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🛒One Universe Launches Trusted Services Marketplace

🛒One Universe Launches Trusted Services Marketplace

Plus: 📺Netflix Doubles Down on Ads

Innovation Village
April 16, 2026

In partnership with

Someone just spent $236,000,000 on a painting. Here’s why it matters for your wallet.

Late last year, a Klimt sold for the highest price ever paid for modern art at auction.

An outlier sure, but it wasn't a fluke. U.S. auction sales grew 23.1% in 2025. The $1-5mm segment even grew 40.8% YoY.

Now, the S&P, teetering on all time highs, just posted its worst quarter since 2022, oil was up 94% (briefly), and Moody's puts recession odds at 48.6%.

So, that's where it gets interesting.

Each environment is unique, but after dot-com, post war and contemporary art grew about 24% annually for a decade. After 2008, about 11% for 12 years.

It’s also had near-zero correlation with the S&P 500 since ‘95.*

Now, Masterworks lets you invest in shares of artworks featuring legends like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso.

$1.3 billion invested across over 500 artworks.
28 sales to date.
Net annualized returns on sold works held 12 months+ like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8%.

Shares can sell quickly, but my subscribers can skip the waitlist:

Skip waitlist

^{*Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. See important Reg A disclosures at}^{masterworks.com/cd}^.

Good Morning Valued Subscribers👋

Platform expansion, strategic pivots, and investment activity are driving a new wave of transformation across global and African markets. From One Universe launching a trusted services marketplace to Netflix doubling down on its advertising strategy after stepping away from a major $72 billion deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, companies are rethinking growth and monetisation in a rapidly shifting digital economy.

Across Africa, partnerships and infrastructure investments are gaining momentum. Duplo and Ozow are collaborating to automate business finance in South Africa, while Mulilo has secured financing for a 337MW solar project, reinforcing the region’s push toward sustainable energy. Meanwhile, global tech firms continue to restructure for efficiency, with Snap Inc. cutting 1,000 jobs in a bid to save $500 million.

Together, these developments highlight a landscape where innovation, cost optimisation, and strategic partnerships are reshaping how companies compete and scale.

Let’s dive in👇

Today’s Menu ☕️

🛒One Universe Launches Trusted Services Marketplace
📺Netflix Doubles Down on Ads After $72B Warner Bros. Deal Exit
🤝Duplo, Ozow Partner to Automate Business Finance in South Africa
💵Mulilo Secures Financing for 337MW Solar Project in South Africa
📱Snap Cuts 1,000 Jobs to Save $500M

🛒E-COMMERCE

One Universe Launches Trusted Services Marketplace

One Universe has launched a new app that connects users with verified service providers, integrating discovery, communication, and secure payments into a single platform.

A core feature is its escrow-based payment system, which holds funds until services are completed, reducing risk and building trust between users and providers. The platform also enables professionals to showcase skills, gain reviews, and grow their customer base without relying on informal networks.

To drive adoption, One Universe introduced a referral-based Recruiter Program, incentivising users to bring in new customers and expand the ecosystem.

Overall, the platform positions itself as a trust layer in the digital services economy, aiming to simplify service transactions and unlock new opportunities for both individuals and businesses..........….continue reading

Business Analysis Training

Projects fail every day—not because the ideas are bad, but because requirements are unclear.

If you’ve ever struggled with understanding business needs, defining requirements, or delivering solutions that actually work, this is for you.

Learn practical business analysis skills in 2 days:
• Requirements gathering & documentation
• Stakeholder management
• Process modelling & solution design

📅 April 22-23, 2026
📍 Canton Concourse, Oniru, Lagos
💰 ₦150,000 (VAT excl.)

📺MEDIA

Netflix Doubles Down on Ads After $72B Warner Bros. Deal Exit

Netflix has shifted its growth strategy after walking away from a $72 billion acquisition bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, opting for financial discipline over large-scale consolidation.

Instead of expanding through acquisitions, Netflix is focusing on ad-supported subscription plans, which have gained strong traction since their 2022 launch. The company is actively pushing users toward these lower-cost tiers, creating a dual revenue model that combines subscriptions with advertising—an increasingly critical move as subscriber growth slows in mature markets.

At the same time, Netflix is doubling down on original and local-language content, investing up to $17 billion annually while expanding in high-growth regions like Africa, Asia, and Latin America.......….continue reading

🤝PARTNERSHIPS

Duplo, Ozow Partner to Automate Business Finance in South Africa

Duplo has partnered with Ozow to streamline financial operations for South African businesses by integrating payments with back-office workflows.

The collaboration enables end-to-end automation of invoicing, reconciliation, collections, and expense management within a single platform. A key feature is real-time reconciliation, where payments made via Ozow are instantly matched to invoices in Duplo—reducing manual data entry by up to 90% and minimising errors.

This unified system addresses major inefficiencies in traditional finance processes, which often consume significant time and lead to revenue leakage. By improving cash flow visibility and operational efficiency, the solution allows businesses to shift from manual processes to data-driven financial management...........….continue reading

💵FUNDING

Mulilo Secures Financing for 337MW Solar Project in South Africa

Mulilo has reached financial close on the 337 MW Middlepunt Solar PV project in South Africa’s Free State province, marking a major milestone in the country’s renewable energy expansion.

The project is expected to generate about 770 GWh of clean electricity annually and will supply power to the national grid under a 20-year agreement with the National Transmission Company of South Africa, ensuring long-term revenue stability.

Backed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Norfund, the project strengthens South Africa’s efforts to diversify its energy mix, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and scale utility-level solar infrastructure.......….continue reading

📱APPS

Snap Cuts 1,000 Jobs to Save $500M

Snap Inc. is laying off about 1,000 employees (16% of its workforce) as part of a restructuring plan aimed at saving over $500 million annually and accelerating its shift toward AI-driven operations.

CEO Evan Spiegel said the move is designed to improve efficiency and execution speed, with AI enabling smaller teams to deliver faster results across products like Snapchat+, advertising systems, and Snap Lite.

The restructuring reflects a broader industry trend, where companies such as Meta Platforms and Amazon are also cutting jobs while increasing investment in AI.

Overall, Snap is repositioning itself for leaner, AI-powered growth, prioritising automation and productivity over workforce expansion in a highly competitive digital advertising market............….continue reading