Mustek buys majority stake in Business AI and funds B2B AI marketplace after renewables slowdown

In short

Mustek has invested R7 million in a South African startup called Business AI.

It is using the deal to launch a business-to-business AI marketplace, a catalog where companies can compare and buy AI software and services from multiple vendors.

What happened

Mustek, the long-time South African tech distributor behind the Mecer PC brand, said it acquired a controlling 51% stake in Business AI.

Mustek’s turnover fell 15% to R7.18 billion for the year ended June 2025. The company blamed weaker consumer demand, delays in public sector procurement, and a sharp drop in renewable energy hardware sales, which had previously benefited from load-shedding demand.

The new marketplace will vet and list AI products and services from different suppliers. The platform is powered by Beyond Now, a Dublin-based company that provides “ecosystem orchestration,” which is software that helps multiple vendors plug into one buying and delivery layer.

Mustek and Business AI say the setup is meant to reduce vendor lock-in, which is when a buyer becomes stuck with one provider because switching is too costly or technically hard.

Early users named include Mustek, Woolworths, Italtile, and Bidvest.

Why it matters

African enterprises are moving from AI experiments to budgets tied to clear outcomes. Mustek is positioning itself as a trusted middle layer that can take clients from proof of concept to production, particularly for analytics, automation, and cybersecurity use cases.

The pitch also addresses a common risk. Staff often use free, unsecured AI tools, which can leak company data if governance is weak.

For Mustek, the move is also a hedge against cyclical hardware demand. It shifts the company toward higher-margin, recurring enterprise services, and builds a channel for multiple AI vendors into South Africa’s corporate market.

Source: Tech In Africa