Unlocking the potential of blockchain technology Written by Zach Winn Algorand uses a unique architecture developed by MIT Professor Silvio Micali to offer a decentralized, secure, and scalable blockchain. The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a country of around 50,000 people spread across more than 1,000 islands in a remote part of the Pacific…
The Six Biggest Blockchain Trends Everyone Should Know About In 2021 Written by Bernard Marr Blockchain has been one of the most talked-about tech trends of the last few years. As with many other trends that were important before the pandemic hit, it didn’t make as many headlines in 2021 as it has done previously….
Here’s How to Know When It’s Time to Pivot Your Online Business Written by Christine Hansen Even if you have an absolutely perfect business idea, there will inevitably come a time in which you have to pivot. Pivoting is a normal, natural part of the business development process — particularly for service-based entrepreneurs. With that…
As the market for Virtual Reality (VR) is growing rapidly, these are the 5 VR Startups to Watch in 2021 Written By Adriaan Brits The market for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology, which uses advanced displays and movement-tracking to immerse its users in a particular experience, is set to grow at a rapid clip in the coming…
South African e-health VitruvianMD raises 8-figure ZAR funding round Written By TOM JACKSON South African e-health startup VitruvianMD has raised an eight-figure ZAR – so at least ZAR10 million (US$659,000) – funding round in order to scale its tech and launch more pilots. Founded last year, VitruvianMD combines biomedical engineering and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver…
Meet Wale Abba, who designed Interswitch’s Quickteller and several Nigerian banking apps Written By Oluwanifemi Kolawole Nigerian fintech unicorn, Interswitch, has, for the past 19 years, led the way when it comes to digitising payments in Nigeria — where it provides most of the country’s digital banking infrastructure — and other African countries. Interestingly, an…
SA fintech startup Revio set for continental expansion as it powers SaaS businesses Written By TOM JACKSON South African fintech startup Revio, a subscription billing and payments platform that powers software-as-a-service (SaaS) businesses, is planning an expansion into other African markets soon. Co-founded in 2019 by venture builder The Delta and a private investor, Revio is a SaaS company…
Wiiqare App disrupts health care services in eastern DR Congo’s Goma Written By Africanews In the Democratic Republic of Congo, access to quality healthcare is expensive and tedious. But Bienvenue Zigabe has managed to create an application to facilitate quick access to medical services. “Wiiqare” helps patients pay for treatment and drugs using their savings…
Eight African fintech startups have been selected to participate in the latest edition of the GreenHouse Lab accelerator, securing access to funding and mentorship. Written by TOM JACKSON GreenHouse Lab is the flagship accelerator programme run by GreenHouse Capital, a Lagos-based fintech investment fund and platform focused on supporting early-stage companies and world-class emerging market entrepreneurs…
Zoom is coming to your living room. Why not take your video calls on the biggest screen in your house? Written By Anthony Spadafora After launching Zoom for Home last year, Zoom has been working with its hardware partners to develop solutions to ensure that users have the best video conferencing experience wherever they find themselves working. As organizations are…
Malware attacks in Africa are increasing, reaching 85 million in only 6 months Malware is rife across Africa with various countries exhibiting strong growth in all malware types in the first half of 2021 when compared to the same period last year, Kaspersky research has highlighted. Written By Yinka Okeowo This is a 5% increase in the…
In my experience in the Startup space, I have spoken to at least 30 founders. Although it is impossible to meet the perfect person in any circumstance, it is possible to attain a level where one can be ranked as a professional and have the ability to manage a business and people effectively. Starting a…
An innovative game is helping Ugandan women to combat online violence Written By Amy Fallon Rocking a sharp fuchsia pink blazer with high cut trousers and a flower behind one ear, Goitse, a Botswanan college student living in Rwanda, is described as an “ardent feminist” who loves a “soft life.” When she hears about a…
Founders of tech startups based in Egypt and Nigeria have been accepted into the global Endeavor network, gaining access to various support services to help their companies scale. Written by TOM JACKSON The Endeavor initiative works to catalyze long-term economic growth by selecting, mentoring, and accelerating the best high-impact entrepreneurs worldwide, and has accepted a host…
How Nigeria’s Nguvu Health provides on-demand therapy sessions to Africans Written by TOM JACKSON Nigerian startup Nguvu Health is providing on-demand online therapy sessions to Africans anywhere in the world via their smartphones. Founded in March 2020, Nguvu Health utilises Android and iOS apps to connect users with licensed therapists via in-app messaging or video call, in…
Senegal-born factory worker is Europe’s first TikTok megastar Written By Alexander Onukwue The latest TikTok star to reach 100 million followers is not a musician, actor, or athlete. It’s a 21-year-old former factory worker living in Italy on a Senegalese passport. Khaby Lame has crafted a comedic brand that has resonated around the world by putting…
Ghanaian fintech Waya sees strong growth propel it into other African markets Written by TOM JACKSON Ghana-based payments startup Waya is seeing month-on-month growth of between 20 per cent in its three existing markets, prompting it to launch expansion activities into three additional African countries. Founded in 2018 after co-founder Delali Anku-Adiamah faced a challenge sending…
How Kenya’s Paylend is helping MSMEs better record data and access loans Written by TOM JACKSON Kenyan fintech startup Paylend, which is helping MSMEs better record data and access loans, is conducting surveys in Tanzania and Nigeria ahead of beta tests in those markets. Founded in 2019 by Bendon Murgor and Eliutherius Juma, Paylend is digitising the…
More than 300 African tech startups have raised over $1.1bn so far in 2021 Written by TOM JACKSON More than 300 African tech startups have raised more than US$1.1 billion combined so far in 2021, the first time the sector has broken the US$1 billion mark – and with four-and-a-half months of the year still to…
Wazo Challenge East Africa is open for applications for tech entrepreneurs across Eastern Africa Hindsight Ventures, Africa focussed vertical of Startup Réseau, has announced Wazo Challenge East Africa as its latest program catering to tech entrepreneurs in the region. The India-headquartered emerging markets focussed startup accelerator has been ramping its program operations in East Africa…
Why Innovation Is Increasingly Becoming Critical to Entrepreneurship Innovation is a facilitator of entrepreneurship and a way of empowering people to take charge of their lives and economic prosperity. At the same time, entrepreneurship is the answer to innovation both at the individual business level. It also stimulates the general business sector growth of a…
WhatsApp has started the new experience with seven backgrounds to choose from. WhatsApp on Tuesday introduced Payments Backgrounds in India to upgrade the experience of money transfers on its platform. The new feature is aimed to deliver a personalised payments experience to WhatsApp users. It lets you select a relevant background when you are sending…
Facebook’s undersea Internet cable is coming to South-East Nigeria and 3 other African countries The 2Africa project, championed by social media giant, Facebook, and seven other companies — China Mobile International, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone, and WIOCC — is adding four new branches to its 37,000km undersea Internet cable. The new branches…
The 2Africa consortium, comprised of China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, STC, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone, and WIOCC, has announced the addition of four new branches to the 2Africa cable. The branches will extend 2Africa’s connectivity to Seychelles, the Comoros Islands, and Angola, and bring a new landing to south-east Nigeria. The new branches join…
Growth tactics that will jump-start your customer base Jenny Wang is a principal investor at Neo and co-host of the “Techsetters” podcast. Brand-building is no longer a one-hit game, but an exercise in repetition: It may take four or five times for a user to see your startup’s name or logo to recognize, remember, or Google it….
According to Adeva IT, as of 2018, women held only 25% of all the jobs in the tech industry, despite women making up almost half of the total workforce. It is a known fact that women are under-represented in the African tech ecosystem. More women need to find their way into tech in Africa and…
Impact-Driven Startups Are a Gold-Mine for Investors Written By Krishna Athal ENTREPRENEUR LEADERSHIP NETWORK CONTRIBUTOR Investors across the globe are finding ways to unleash the power of their capital by trying out different industries and business models. Most investment-seeking entrepreneurs believe that projecting massive profits is the best way to impress investors. Many entrepreneurs also…
Innovation Summit Organisers unveil agenda for 7th Nigeria Innovation Summit InnovationHub Africa has announced the top agenda for Nigeria Innovation Summit (NIS) 2021. The Summit in the past six years has attracted over 5,000 delegates, 100 speakers and panellists, 50 tertiary institutions and research centres and 25 government ministries and agencies, delegates from 27 states…
MAGNiTT has announced the launch of its first quarter of 2021 reports, which shows Egypt among the top three in MENA regions with the highest startup investment rates. MAGNiTT has announced the launch of its first quarter of 2021 reports, which cuts across the eCommerce, food and beverage, fintech, delivery and logistics, and healthcare sectors….
Instagram rolls out more anti-abuse features Instagram today is rolling out a set of new features aimed at helping people protect their accounts from abuse, including offensive and unwanted comments and messages. The company will introduce tools for filtering abusive direct message (DM) requests as well as a way for users to limit other people from…