Flat6Labs, a Cairo-based accelerator and investor, has partnered with ESLSCA University to launch a new innovation and entrepreneurship incubation program that will enable undergraduate students to develop viable and sustainable businesses upon graduation. Flat6Labs, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Cairo, is a seed and early-stage venture capital firm with multiple offices throughout the MENA…
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered a thorough investigation into Apple on Friday for alleged unfair business practices in its App Store. It was claimed that Apple engages in anti-competitive restraints and dominant practices in markets for the distribution of applications (apps) to users, as well as the processing of payments for digital content…
Two years ago, the African tech ecosystem received renewed attention from global players, resulting in the continent’s best year in terms of venture capital. According to various sources, up to $2 billion was invested in African tech startups in 2019. It was a sign of things to come for African tech, with high-profile visits from…
The Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) has opened applications for the eighth edition, which will provide startups with training, mentorship, and US$5,000 in funding. The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) is running the program, which is a 10-year, US$100 million commitment to identify, train, mentor, and fund 10,000 African entrepreneurs by 2024. Applications for the latest…
The African tech ecosystem mourns the death of Nnena Nkongho, an African investor who advocated for diversity and excellence. Nkongho passed away on December 26, 2021. Nkongho has over 15 years of experience identifying, building, and capturing value for African corporations and funds. He is also the founding partner of Otundi Ventures, a pan-African early-stage…
Many of us have only been able to see our elderly relatives through screens for the last two years, watching them age and trade physical distance for their safety. The pandemic has highlighted the vulnerabilities of the elderly more than anything else. The tech community as a whole, including founders, investors, and journalists, needs to…
Amazon is facing backlash on social media after suggesting a potentially life-threatening “challenge” to a 10-year-old girl. The girl had asked Alexa to suggest a challenge for her to complete, and the smart speaker instructed her to touch the live prongs of a partially inserted plug. Alexa directed the young lady to insert a phone…
Every year, Microsoft hires thousands of college graduates and students from all over the world. Graduate positions have been made available for the company’s software engineering recruiting program, which will begin in 2022. Software engineers (SWEs) work with others to solve problems and develop new software. If you are deeply concerned about customers and product…
The Nigeria Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a public warning regarding the activities of FinAfrica Investment Ltd and Poyoyo Investment. According to the investment regulator, the companies are Ponzi schemes and are not SEC-accredited. The announcement was made by the exchange commission via a circular sent by the commission’s management and posted on…
GetEquity, a Nigerian investment platform, entered the market with the goal of “challenging the status quo of startup financing and venture capital in Africa.” The company claims it wants to make funding for African startups simple and quick, while also allowing ordinary people to participate in the thriving startup ecosystem. Looking back on its activities,…
Every startup founder or CEO was once a novice when it came to navigating the murky waters of institutional investment. They may have even gotten burned because they didn’t know what questions to ask or what to look for. As a result, we launched the Ask an Investor series to learn more about why and…
Following the UAE’s multilateral in-kind contribution and commitment to UNICEF to support COVAX’s global vaccine distribution efforts, the HOPE Consortium and UNICEF have agreed to fund the delivery of 65 ultra-cold freezers to Africa. The freezers are required for COVID-19 vaccines that require ultra-cold storage, as well as to allow African nations to absorb incoming…
China’s ruling Communist Party is pressuring Alibaba to enter the difficult and costly business of designing its own processor chips in order to help China become a self-sufficient “technology superpower” — a business unlike anything the world’s largest e-commerce company has done before. T-Head, its 3-year-old chip unit, unveiled its third processor, the Yitian 710,…
Due to strong opposition from the US government, lawmakers, and parents, Meta (formerly Facebook), Instagram’s parent company, was forced to halt development of Instagram for Kids for children aged 13 and under in September 2021. The argument was based on leaked information indicating that Instagram is contributing to the rising rates of anxiety and depression…
Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has stated that he will pay more than $11 billion in taxes this year. Following Time magazine’s designation of Musk as “person of the year,” Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren took to Twitter earlier this week to suggest that Musk pay taxes and stop…
General Motors, Alphabet’s Google, and its self-driving auto-technology company Waymo joined the list of companies that will no longer attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in person early next month due to rising COVID-19 infections on Thursday. GM CEO Mary Barra was scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the annual conference on January 5,…
Titan Trust Bank Limited (TTB), one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing and most customer-focused financial service providers, has purchased Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. Union Global Partners Limited, Atlas Mara Limited, and other majority shareholders agreed to sell their 88.39 percent stake in Union Bank to Titan Trust Bank. In a notification to the Nigerian Exchange Limited…
The Federal Government of Nigeria has replaced the outdated National Identification Number, NIN slip, and polycarbonate card with a suite of digital tokens. According to TechEconomy.ng, the Digital Token was created to replace the 11-digit NIN for all purposes. According to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the card ID is no longer required with…
Smart Applications International, Africa’s leading high–tech technology solutions provider, has joined forces with the Kenya Healthcare Federation (KHF), the Health Sector Board of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), to promote strategic Public–Private Partnerships aimed at achieving national healthcare access. The collaboration will allow the Kenya Healthcare Federation to have an automated system powered by…
TikTok is truly unstoppable: the video-sharing platform has surpassed Google to become the most popular website in the world, according to Cloudflare’s 2021 Year in Review internet traffic rankings. TikTok made Cloudflare’s top ten list last year, ranking seventh in popularity behind Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, and Amazon’s.coms. Aside from TikTok’s surge to the…
Fifteen startups have progressed to the second stage of the E-Track Programme, which is run by UCT GSB Solution Space in collaboration with ayoba. The E-track Program is a three-stage venture acceleration program aimed at high-impact individuals, aspiring entrepreneurs, and experienced founders. The first phase is Venture Launch, which focuses on validating the venture concept;…
Nigeria has moved one step closer to enacting its Nigeria Startup Bill (NSB), which aims to strengthen the country’s technology ecosystem and enable the sector. President Muhammadu Buhari has worked with the Presidency and leaders in the Nigerian technology industry on the bill, which has now been approved by the Federal Executive Council and is…
2016 is the year. Idris Marcial Monthe recently completed the Abidjan Founders Institute. Monthe was feeling quite confident after an incredible three months of learning from the best. With little to no experience in the financial sector, he and Daniel Dindji had just launched their payment gateway, CinetPay, in the same year. They met at…
In a tweet exchange with Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B, former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey stated that he believes Bitcoin will eventually replace the US dollar. Cardi B asked on Twitter if cryptocurrency would eventually replace the US dollar, to which Dorsey replied, “Yes, Bitcoin will.” Dorsey, who now leads Block (formerly Square), a digital payments…
According to two people familiar with the situation and emails obtained by Reuters, California’s civil rights regulator is looking into Google’s treatment of Black female employees following allegations of harassment and discrimination. According to the documents and sources, attorneys and analysts at the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) have repeatedly interviewed several…
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank has approved a $170 million loan to Nigeria to fund a digital and creative industries initiative. The Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises Program (i-DICE) is a Nigerian government initiative that promotes investment in the digital and creative industries. It is part of Nigeria’s efforts to…
Duhqa, a Kenyan retail-tech startup, was named one of six global winners of the FTxSDG Challenge, which means it could receive US$500,000 in funding and growth support. According to Disrupt Africa, the Financial Times and Seedstars partnered in September to launch the FTxSDG Challenge, which aims to find impact-driven entrepreneurs and ventures developing innovative solutions…
According to LinkedIn, the platform has 800 million members in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. It’s a place for decision-makers, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and employers to connect, collaborate, recruit, and share their thought leadership in a specific industry or area of expertise. But did you know that when someone conducts an online search for…
App for trading global shares in Nigeria Trove has won the fourth edition of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge, taking home a US$15,000 prize and a place in the bank’s Fintech Challenge Fellowship program. Each year, the Ecobank Group hosts its Fintech Challenge, with the five finalists of this year’s edition chosen from over 890 entrants…
Tingg, the all-in-one super payments app, was named ‘Overall Mobile App of the Year’ in Kenya at the inaugural Mobile App Summit and Awards, which took place on Friday, October 10th, at a prestigious gala dinner. At the event, held at the Pride Inn Westlands Banquette Centre, they also won the ‘Mobile App of the…