitization, we can bridge the gap between South African enterprises and their frontline employees, helping enterprises connect clearly and dynamically with their employees, whilst offering financial wellness tools at the same time," explains Simon Ellis.

To share payslips via the solution, each employee pays 4.90 rand (approx. $0.26) per month, and to receive all communications, the rate rises to 8.9 rand. The startup also offers access to salary advances that need to be repaid the following month. 

Adoni Conrad Quenum