Chari, a Moroccan B2B e-commerce and fintech business, has raised a bridge round of funding valued at US$100 million. Chari, which was founded in 2020 by husband and wife pair Ismael and Sophia Belkhayat, allows traditional local store operators in Morocco to order and have things delivered. It collaborates with more than half of the…
Carry1st, a South African mobile game firm, has secured a US$20 million Series A extension round led by Andreessen Horowitz, Avenir, and Google to help it scale across Africa. Carry1st, based in Cape Town, is a mobile games publisher serving the first generation of African smartphone users, with games such as Mine Rescue and SpongeBob:…
Nigerian businesses Moni and Topship have been accepted into the famed Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator accelerator’s W22 batch. Between now and March, the W22 batch of the Y Combinator program, which has played a role in the early days of firms such as Airbnb, Coinbase, and Dropbox, will take place. At a demo day, participants…
Orda, a Nigerian restaurant management business, has raised a pre-seed fundraising round of US$1.1 million in order to accelerate its growth and extend throughout the continent. Orda, which launched in 2020, is a cloud-based restaurant management system provider with the goal of providing a single operating system to power African eateries. The Lagos-based firm has…
Despite the world’s economic volatility, Africa’s tech entrepreneurs have pulled off another stellar year. If the year 2021 is any indication, the next 12 months will be loaded with startup successes. Here’s our list of 12 African companies to keep an eye on; enjoy the show. NORTH AFRICA Lamma Our list begins with Tunisia’s Lamma,…
Lamma, a Tunisian business that creates short commerce apps for young, active Africans, is expanding internationally with a debut in Morocco. Lamma, founded by Yassir El Ismaili El Edrissi, Hamza Guesmi, and Koussi Aymen in 2020, uses a mix of dark storefronts and its partner network to deliver groceries, food, personal care, electronics, and fashion…
How businesses promote to new clients is one of the ways that technology is continuously revolutionizing how we live. Businesses have found it important to provide great services, market effectively, and increase their reach as consumers have more options. Consumers are enticed to buy or utilize certain items and services through discounts and cashback. Unlike…
Lemonade, a Nigerian fintech startup, is by no means unique in its ability to help Africans abroad send and receive money to and from their home countries, but the startup believes it has a secret sauce that sets it apart from the competition. Lemonade Finance, founded in 2020 by Ridwan Olalere and Rian Cochran and…
Alphabet-owned Google announced the acquisition of Israeli cybersecurity startup Siemplify by its cloud division on Tuesday, as the US tech giant expands its security offerings in the face of rising cyber attacks. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed by the companies, but a source familiar with the matter stated that Google paid…
Windowshoppi, a Tanzanian startup that allows users to post photos, add locations, and recommend products, is hoping to boost local commerce with new product releases in the new year. Windowshoppi is a product discovery app that will be released in September 2020. Users can upload photos, include links and locations in their posts, and recommend…
After seven years of producing electronic gadgets through his company, Imose Technologies, Osayi Izedonmwen took a break to pursue an idea he had been toying with for some time — an edtech startup, Teesas, which now offers video classes and other digital educational material to learners in Nigeria. Teesas, which was founded less than two…
Aircart, a Kenyan startup, has launched an online platform that allows users to sell any digital product using smart links. Aircart, like international platforms like Gumroad, is a storefront for digital content producers, allowing users to upload a product, select their preferred payment method, and immediately receive a shareable link from which they can directly…
The EdTech sector grew by 30-35 percent in 2020, and it is expected to grow by 20-25 percent by the end of 2021. This is strong evidence that a growing number of people prefer online learning, with paper textbooks and rigid learning plans gradually falling out of favor. Analyze Product Demand One of the major…
Field Intelligence, a Nigerian e-health startup that is digitizing the supply chain and transforming access to essential, life-saving medicine, claims to have saved the Nigerian government US$2 million in losses due to expired medication over the last five years. Field Intelligence, founded in 2015, is the leading pharmaceutical supply chain provider in Nigeria and Kenya,…
After experiencing rapid growth, Nigerian startup Get It Done Now, a mobile fintech e-commerce platform where users can access services, loans, and insurance, is expanding to Spain. Get It Done Now, founded in mid-2018 by Alberto Rodriguez and Bode Bamgboye after they met while studying for an MBA at the IE Business School in Madrid,…
Zuri Health, a Kenyan startup, has expanded its operations into Senegal through a partnership with telecoms firm Expresso Senegal. In January, Disrupt Africa reported on the launch of Zuri Health, which enables users to book appointments with any medical professional or hospital in their region, book laboratory tests, communicate with practitioners via message or video,…
SweepSouth, a South African online home services platform, has acquired Egyptian startup FilKhedma, a home services marketplace operating in three cities, in order to expand into the North African country. SweepSouth, which was founded in 2014, is an online platform that offers on-demand home cleaning services in various South African cities. The startup has raised…
Wowzi, a Kenyan startup, has secured new funding to expand the reach of its platform, which turns social media users into brand influencers, to West and Southern Africa — as it capitalizes on the continent’s rising social media usage, driven by the proliferation of smartphones and increasing internet penetration. Wowzi, which connects social media users…
Medicise, a South African startup, has opened a cutting-edge medical facility in Somerset West, Western Cape, that can measure and monitor a wide range of heart and lung functions and then present a complete clinical picture using complex diagnostic algorithms. Medicise, which claims to be Africa’s only such facility, uses highly specialized equipment to measure…
Katapult, based in Norway, has opened an impact accelerator in Mauritius, focusing on regenerative food and agri-tech for regional and international startups looking to enter African markets. The Katapult Accelerator, based in Norway, has invested in a number of African startups and launched spin-offs such as Katapult Ocean and a climate-focused program. Katapult has developed…
Flow, a South African prop-tech startup that allows real estate agents and developers to seamlessly advertise properties on social media, has announced its expansion into Australia, following strong growth in its home market. Flow, founded in 2019 by Daniel Levy and Gil Sperling, goes directly to the source of the world’s largest social platforms –…
BeXel, an Egyptian cloud-based inspection management software company, has raised a six-figure US dollar round of funding in order to expand into Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries. beXel is a SaaS digital cloud-based inspection management software that focuses on industrial services such as energy, oil and gas, and construction. It was founded in early…
A startup founded by university friends that pivoted away from its initial model to find product-market fit in the logistics space, to the point where it was accepted into prestigious accelerator programs. Swoove from Ghana has an interesting backstory. Swoove connects businesses with network logistics services to enable them to reach customers across the continent,…
The MEST Express accelerator programme is now accepting applications from early-stage Ghanaian startups looking to scale their operations. MEST Express is one of three programs that MEST is currently running in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, along with Pre-MEST and MEST Scale. The 20-week accelerator program aims to provide early-stage ventures with the skills and…
A start-up needs investments in order to reach out to its numerous customers especially when the demand for their product or service is high. The major reason for investments in start-ups is the steady growth experienced. Start-up founders need to understand that an investor is not a friend but an enabler with financial capability to…
Wowzi, a Kenyan tech startup, has announced plans to create one million gig jobs for African youth through its online marketplace by 2022, after successfully delivering over 150,000 paid jobs in 2021. The company, which makes scalable influencer campaigns available to brands and companies of any size or industry, has announced plans to expand partnerships…
Olarm, a home and business security startup, provides users with easy control over their alarm systems via its app. The Olarm app allows users to remotely view and control their alarm system from their smartphone, just like a traditional key panel, but it also includes additional features such as alarm status such as arming, disarming,…
It’s a Silicon Cape to Cairo, as Egypt’s rapidly growing startup population and ability to attract growth capital sees the north African country take its place in a north-south, east-west startup “axis.” Egypt’s arrival also introduces new competition to the more well-known startup ecosystems of Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya. Egypt has appeared out of…
Millions of small businesses around the world have operated offline over the past decade, especially in emerging markets. As a result, most of them still rely on pens that use pen and paper or a list to store and store important information. In Nigeria, some people keep information on their head. All of these failures,…
Ozow, the South African payment gateway, raised $ 48 million in a Series B funding round to expand the availability of payment solutions. The financial environment has been led by Chinese internet giant Tencent and includes other investors such as Endeavor Catalyst and Endeavor Harvest Fund. Tencent, a major investor, donated $ 20 million, accounting…