South African fintech startup Centbee has successfully completed testing of its remittance service Minit Money within the framework of the South African Intergovernmental Fintech Working Group’s Regulatory Sandbox. Launched in 2016 by co-CEOs Lorien Gamaroff and Angus Brown, Centbee launched its bitcoin cash wallet to market late in 2018, allowing users to send bitcoin cash directly to their…
Egyptian e-health and IoT solutions startup Sotech has raised US$1 million in pre-seed funding to scale into the rest of the MENA region. Founded in 2020, Sotech specialises in smart IoT, trackable OOH advertising, and data gathering. The startup bridges the worlds of offline advertising with online campaigning, via an app that helps clinics understand the volume,…
Written by Alexander Onukwue Besides being a key ingredient for cooking jollof rice, vegetable oil is used industrially in paints, soaps, biofuels, and lubricants. But getting the oil from palm nuts can be a hassle for manufacturers if they have to engage smallholder farmers directly. In most cases, the Nigerian farmer cracks palm nuts with…
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 TOM JACKSON Kenyan fintech startup Jumuisha, which helps churches and NGOs receive donations, make payments and manage events all in one place, has raised a round of seed funding to help it scale. Launched in October 2020, Jumuisha allows churches to receive donations via USSD, bank transfer, mobile money, online payment or credit cards, and…
Written by TOM JACKSON Kenyan startup Teleeza has developed a mobile content aggregation and advertising platform that utilises a smartphone’s lockscreen. Launched earlier this year, Teleeza allows users to easily and conveniently access customised content on their lockscreen, and has already onboarded over 55 local, regional and international publishers. The startup has 30,000 users on the platform,…
Written by TOM JACKSON Startup-focused news and research company Disrupt Africa has announced VC firm Global Ventures and startup accelerator AUC V-Lab have joined Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) as partners for the open-sourcing of the “Egyptian Startup Ecosystem Report 2021”. Since launching its research arm in 2016, Disrupt Africa has built up a significant…
Written by TOM JACKSON Kenya’s Hello Tractor and Nigeria’s ColdHubs have been named winners of the inaugural AYuTe Africa Challenge, securing a combined US$1.5 million in grant funding to help fund rapid expansion plans. The AYuTe Africa Challenge, run by Heifer International, announced the winners of its inaugural edition at the African Green Revolution Forum…
Written by TOM JACKSON The story formation of Nigerian startup Sabi, a B2B marketplace serving Africa’s informal sector, is not a common one, with the beginnings of the company traced back to another Nigerian startup – Rensource. Rensource, which launched in 2016 and raised US$20 million in funding in 2019, is a renewable energy and merchant…
Written by TOM JACKSON Legal-tech startups in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Burundi have been invited to apply for the Justice Innovation Circles incubation programme. Run by HiiL, Justice Innovation Circles is an incubation programme curated for justice innovators who only have a minimal viable product or prototype and no real traction. It is looking…
Written by Yinka Okeowo Focussed on catalysing dramatic change via disruptive tech investments in emerging markets, the Global Innovation Initiative Group (GIIG), has announced the launch of a unique profit and purpose fund aimed at investing in early-stage tech innovation startups across Africa. The GIIG Africa Fund, a Curaçao-based private investment fund, will invest annually in the…
Written by Tage Kene-Okafor Funding startups that help manufacturers and sellers distribute products and merchants access them on a single platform keeps increasing across Africa. Today, Cairo-based B2B e-commerce startup Capiter continues that trend by raising a $33 million Series A round. The investment was co-led by Quona Capital and MSA Capital. Other participating investors include Savola, Shorooq…
Written by TOM JACKSON Nigerian auto-tech startup Autochek has expanded to Kenya and Uganda after acquiring the Cheki platforms for each of those countries from ROAM Africa. Autochek aims to build digital solutions that will enhance and enable a seamless and safe automotive commerce experience across Africa, starting with Nigeria and Ghana. It plans to use…
Written by TOM JACKSON Manufacturing tech leader Guidewheel, which began life as Safi in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, is targeting faster expansion in the United States (US) after raising Series A funding. Disrupt Africa reported in July Guidewheel, which was based out of Nairobi as Safi from 2018-2020, had closed a US$8 million Series A funding round. A…
Written by TOM JACKSON Egyptian fintech startup MNT-Halan has secured a US$120 million investment by major global and regional growth investors to further develop its product and expand internationally. Having begun life as a ride-hailing app for two- and three-wheeler vehicles back in 2018, MNT-Halan has morphed into a super app of sorts, and in the process…
Written by Michael Ajifowoke Within four years, Wave has gone from a spinoff from Asia and Africa-focused cheap remittance company, Sendwave, to a mobile money service provider worth $1.7 billion; the latest unicorn startup in Africa and the first in the French-speaking region. The billion-dollar valuation comes after it raised $200 million in a Series A round…
Kenyan fintech startup Pezesha raises 7-figure seed extension round for African expansion Written by TOM JACKSON Kenyan fintech startup Pezesha, which is building scalable lending infrastructure for SMEs and institutions, has closed a seven-figure seed extension round as it looks to expand further across the continent. Founded in late 2016, Pezesha has created a holistic digital financial…
These open banking startups are driving the next wave of fintech innovation in Africa Written by TOM JACKSON All of a sudden, open banking is a very real phenomenon in Africa, with entrepreneurs and investors alike betting on the long-term opportunities within the nascent space. First of all, what is it? Open banking is a…
Ugandan e-logistics startup Ridelink raises $150k pre-seed funding round Written by TOM JACKSON Ugandan e-logistics startup Ridelink has raised US$150,000 in pre-seed funding to help it scale operations. Launched in 2017, Ridelink is an e-logistics platform that connects SMEs to a network of transport operators at the click of a button. So far it has served over…
What 377 Y Combinator pitches will teach you about startups Written by Natasha Mascarenhas Along with a cadre of other TechCrunch folks, I spent this week extremely focused on one event: Y Combinator. The elite accelerator announced a staggering 377 startups as its Summer 2021 cohort. We covered every single on-the-record startup that presented and…
Founders Factory and G-Force launch Seed program for climate-focused startups Written by Mike Butcher UK tech accelerator Founders Factory is joining forces with a European counterpart to launch the Founders Factory Sustainability Seed program. Launched in partnership with G-Force (the G is for Green) based out of Bratislava, Slovakia, the program will look to invest in and accelerate…
African energy startups to benefit from SIMA’s $68,000,000 Energy Access Relief Fund Written By Joan Aimuengheuwa With a focus on ensuring adequate decentralisation of clean energy globally, Social Investment Managers and Advisors’ (SIMA) has made its $68,000,000 Energy Access Relief Fund (EARF) accessible to startups in the energy sector. Smaller to mid-sized energy companies across sub-Saharan…
Zowasel, a Nigerian agritech startup, has received $100,000 in funding from Guinness and Promasidor. At the UN World Food Programme Zero Hunger Sprint, Nigerian agri-tech firm Zowasel received US$100,000 in funding from Guinness Nigeria and Promasidor Nigeria, a large pan-African consumer packaged food maker. Zowasel is an agricultural technology startup that is working to create a sustainable…
Egyptian e-commerce startup FwRun acquired by Saudi logistics company Written by TOM JACKSON Egyptian e-commerce solutions provider FwRun has been acquired by Saudi Arabian last mile delivery and logistics firm Diggipacks as the latter looks to expand its presence in the Egyptian market. Founded in 2019, FwRun provides fulfillment, delivery, and warehousing services to e-commerce companies….
Startups should look to state-of-the-art tech to tackle diseases affecting women Written by Shahar Keinan Startups devoted to reproductive and women’s health are on the rise. However, most of them deal with women’s fertility: birth control, ovulation and the inability to conceive. The broader field of women’s health remains neglected. Historically, most of our understanding…
SA fintech startup Payflex acquired by listed Australian firm plotting African expansion Written by TOM JACKSON South African buy now pay later fintech startup Payflex has been acquired by Australia Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed Zip as the latter takes it global expansion plans into Africa. Founded in 2018, Payflex allows consumers to shop now and pay later, interest-free….
Kenya’s MotiSure launches API-powered insurtech platform Written by TOM JACKSON Kenyan startup MotiSure has launched an API-powered insurtech platform that provides personal accident cover for commuters and riders through embedding insurance in tickets and other points of sale within mobility. MotiSure was co-founded this year by Joel Macharia, Jane Njau and Thuita Wachira after they sampled…
Nigeria tops as Y Combinator S21 receives the highest number of African startups so far Written by Joan Aimuengheuwa It’s an interesting fact to reiterate that the number of African startups participating in Y Combinator’s 2021 summer batch has increased beyond the usual. Compared to other cohorts, the highest number of African startups participating in the programme…
LoftyInc Capital, a Pan-African Venture Capital firm, has launched its third fund, valued at $10 million, for African tech startups LoftyInc Capital, a pan-African venture capital firm, announced today the launch of its third fund, LoftyInc Afropreneurs Fund 3, with a $10 million investment target for African tech startups. The firm has completed its first…
Zambian startup Dawa Health plans regional expansion for maternal health-focused digital platform Written By TOM JACKSON Zambia’s Dawa Health, an e-health platform currently focused on maternal health, is planning expansion into nearby countries for its digital health platform empowering rural mothers. Founded in 2018 as a medical hardware startup, Dawa Health prototyped a wearable device to monitor…