Wamly, a South African startup, is changing companies’ recruitment processes by providing one-way video interview software that eliminates the need for one-on-one interviews, allowing them to interview more people and better candidates faster. Wamly, founded in 2018 by Francois de Wet, allows companies to recruit candidates by sending out a custom link that allows candidates…
Until now, the African startup ecosystem has been dominated by Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt (‘the Big 4’), countries that continue to receive the majority of venture capital and other forms of investment. However, the situation appears to be gradually changing as notable startups emerge from other countries on the continent and investors look…
Netflix and TikTok suspended most of their services in Russia on Sunday, as the government tightens restrictions on what citizens and media outlets can say about Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. Pulling the plug on online entertainment — and information — is likely to further isolate the country and its people, coming after a growing number…
Stitch, a South African API finance business, announced in January that it would conduct a “startup showcase” to allow early-stage fintech from across the continent to share their solutions with local and global investors and receive support, according to Disrupt Africa. The event was part of a Stitch-hosted meetup for global fintech investors interested in…
Over the course of a record-breaking 2021, total funding in the African digital startup ecosystem trebled, passing the US$2 billion – and even the US$1 billion – threshold for the first time. In 2021, 564 businesses raised a total of US$2,148,517,500, according to the seventh edition of Disrupt Africa’s annual African Tech Startups Funding Report,…
In today’s business landscape, understanding your target audience is just as crucial as the product itself, a fact that is often overlooked. Effective marketing isn’t just about flashy ads or catchy slogans; it’s about ensuring your audience understands why they should choose your product. It’s not simply a matter of “come and buy my product”;…
Susu, a global health-tech business dedicated to making healthcare accessible and affordable to all Africans, has raised €2 million in a pre-seed round. Angel investors, grant financing from BPI France, the French government’s public investment bank, and debt were used to raise the funds. Bola Bardet, Laurent Leconte (Chief Technology Officer), and Sandrine Egron (Chief…
By: Trust Onyekwere In today’s modern digital landscape, connectivity and security are crucial concerns for product-led companies. Blockchain and IoT Integration offers a comprehensive resolution by developing a decentralised and transparent ecosystem where systems can communicate and transact without the need for a third-party account. This intersection enables digital technology companies to unlock new stages of…
Every young aspiring digital entrepreneur in Africa is encouraged to apply for MEST Africa’s 12-month technology and entrepreneurship training program. With the Class of 2022 in full swing, it’s time to get back into the recruiting swing of things and formally open up applications for the Class of 2023. MEST Africa receives around 4000 applications…
Circle, founded in 2020 by Nancy Kamal and Essam Maged and sponsored by 500 Global, makes it easy for real estate developers and property owners to interact with tenants. Milango, on the other hand, was founded by Amr Mostafa in 2021 and provides business clients with a suite of community management solutions to help them…
VALR.com, a South African cryptocurrency exchange, said today that it has raised $50 million (about R750 million) in Africa’s largest-ever cryptocurrency fundraising round. The company is now worth $240 million. Pantera Capital led VALR’s oversubscribed Series B equity funding round, which included Alameda Research, Cadenza, CMT Digital, Coinbase Ventures, Distributed Global, GSR, Third Prime, Avon…
Instagram announced on Monday that it is discontinuing support for its standalone app for IGTV. The parent company of Instagram, Meta, confirmed to TechCrunch that the app will be removed from app stores in mid-March. According to a blog post, the change is part of the company’s efforts to make video as easy to discover…
Milezmore, an Egyptian startup that offers cloud fulfillment, last mile delivery, and customisable operations solutions, has received $5 million in pre-seed funding from social commerce platform Brimore. Milezmore, which was founded a year ago, aims to help merchants capitalize on high growth potential by providing supercharged cloud logistics solutions. It offers a comprehensive range of…
Wicrypt, a Nigerian blockchain-based Wi-Fi sharing startup, plans to be active in five African countries this year after securing funding late last year. Wicrypt, which was founded in 2018, is a decentralized mobile internet sharing and monetisation network that allows anyone to be compensated for sharing their Wi-Fi. Users install the Wicrypt app on their…
TMCEL customers, one of Mozambique’s largest telecom firms, will now be able to benefit from the financial convenience provided by Ericsson’s mobile financial services solutions, as TMCEL went live with the Ericsson Wallet Platform yesterday. Ericsson’s solution is expected to broaden the financial transaction community by contributing to economic and digital development, as well as…
Google will now charge 7.5 percent VAT on all taxable goods and services to Nigerian customers beginning April 1 next month. The company announced this in an email to its business account holders on Tuesday morning. The 7.5 percent VAT is in line with the government’s new law, according to the American tech behemoth. As…
Metaverse-based company Gamepay has launched an NFT marketplace for its first NFT and play-to-earn games project Chickey Chik and part of the proceeds from the NFT sale will be donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross. Founded by a team that is focused on democratising NFTs and bringing games to all areas of emerging economies, Gamepay…
The search for commensurate rewards is one that drives the human pursuit in different sectors, from medicine, to tech, to artisanship and entrepreneurship is why tech talents leave the continent in search of greener pastures. Due to the ongoing trend where the immediate environment does not facilitate the growth and expansion of talents, hence people…
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) captivated the world’s attention in 2021, when images, tweets, and even music began selling for millions of dollars on the Internet. The idea of selling easily accessible content to anyone on the Internet for millions of dollars seemed far-fetched at the time, but the concept of fungibility and virtual ownership has since…
DFS Lab and the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) have opened applications for the second Blockchain Bootcamp for African startups, with prizes of up to US$20,000 in Stellar Lumens (XLM) awarded to the most promising solutions. The bootcamp is a virtual three-day design sprint that allows participating companies to answer critical business questions with hands-on technical…
Instagram is now offering auto-generated captions for videos in users’ feeds. On Tuesday, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri stated that the captions feature has been “a long time coming.” All adults in Ukraine and Russia can now use the photo-sharing app for encrypted one-on-one chats. This is part of a series of steps taken by Meta,…
VALR, a South African cryptocurrency exchange, has raised a US$50 million Series B funding round, valuing the company at US$240 million. The proceeds will be used to expand across the continent. VALR, which debuted in 2019, is a digital asset platform that allows customers to buy, sell, store, and transfer Bitcoin and 60 other cryptocurrencies…
Econet and Ericsson have announced a partnership to launch 5G in Harare, Zimbabwe, which will improve capacity and user experience through faster network speeds and responsive time. This newly formed collaboration is in line with Ericsson’s #AfricaInMotion movement, which aims to empower a connected and sustainable Africa. Ericsson will provide Econet with its most recent…
Ikonia, a digital platform based in Kyiv and Gothenburg, has announced that it will sell 43,287,512 NFTs, one for each Ukrainian citizen. The ‘Stand With Ukraine‘ launch of the NFT sale raises funds for charities in the embattled country. More than 43 million NFT editions will be sold for $10 each; so far, more than…
FreshSource, an Egyptian startup that claims to be reinventing the agricultural supply chain, has closed a seven-figure US dollar seed funding round as it seeks to become the region’s largest fresh food distributor. FreshSource, founded in 2019 by Farah and Omar Emara, is a B2B agri-supply chain platform that uses technology to transform the way…
Forbes has announced that its first-ever Under 30 Summit Africa will take place in Botswana from April 24-29, bringing together 600 participants for mentorship, networking, and important conversations about sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The six-day event, hosted in collaboration with the Botswana President’s Initiative, will bring together Botswana’s business leaders, government officials, venture capitalists, and…
MTN, Africa’s largest telco, has joined the metaverse by purchasing 144 plots of land in Africarare, Africa’s first Virtual Reality metaverse featuring digital land. The price paid for the land is unknown, but it has a total area of 12x12m. According to the company’s website and social media handles, this is the case. The new…
Kemisola Bolarinwa dreamed of becoming an innovator as a young girl. Her favorite secondary school subjects were math, physics, and chemistry. Her STEM interests prompted her to join the Junior Engineers, Technicians, and Scientists (JETS) club at her secondary school, St. Helen’s Unity Secondary School, Ondo. The JETS club was founded to introduce students to…
Dubai, UAE – February 28, 2022: Asia Innovations Group’s (AIG) flagship app Uplive has been ranked as the world’s fastest-growing social app by third-party analytical platforms AppAnnie and Sensor Tower. The global rankings, which come hot on the heels of the app’s unveiling of its first-ever Television Commercial for the Middle East region, which aired…
28 February 2022 – Today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, a new white paper titled “Towards A Flourishing Digital Economy for All – A Spotlight On Africa” was published – and discussed for the first time by a panel including senior executives from Vodacom, SafariCom, Smart Africa and the World Bank. The paper was commissioned…