You’ll soon be able to use the Google Assistant without saying ‘Hey, Google’ Written by BABU MOHAN There’s currently no word on when the features will begin rolling out to users. Google announced a bunch of new features coming to the Google Assistant with Android 12 at I/O 2021 — including shortcut expansions. A teardown of the latest Google…
Nigeria’s Bumpa raises $200k pre-seed to build e-commerce solutions for retail businesses Written by TOM JACKSON Nigerian startup Bumpa, which helps retailers manage and grow their businesses from their mobile phones, has closed a US$200,000 pre-seed funding round to help it reach more merchants and add more features. Launched in February by Kelvin Umechukwu and…
SA fintech startup Payflex acquired by listed Australian firm plotting African expansion Written by TOM JACKSON South African buy now pay later fintech startup Payflex has been acquired by Australia Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed Zip as the latter takes it global expansion plans into Africa. Founded in 2018, Payflex allows consumers to shop now and pay later, interest-free….
Kenya’s MotiSure launches API-powered insurtech platform Written by TOM JACKSON Kenyan startup MotiSure has launched an API-powered insurtech platform that provides personal accident cover for commuters and riders through embedding insurance in tickets and other points of sale within mobility. MotiSure was co-founded this year by Joel Macharia, Jane Njau and Thuita Wachira after they sampled…
Number of African participants in latest Y Combinator accelerator climbs to 15 Written by TOM JACKSON The number of confirmed African participants in the Y Combinator accelerator’s S21 cohort has increased to 15 after two more were named ahead of demo days taking place yesterday (August 31) and today (September 1). Disrupt Africa reported last month…
Tanzania: Govt Allocates 43bn/ – for Innovation Hubs THE government has reiterated its commitment to giving more attention to technology and innovations through the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET), with allocation of 43bn/- for setting up new incubators and hubs. Opening the training on importance of technology and innovation for community development officers from…
Ethiopia: Innovation – Here’s What Cardano (ADA) Has Been Up to With the Ethiopia Project By Ana Grabundzija Charles Hoskinson, the founder of the Cardano (ADA) protocol and Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK) CEO revealed the company’s progress in Ethiopia, where one of the world’s biggest blockchain projects keeps unraveling. The blockchain research and engineering…
Zimbabwe: Agritech Innovation Can Bring Youths Back Written By Adesuwa Ifedi The pandemic disrupted supply chains, upending many farmers’ precarious livelihoods that are already being hit hard by the climate crisis in new and unsettling ways. It’s easy to think that we are on an unalterable path toward a crisis of food security in Africa…
Which social media platforms, services do Internet users have most privacy concerns about? Written By Yinka Okeowo Kaspersky analysed anonymised data, voluntarily provided by Privacy Checker, a website that contains helpful advice on privacy settings for various Internet services and platforms. The results reflect which services and platforms’ Internet users have the most privacy concerns about. The data…
PawaPay, an African payments company, has raised $9 million in seed funding PawaPay, an African payments business, has raised $9 million in seed funding. MSA and 88mph, a UK-based investment fund, co-led the round, which also included Vunani Capital, Kepple Ventures, and Zagadat Capital. PawaPay, which was founded in 2020, focuses on the mobile money infrastructure…
Nigeria tops as Y Combinator S21 receives the highest number of African startups so far Written by Joan Aimuengheuwa It’s an interesting fact to reiterate that the number of African startups participating in Y Combinator’s 2021 summer batch has increased beyond the usual. Compared to other cohorts, the highest number of African startups participating in the programme…
Telegram has surpassed one billion downloads The instant messaging app, Telegram which is based in Dubai and was launched in late 2013, has been downloaded over 1 billion times globally, according to Sensor Tower. It’s important to note that the number of downloads does not correspond to the app’s active userbase. Telegram, for example, had approximately 500…
LoftyInc Capital, a Pan-African Venture Capital firm, has launched its third fund, valued at $10 million, for African tech startups LoftyInc Capital, a pan-African venture capital firm, announced today the launch of its third fund, LoftyInc Afropreneurs Fund 3, with a $10 million investment target for African tech startups. The firm has completed its first…
MTN Ghana plans to launch 5G next year in the country MTN will be the first operator in the region to introduce 5G if it succeeds to launch ahead of other big telcos in Ghana. MTN Ghana’s CEO, Selorm Adavehoh, has stated that the company expects to be able to introduce 5G services in the…
5 Top Instant Loan Apps in Nigeria Written By Luis Monzon It has never been easier to secure a loan for personal or business purposes. Modern, smartphone-based apps and platforms have made the process more seamless than ever. If you have a phone, an internet connection and a bank account, chances are there’s a platform that…
Zambian startup Dawa Health plans regional expansion for maternal health-focused digital platform Written By TOM JACKSON Zambia’s Dawa Health, an e-health platform currently focused on maternal health, is planning expansion into nearby countries for its digital health platform empowering rural mothers. Founded in 2018 as a medical hardware startup, Dawa Health prototyped a wearable device to monitor…
Windows 11 Release Date Set for October 5, No Android Apps Support at Launch By Jagmeet Singh New eligible devices will receive Windows 11 free upgrade first. Windows 11 release date is set for October 5, Microsoft on Tuesday announced — a couple of months after unveiling the new operating system. The software giant said that…
Rwandan e-health startup Viebeg raises pre-seed funding to further scale Written by TOM JACKSON Rwandan startup Viebeg, which provides high-quality medical supplies and equipment throughout Central and East Africa through an innovative data-driven procurement platform, has raised a pre-seed round funding to help it scale. Founded in 2018 by chief executive officer (CEO) Tobias Reiter…
4 Fastest Mobile Internet Operators in Nigeria Ranked Written by Luis Monzon Internet and connectivity speed tester Ookla last month released its market analysis for Nigeria, ranking the country’s fastest mobile internet operators. The analysis only takes into account top mobile operators in the country, ones which account for 3% or more of total test…
Jumia Partners with SolarTaxi to Provide Eco-Friendly Deliveries to Ghanaians Written By Luis Monzon One of Africa’s largest and most ubiquitous e-Commerce platforms, Jumia has partnered with Accra-based eco-friendly mobility facilities company SolarTaxi to provide affordable and eco-friendly delivery of online orders to consumers. Jumia says that the new partnership further speaks of the company’s…
Women Peacebuilders lead COVID-19 Prevention Efforts Across Libya Via WhatsApp and Zoom Written by Luis Monzon Separated by their country’s divisions, both geographically and politically, 36 Libyan women have since used their phones to connect, discuss and overcome their differences in the interest of one goal: Peace in Libya. They have been a part of…
The UN & Oracle Launch IT Skills Program for Refugees in Kenya Written By Luis Monzon Oracle on Thursday announced that the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, in Kenya has finalised a workforce development program for young refugees in Kenya, in collaboration with Oracle University. The UNHCR delivers professional learning courses on Oracle Cloud technologies to refugees with a…
How Smartphones Are Being Used to Test for Malaria in Uganda Witten by Luis Monzon The University of Glasgow has been working with the Vector Control Division of the Uganda Ministry of Health – collaborating for several years on new ways to achieve vital recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO) outlined in a 2018 report on controlling malaria,…
Nigeria to Launch Its Own Cryptocurrency ‘eNaira’ in Partnership With Bitt Nigeria barred banks and financial institutions from dealing in or facilitating transactions in cryptocurrencies in February. Nigeria will work with Bitt as a technical partner in its bid to launch its own cryptocurrency, the “eNaira”, the Central Bank said on Monday. The Central Bank…
APPLY: $24,000 for grab at Seedstars Digital Democracy Hackathon The hackathon is for socially committed innovators, writes Joan Aimuengheuwa Leveraging technology and entrepreneurship to further its mission of impacting the lives of people in emerging markets, Swiss-based group, Seedstars, has launched the application for its hackathon. Themed “Digital Democracy Challenge”, the programme seeks innovative, low-cost, and viable…
e4 launches Girls in STEM programme Written By Yinka Okeowo Fintech specialist e4 has announced its ‘Girls in STEM’ programme to provide girls in underprivileged areas with the support they need to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) post matric. Cognisant of the gender imbalance present in the science and technology industries…
Arab Bank launches fintech-focused accelerator in Egypt Written By TOM JACKSON Arab Bank has launched its fintech-focused corporate accelerator programme “AB Accelerator” in Egypt, following its successful rollout in Jordan in 2018. The launch of this programme in Egypt comes as part of the bank’s strategic efforts to foster and support innovation in the fintech…
Disrupt Africa to again open-source annual funding report in partnership with key VC firms Written by TOM JACKSON Startup-focused news and research company Disrupt Africa has announced it is to once again make its flagship annual funding report free to all in an open-sourcing initiative made possible through a partnership with Africa-focused VC firms Novastar…
Zoom announces first startups receiving funding from $100M investment fund Written by Ron Miller For more than a year now, Zoom has been on a mission to transform from an application into a platform. To that end it made three announcements last year: Zoom Apps development tools, the Zoom Apps marketplace and a $100 million development fund to invest in some of…
Nigerian B2B marketplace Sabi raises round of seed funding as it hits 150k merchant mark Written by TOM JACKSON Nigerian startup Sabi, a B2B marketplace serving Africa’s informal sector, has secured a seed funding round as it announces the milestone of over 150,000 small business users on its platform. In stealth mode since last year, Sabi is…