All about Business.
For any Startup or business, it is necessary to keep in mind that no business plan or strategy is foolproof. For this reason, business schools that teach entrepreneurship teach that startups should aim to fail fast forward frequently and frugally. The key is to accept that some form of failure is inevitable but, the way…
In June, Visa reported that the top market contributors for e-commerce in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the last three years were South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya with Ghana also showing growth having replaced Kenya in the top three contributors in 2020. “The three leading markets in SSA are starting to mature, providing the region with an established…
Frogfoot, a licensed open-access infrastructure provider, has announced its acquisition of the Link Africa Western Cape FTTH (Fibre to the Home) network. The deal comes a few months after MetroFibre Networx purchased Link Africa’s FTTH network in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Frogfoot says in a statement that the deal will aid in solidifying the company’s position in…
LinkedIn earlier this month unveiled a new push around creators to bring more original content (and engagement) to its platform, but that’s not the only effort they are making to bring more activity to its networking site. TechCrunch has learned and confirmed that LinkedIn is also running a test around events — specifically, paid events. We were…
The lifeline of every business is enmeshed in the number and interactions of stakeholders as well as their activities in relation to the business. These stakeholders include the suppliers of the raw materials needed for the business to manufacture its offerings, the employees or human resources who engage in the production and the customers who are the end…
When it comes to gender equality in the business world, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg hit the nail on the head: “Knowing that things could be worse should not stop us from trying to make them better.” While access to opportunities, funding and support has improved for women in the startup space over the last couple of decades,…
MTN’s new deal with payments technology firm, Flutterwave is set to deliver cash to mobile wallets of more Africans via MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) with the planned expansion in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia. This digital move is primed to plug millions of unbanked people in those countries into mainstream financial services and prop up businesses especially…
KFC South Africa has launched its very own in-house delivery service – KFC Delivery PLUS, enabling consumers to place their orders via the KFC mobile app or website. To get the service off to a running start, KFC is also offering free delivery until the end of the year. People wanting to get KFC delivered…
Unicorn Group, a pan-African, investment company targeting innovative ideas, start-ups, and early-stage companies in the technology and technology-enabled sectors across Africa has launched the Unicorn Incubation campus in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Unicorn incubation and innovation campus aims to host an entrepreneurial ecosystem under one roof and help African entrepreneurs bring their ambitious ideas to…
Kenyan insurance technology company, Lami Technologies and Sendy Limited, a tech-logistics company, has announced a partnership that will enable transporters in Kenya to access simple, hassle-free, and affordable insurance products customised on a per-trip basis. The transport sector is a core part of Kenya’s economic strategy. Most transporters move commodities, goods, and cargo across the country without business-specific…
From being conspicuous by its absence from the local tech startup investment scene for so long, Naspers – one of the largest technology investors in the world – is now making up for lost time in its home market of South Africa. Naspers announced the launch of its ZAR1.4 billion (US$96 million) Foundry fund, an investment vehicle aiming…
If you think your business is more susceptible to a cyberattack now hybrid working is the norm, you’re not alone. A new report from security operations firm Arctic Wolf found that two-thirds (67%) of businesses in the UK feel the same way, with ransomware being identified as the biggest worry. A significant minority of the respondents (40%) said they…
African fintech, Chipper has now launched its money transfer and cross-border payment services in South Africa. South Africans can now enjoy free unlimited instant domestic money transfers, invest in cryptocurrencies, and buy and send airtime and data to loved ones. This was contained in a statement made available on Thursday. The South African launch brings…
Africa’s transport and logistics start-ups are on track to raise more growth funds this year, in deals that could help ignite intra-Africa trade. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19, there has been a rising shift towards tech-enabled transportation across the continent to overcome movement restrictions, improve efficiencies and grow food chain resilience. The wider growth of…
Netflix said on Monday it is launching a free mobile plan in Kenya as the global streaming giant looks to tap the East African nation that is home to over 20 million internet users. The free plan, which will be rolled out to all users in Kenya in the coming weeks, won’t require them to…
Written by Aline Alonso Design Thinking for Innovators – a brand new course for entrepreneurs now available at the VC4A Startup Academy. The self-paced course by Butterfly Works includes real cases and challenges faced by entrepreneurs as well as interactive tools and methodologies to test new theories and develop agile solutions. Design thinking is a human-centered creative…
The Financial Times is hosting the first FTxSDG Challenge in collaboration with Seedstars, a Swiss-based organization that invests in and supports startups from emerging countries. The competition was created to provide learning and financial opportunities to innovative, impact-driven firms and entrepreneurs. The application period is now open. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being…
Written by Luis Monzon A new report by The Financial Times Focus and Mambu shows banks must redesign their role in society to avoid extinction. More than two thirds (67%) of banks think they will lose market share within two years if they fail to digitally transform, according to a new report from cloud banking platform Mambu…
Written by Joan Aimuengheuwa Fintech unicorn, Flutterwave, has partnered with Currencycloud to stimulate expansion in Europe and the United States. Interestingly, Flutterwave was listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Companies in Time’s recently published magazine. The current partnership with Currencycloud will help the company increase its customer base, gaining wider traction. The company…
Written by Luis Monzon The unprecedented speed of development of the COVID-19 vaccines can be attributed to multiple factors including record levels of international collaboration and swift action on the part of many governments and regulatory bodies to provide a conducive framework. As every nation across the globe faced impending economic doom, massive cross-sector funding…
Written by Luis Monzon Microsoft has revealed the launch date for its Office 2021 consumer release on 5 October 2021. The tech giant also announced that its Microsoft Office Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) for Windows and Mac will be available for commercial and government users from today. According to The Verge, Office LTSC is designed for…
Written by Taylor Hatmaker Facebook is in the hot seat again. The Wall Street Journal published a powerful multi-part series on the company this week, drawing from internal documents on everything from the company’s secretive practice of whitelisting celebrities to its knowledge that Instagram is taking a serious toll on the mental health of teen girls. The flurry of investigative…
Written by Luis Monzon Logitech has today announced a partnership with Mustek Limited, one of the largest assemblers and distributors of personal computers and complementary ICT products in South Africa, to meet the growing demand for high-quality video conferencing technology across the region. “Through this partnership, even more businesses across South Africa will benefit from Logitech’s…
Written By Luis Monzon A South Korean competition regulator, the Korea Fair Trade Commission, on Tuesday announced that it has fined Alphabet Inc’s Google $177-million for allegedly using its dominant position in the mobile operating system (OS) market to stifle competitors. Google’s Android OS currently holds the majority of the smartphone market share, being the…
In Africa, internet data is expensive currency Sudan leads nine other African countries that charge its citizens less than $1 for a gigabyte (1 GB) of mobile data, a report by British technology research firm Cable shows. The Northeastern Africa nation offers the lowest cost of internet access over a smartphone anywhere in Africa and…
Written by Alex Wilhelm This afternoon Intuit confirmed persistent rumors that it was in the process of buying Mailchimp, detailing a $12 billion transaction that will bring the well-known email infra company to its corporate remit. Intuit is not a well-known player in the email marketing space. The company is instead best known for its TurboTax software…
The medical wire business within Sandvik was looking to expand operations in the US, but the pandemic hindered our search for a new site. So, they did it entirely virtual instead. Biotech is booming right now, and many companies are looking to expand into new locations and markets. Certainly, this was the case for Sandvik…
Written by Joan Aimuengheuwa Focused on metamorphosing sustainable and resilient changes in the African tech ecosystem, Google for Africa plans to develop an environment where the internet would be more beneficial to individuals, businesses, and organisations in Africa. The ultimate goal is to keep unlocking the benefits of the digital economy globally, while simultaneously accelerating…
Glovo, a Spanish on-demand delivery service, has announced that it will invest $60 million over the next 12 months to extend its footprint in Africa, including Ghana and Tunisia. “Our mission is to provide everyone simple access to anything in their city, and our platform is at its best when it is linking users and…
Written by TOM JACKSON The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) and Villgro Africa have opened a call for healthcare innovators with the potential to improve optimal health outcomes or make healthcare more, with the best solutions to be awarded cash prizes and access to other resources. The Kenya Healthcare Innovation Programme awardees will be given the opportunity…