Moove, one of the fastest-growing mobility fintechs, has raised $105 million in a new Series A2 funding round led by previous investors Speedinvest, Left Lane Capital, and the latest ventures, as well as new participants AfricInvest, MUFG Innovation Partners, Latitude, and Kreos Capital. The company said in a statement to Technext that the funds will…
Wattnow, a Tunisian startup that provides IoT smart energy management solutions, has raised a pre-Series A funding round of US$1.3 million to help it expand across Africa and the Middle East. Wattnow, founded in 2018 by Issam Smaali, assists businesses in gaining control of their energy usage through the use of plug-and-play hardware and software…
Providing children with the skills they need to protect themselves online can be extremely beneficial to families. Kaspersky Lab, a cybersecurity and digital privacy company, shares seven digital practices that parents can teach their children. To survive in today’s Internet world, everyone requires certain skills. While adults typically learn these skills as new technologies emerge,…
Curacel, a Nigerian insurtech startup that offers an AI-powered platform for claims processing and fraud management in Africa, has announced its participation in the latest Y Combinator cohort, as well as the launch of Grow, an embedded insurance product that enables technology companies to seamlessly offer insurance as part of their existing products and services….
Telegram is getting an update with a slew of new features. A download manager to control downloads, a new attachment menu to share documents and re-arrange media albums before sending, and new streaming tools to turn a Telegram channel into a TV station are among the new features. In addition, semi-transparent headers are being added…
Twelve African tech startups have been chosen for the first cohort of the FAST startup accelerator, which was developed by Microsoft in collaboration with Flapmax to strengthen and scale Africa’s digital ecosystem. The 12-week FAST programme, which starts next week, brings together startups from six different countries and nine industries, chosen from over 800 applications…
On Friday, three Nigerian federal government agencies—the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC)—worked together with the Nigerian police force to raid some illegal financial institutions based on Opebi Road in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. Digital lending platforms…
Following the completion of all Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) requirements and the receipt of a US$2.2 million pre-seed funding round, Egyptian fintech and next-generation banking startup Nexta is set to begin operations. Nexta, founded in 2021 by Ibrahim Farag and Ahmed Hisham, is a digital bank that aims to improve Egyptians’ daily lives by…
Are you a student, entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, creator, developer, marketing professional, media practitioner, or project manager with a big idea that can disrupt Marketing and Media in Nigeria? You can win up to $20,000 at MarkHack 1.0. We are faced with a fast-changing ecosystem, with new media frontiers, new consumption patterns, and a new way…
Ore Afolayan is a marketing, blockchain, and data analytics expert with a proven track record of success. In this exclusive interview with leading technology platform Technext, he reflects on his early days and discusses his challenges. His foray into those fields is intriguing. He began in marketing and later learned data analysis (Python) during the…
The United States government is committed to assisting the next generation of female leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by connecting them with networks and opportunities that will help them advance their careers and dreams in the technology fields. The United States government is committed to assisting the next generation of female leaders…
The Namibian arm of pan-African network provider Paratus has announced the August 2022 opening of its carrier-neutral Data Center (DC) facility in Windhoek, Namibia. This new facility, dubbed Armada Data Center by the company, will be Namibia’s first carrier-neutral and largest DC facility. It will supplement the Equiano Cable, which is scheduled to arrive in…
Klump, a Lagos-based buy now pay later (BNPL) startup, has raised a pre-seed funding round of $780,000 to help it launch its flagship “Pay with Klump” product with select partners, offering BNPL solutions to customers and businesses. Klump, founded in 2021 by Celestine Omin and Olufunbi Falayi, who have combined experience building products with Konga,…
South Africa’s MultiChoice Group, one of Africa’s leading entertainment companies, saw its shares rise on Thursday after reaching a $4.4 billion settlement agreement with Nigerian authorities. According to Bloomberg, MultiChoice has agreed to drop all pending lawsuits against Nigeria, following a long-running feud over an alleged breach of agreements and denying officials access to its…
The government of Osun is the most recent to enter the mobility sector. On Thursday, March 10, it announced a partnership with Metro Africa Xpress (MAX) Drive to distribute “1,000 tricycles to alleviate transportation burdens” in the state. “The Government of the State of Osun, led by Governor Gboyega Oyetola, has inaugurated 1,000 tricycles to…
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Fintech Conference has announced the grand prize winner of its 2022 Fintech Startup Pitch Competition as Kenyan startup Money254. Money254 is a financial services comparison platform that will be launched in April 2021, making it easier for users to find, compare, and apply for financial products that meet both…
Yep!, a Nigerian financial super app, has raised US$1.5 million in pre-seed funding as it prepares to launch its solution in five African countries. Yep!, founded last year by Olaoluwa Awojoodu, Airende Ojeomogha, and Garry Ottosen, is a financial super app focused on leveraging technology to deliver seamless financial services and solutions to Africans. Yep!…
TikTok has now announced the launch of SoundOn, its own distribution platform designed to help musicians build a career and a fanbase. According to the SoundOn website, it is “an all-in-one marketing and distribution platform, helping you build a career and find new fans through TikTok, exclusive partners (Resso, CapCut), and on other digital streaming…
Chefaa, an Egyptian e-health startup, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding to help it expand its network, launch a new product, and enter new markets. Chefaa, founded in 2017 by Rasha Rady and Doaa Aref, is an e-pharmacy platform that offers a complete healthcare experience. The startup provides users with compliant, ethical, and patient-centric…
Mali Magic, a digital treasure trove aimed at preserving and showcasing Mali’s historic and contemporary art and culture, was launched today by Google. Google Arts & Culture has been collaborating with local and international organizations (see list below) since 2015 to digitize, curate, and share Mali’s incredible stories and rich heritage. Google Arts & Culture…
Antler, an early-stage investor, has closed its oversubscribed East Africa investment fund at a cost of US$13.5 million in order to continue supporting early-stage tech startups in the region. Antler is the world’s most active early-stage investor, having invested in hundreds of technology startups and thousands of entrepreneurs across six continents. To date, the company…
The Westerwelle Foundation and Obuntu Hub have joined forces to build Arusha’s largest startup hub, with the ambitious goal of boosting Tanzanian entrepreneurship and the economy as a whole. The Westerwelle Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Germany with the mission of empowering entrepreneurs in emerging markets. It already has hubs in Kigali and…
Technology has transcended race, culture, and class to become a powerful tool for transforming businesses across the African continent. The rapid penetration of the internet in African regions, as well as the digitization of businesses worldwide, have been major catalysts in the new technology-driven era, with the potential to catapult the socioeconomic growth of many…
The vision of every business is to achieve set goals, meet the demands of clients and create solutions peculiar to life challenges. Irrespective of the drive of a business, accomplishing more results with less resources is usually an approach most use in achieving these visions. Thanks to the impact of digitization in day-to-day activities, every business ranging…
Dash, a Ghana-based unified payments software company, announced that it has raised $32.8 million in an oversubscribed seed round to aid in the interoperability of digital payment networks across Africa. The round was led by New York-based Insight Venture Partners. Other investors in the round included ASK Capital, Techstars, Guillaume Pousaz’s Zinal Growth Partners, Jitendra…
OkHi, a smart-addressing startup, has announced a $1.5 million seed extension round following a $1.5 million seed round in 2020. Following the completion of this seed round, the startup intends to focus on onboarding more institutions in order to reach its goal of having one million verified addresses in its database by 2022. Founders Factory…
Digital Marketing Skill Institute, a global leader in the education of Digital Skills has announced the launch of its newest product, Accredital, a platform that matches businesses both home and abroad with rigorously trained and tested digital marketing talents using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Accredital, the first of its kind, is quickly establishing itself as the…
TeamApt, one of Nigeria’s leading Fintechs that provides a financial platform for businesses, is now accepting applications for its ‘The Apt 5’ 2022 Women in Tech internship program. This year, it is leveraging the Ingressive for Good community to ensure that as many women as possible have access to opportunity. With over 150,000 businesses and…
Access to basic financial services in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is severely limited, as it is in most Sub-Saharan African countries (DRC). Only 14 percent of the population has a bank account, and only 25 percent has an account with any banking or financial institution. Furthermore, the French-speaking country has less than 35…
Tendo, a Ghanaian startup that allows anyone to sell online with no upfront inventory, has launched in Nigeria with the support of industry heavyweights such as Catalyst Fund, Google, and Y Combinator. Tendo, which debuted last year, has created a mobile app that connects dropshippers with local wholesalers. Sellers on the platform can use social…