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…
Storage space on smartphones isn’t as much of a problem as it once was, but if you’re downloading a billion apps or have a cheaper phone, it can still be an issue, and it’s one that an upcoming Android update – most likely Android 13 – could address. Google has announced that it is developing…
The fourth and final edition of the European Union (EU)-funded Uganda Green Enterprise Finance Accelerator (UGEFA) has opened for applications, which provides sustainable Ugandan enterprises with support to scale and contribute to a green and inclusive economy. UGEFA is implemented by adelphi Research gGmbH, a leading global independent “think and do tank” on environment and…
Naqla, an Egyptian trucking logistics startup, has raised a pre-Series A funding round of $10.5 million in order to expand further in 2022. Naqla, founded in 2017 by Sherif Taher and Samer Sallam, is an app-based trucking technology marketplace that connects truck owners with cargo companies. By automating orders between shippers and drivers, the startup…
Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, today released findings of a dual ransomware attack where extortion notes left by Karma ransomware operators were encrypted 24 hours later by Conti, another ransomware gang that was in the target’s network at the same time. Sophos details the dual attacks in the article, “Conti and Karma Actors Attack Healthcare…
Tokenization is a ground-breaking technology development that goes beyond standard payments and has the power to totally change a variety of different industries. Tokenization is the process of converting private information into unique, non-private tokens that faithfully represent the original information. By preventing unauthorised use and prying eyes from accessing confidential information, this method improves…
Mowarrid, an Egyptian B2B marketplace, has been acquired by Sary, a Saudi B2B e-commerce company, as the latter expands its footprint across the MENA region. Mowarrid, founded in 2018 by Ahmed Essam, is focused on the B2B food and grocery markets, allowing over 10,000 retailers to digitally procure all of their needs across a variety…
Cybersecurity is one of the industries that suffers from significant bias and gender stereotypes. This field is becoming increasingly important in our digital world, and as a result, it offers a variety of rewarding career paths and opportunities. However, there are still significant barriers and misperceptions that lead women to believe that a career in…
Bitmama becomes first African blockchain company to launch Physical Crypto Cards for in-store payments globally Leading blockchain company, Bitmama pioneers a new feature, Physical Crypto Cards for users in the African market. Lagos, Nigeria – Monday, Mar 8, 2022. Today, leading blockchain company Bitmama, announces its latest product – Physical Crypto Cards. This comes three…
Rocket Health, a telemedicine and last-mile healthcare provider based in Uganda, has closed a $5 million Series A funding round to accelerate its technology roadmap and geographical expansion into Uganda and Kenya. Rocket Health, which was founded in 2012, is Uganda’s leading telemedicine provider, providing an end-to-end healthcare experience to over 25,000 individual patients. The…
The African Small Business Catalyst (ASBC), a business accelerator for early growth-stage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sub-Saharan Africa, has been launched by the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the US African Development Foundation (USADF). The ASBC seeks to assist SMEs in four countries: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Senegal, and Uganda, with a…
Moderna, a biotechnology and pharmaceuticals company based in Massachusetts, is planning to build a manufacturing facility in Kenya to produce mRNA vaccines, including those for COVID-19. The facility will be Moderna’s first manufacturing plant in Africa, with the company investing $500 million in its construction in order to supply up to 500 million doses of…
Google.org, the company’s philanthropic arm, announced today that it will donate $1 million (R15.3 million) to programs that help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses, as part of a series of new initiatives aimed at supporting women-owned businesses. According to Mojolaoluwa Aderemi Makinde, Head Brand and Reputation, Africa – Google, “research shows that 58 percent of…