MyHealth Africa, a Kenya-based healthtech startup, has raised $1 million in seed funding to expand its presence in Africa. The round was led by GIIG Africa Fund, with participation from Samurai Incubate, a family office, and existing investors. The funding comes after the startup was named the Top HealthTech Startup in Africa by the Global…
Truecaller recently introduced a Family Plan, which allows up to five users to use its premium services with a single subscription. Truecaller will allow up to five family members to access its features such as checking profile views and advanced spam blocking on a single user account for Rs. 132 for a monthly membership or…
It’s officially the holiday season, and for many of us, that means the countdown to “presents o’clock” – AKA December 25th is on. Real-life shops get crazy during the festive season, seeing more and more people choosing to hop online, point, click and proceed to checkout. Shopping online is also much easier now that more…
JuicyScore, a global leader in antifraud and risk management technologies for online businesses, recently expanded its global footprint to Nigeria, appointing Lawrence Osayemi as Regional Director of Sales and Business Development. Lawrence is a professional risk and fraud management expert and sales guru with a track record of success in the financial and nonfinancial services…
MEST, the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology, has opened applications for the 2024 cohort of the MEST training programme, a 12-month initiative based in Accra that aims to provide young people from across Africa with commercial skills in technology and entrepreneurship. The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) is a seed fund, incubator, and training…
Grand Africa Initiative (GAIN) on the 28th and 29th October, 2022 held the third edition of her annual youth summit tagged GAIN Youth Summit 2022. This pan-African summit had Prof Benedict O. Oramah, The President and Chairman, Board of Directors, African Export-Import Bank, Egypt as the keynote Speaker who was ably represented by The Afreximbank’s Regional…
Twitter CEO Elon Musk continues to want to take the micro out of microblogging, pledging to increase the platform’s character limit once more. The proposed increase this time is from 280 to 4000, which is more than 14 times the current cutoff. Over the weekend, Musk revealed his latest Twitter plans via his personal account….
The total amount of data created and consumed globally is projected to grow to more than 180 zettabytes by 2025, almost three times the 64 zettabytes of 2020. This makes data the cornerstone of any successful business in a digitally-transformed world. Several trends will help guide organisations on their path to becoming more data-driven. “Increasingly, data science…
E-hailing platforms have become significantly popular because of their convenience and reduced pressure to own a car in today’s tough economic times. As we head into the festive season, e-hailing apps will see an increased demand for rides as people shop and head to various holiday destinations. To ensure that people have a pleasant experience…
By supporting real-time decision-making, combining edge computing with digital signage improves the customer experience and boosts sales. Although in-store purchases continue to make up the bulk of retail sales, a tightening economic situation means it’s essential to maximise every opportunity to make a sale once a customer reaches your door. We also know that brick…
Small Foundation and Village Capital have chosen 20 African entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) that work with rural-impacting businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa to participate in the Rural Impacting Entrepreneurship research project, which aims to identify gaps and solutions to deepen impact within the rural business ecosystem and develop a thriving support community. Small Foundation and Village…
Owoafara, a Nigerian fintech startup that provides digital banking to help the world’s unbanked population gain access to financial products and services, has received funding from gender lens investment firm ShEquity. Owoafara, founded by Tale Alimi, provides financial solutions such as payments, credits, savings, health insurance, and pensions on a single platform. Member businesses are…
Sophos, a global leader in innovating and delivering cybersecurity as a service, has announced the appointment of Gerard Allison as its Senior Vice President of Sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “We are very excited Gerard joined Sophos to lead and help accelerate our growth efforts in EMEA, one of the largest regions for the company. Gerard has a…
Is artificial intelligence taking over the world? The latest “groundbreaking” AI chat bot, trained to interact with advanced users, is certainly causing quite a stir in the technology world. The software, known as ChatGPT and developed by the company OpenAI, is designed to generate human-like responses to a wide range of inputs using algorithms. “ChatGPT…
Africa is undergoing a digital revolution at the rate at which various countries keep harnessing emerging technology. More people now have better internet access, making it easier for the younger generation to become tech-savvy. But the continent will continue to lag if we overlook challenges such as outdated policies and weak technology infrastructure. Decision-makers and…
In recent years, Africa has witnessed a significant increase in technological advancements, with a burgeoning tech ecosystem gaining wide acceptance across the continent. In the midst of this rapid growth, cybersecurity is seen as a critical concern which needs expertise and innovation to protect digital infrastructure and data integrity. Here, we shine a spotlight on…
To increase access to digital and fundamental skills, Microsoft has announced the beginning of a global skilling program in Kenya. As a stepping stone to the success of Microsoft’s Global Skills Initiative, which was launched in June 2020 and has since equipped over 80 million people worldwide with digital skills, the Skills for Jobs Learning…
InfraCo Africa, a division of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), has committed US$2 million to expanding the product line of Mobility for Africa, a provider of solar-powered battery charging systems and cargo-carrying e-tricycles for underserved communities in rural Zimbabwe. Shantha Bloemen, the director and chief executive officer of Mobility for Africa, said, “We are…
The 2022 MEST Africa Challenge winner, Senegalese B2B marketplace Kwely, received US$50,000 in equity capital as well as the title of champion. MEST is a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training program, seed fund, and incubator that supports the establishment of technology firms all over the continent. It was established in Ghana in 2008 by serial…
Africa Tech Summit Nairobi 2023 will bring together tech pioneers from the African ecosystem and global players under one roof on February 15–16, 2023, following a sold-out Summit in 2022. Over 1,000 attendees, 450+ companies, and 150+ presenters will be brought together for the fifth edition’s three Summits. Connect with the main players driving business…
The Visa Everywhere Initiative (VEI), a global open innovation initiative and competition for start-ups and fintech companies, has announced the winner as Nigeria’s ThriveAgric, an innovative start-up that champions technology to revolutionize the payments landscape for smallholder farmers. The global finale, which took place in Qatar during the FIFA World Cup 2022, was preceded by…
Zeraki, a Kenyan educational technology platform that provides digital learning and school data analytics, has raised $1.8 million in early funding to support regional expansion and product catalog growth. The round was co-founded by Melvyn Lubega, co-founder of the Australian edtech unicorn Go1, and was led by Acumen Fund with participation from Save the Children…
In order to promote cross-border trading of securities throughout the continent, seven African stock exchanges on Wednesday started an integration experiment in the Ivory Coast. Nigeria, Mauritius, Morocco, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, and West Africa’s stock markets are all a part of the effort, which is known as the African Exchanges Linkage project. Later on,…
The depreciation of the Rand against the US Dollar reached its highest point of the year in early November, at R18.41 to the Dollar. According to a recent Moneyweb piece, this can be attributed to a number of reasons, with interest hikes in the US and the promise of higher yields causing investors to move away…
An initial $200 million has been pledged to the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund (MFAGF), a fund of funds that works through African investment vehicles to promote early-stage, growth-oriented SMEs on the continent. The Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund seeks to provide young people, especially young women, with access to respectable and worthwhile employment. The…
The $25 million venture debt fund will be launched by Future Africa, a venture capital firm with its headquarters in Lagos, in partnership with TLG Capital, an open-ended credit fund with its headquarters in London. The fund formed from TLG’s current funds will assist Future Africa’s portfolio companies in maintaining their runway in a fundraising…
A new update to the well-known messaging application Telegram has been released, bringing with it a number of new features and enhancements. The new sign-up method, which does not require a phone number, is one of the significant improvements that are being implemented. Up until now, users had to provide their mobile number in order…
Startups have become vital engines of change that can have an outsized impact on an economy. They are crucial in fueling innovation and enhancing economic and digital competitiveness. They improve access to products and solutions while significantly contributing to employment. In recent years, amid global economic volatility and uncertainty, Africa’s startup ecosystem has shown continued…
A $2 million seed funding round headed by Stillmark and Jack Dorsey co-founded payments company Block has been secured by Gridless, a bitcoin mining business that helps develop new energy sources in remote East African areas, the company said on Tuesday. The financing would help the business spread its bitcoin mining operations throughout African markets….
Users will be able to examine photographs and identify faces thanks to a new “Search” button that Google Photos is testing for its Android app. It is anticipated to take the place of the Photos app’s Lens button. For further information about a specific subject in a photo, users must currently tap a “Lens” button…