Yebo Fresh, a South African e-commerce business that delivers fresh goods and food to townships, has secured a ZAR78 million (US$4.5 million) pre-Series A equity investment in addition to a Jobs Fund grant. Yebo Fresh is an online grocery delivery service for township communities that was introduced in 2018 and is based in the garage…
The firm owned by Cassava Technologies, Africa Data Centres, revealed intentions to erect a 20MW data center near Cape Town on Wednesday. The new facility, which is scheduled to debut in the middle of next year, will have an IT load of up to 20MW. The company now has two data centers in Cape Town….
To improve funding of sustainable SME projects in Africa, the African Guarantee Fund (AGF), a market-friendly guarantee program that aims to make financing for small businesses easier in Africa, has teamed with bettervest, a crowdfunding platform based in Frankfurt. The AGF, developed and supported by the AfDB in collaboration with the governments of Spain and…
The sixth AFD Digital Challenge, which is focused on the cultural and creative industries, is now accepting applications. The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is committed to assisting high-impact tech entrepreneurs in Africa for the sixth year running. All Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) startups and associations that use digital technology at the core of…
Nigeria’s central bank today carried out its plan to introduce the AfriGo national domestic card program. The program, which was first unveiled at a Bankers’ Committee news conference in October 2022, involves the central bank in the market’s triopoly of card payment programs for Nigeria. Godwin Emefiele, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria,…
In setting up a business, various forms of resources are necessary to make the idea a successful one. Businesses require money, time, and human capital for growth. Unlike an established business with traction, startups are like the way they sound – starting from the scratch. This business process requires financing from different sources; both internal and…
Google recently announced the addition of 33 new languages, including nine African languages, to the Google Translate app for iOS and Android. This brings Google’s total number of African languages supported to 12. Since 2018, when Google Translate offline translation tool was launched, Arabic, Swahili, and Afrikaans have been supported. Nigerian dialects The newly added…
The technology world was on fire about the latest artificial intelligence demonstration by OpenAI in the waning months of 2022, ChatGPT. It is truly a remarkable achievement, an artificial intelligence (AI) that you can have a conversation with and ask it to do everything from write essays to code computer programs. As a computer security…
Binance Charity, Binance’s philanthropic arm, has announced a collaboration with Women in Tech to provide Web3 vocational training to 2 800 women in rural communities in South Africa and Brazil, thereby creating future entrepreneurs and job opportunities. Web3 focuses on blockchain education and understanding of key cryptocurrency concepts. Training focuses on a wide range of…
The official opening of the Digital Expert Academy in Lagos was attended by US Consul General Will Stevens, representatives from leading American technology companies, and Nigerian technology and business leaders. The Digital Expert Academy, founded by 21st Century Technologies, aims to train and upskill young Nigerians in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, machine learning, cloud services,…
Carry1st, an African mobile games publisher, has recently received a $27 million pre-Series B investment to help it grow its business and create more games. Bitkraft Ventures led the round, with backing from Andreessen Horowitz, TTV Capital, Alumni Ventures, Lateral Capital, Kepple Ventures, and Konvoy. Carry1st was founded in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2018…
Startupbootcamp AfriTech, Africa’s leading tech accelerator, has chosen the participants of the Africa Startup Initiative Program, in collaboration with founding partner and leading telecom giant, Telecel Group (ASIP). The ASIP Accelerator has been successful in assisting founders in fine-tuning their business models while also facilitating entry into new markets such as Senegal. This has been…
Cathedis, a logistics startup based in Morocco that specializes in delivery and e-logistics, has announced the completion of its pre-series. Afrimobility raised $5 million, AKWA Group provided venture capital, and CDG Invest provided a bridge loan of $2 million, for a total of $735,940. Cathedis’ platform, founded by Imad Mansour Zekri, provides cloud-based warehousing and…
Ten Kenyan agri-circularity startups have been chosen for the second edition of the O-Farms accelerator programme, which will award two peer-selected companies with up to EUR25,000 (US$24,000) in milestone-based grant funding. O-Farms, led by Bopinc and Village Capital and implemented by E4Impact Accelerator, was launched in 2021 as Africa’s first agri-circularity accelerator programme, with the…
Instagram has introduced a new feature called Quiet Mode, which is designed “to help people focus and encourage people to set boundaries with their friends and followers.” The feature, according to the company, aims to alleviate users’ anxiety about spending time away from the app by silencing incoming alerts, auto-replying to direct messages (DMs), and…
In conjunction with the IMF/World Bank annual meetings, forecasts released at the July World Economic Outlook in July 2022, projected Nigeria inflation to fall to 17% and an increase in its Gross Domestic Product GDP, to 3.4% in 2022 and 3.2% in 2023. Reprojected in October World Economic Outlook, Nigeria’s GDP is projected to drop to 3.2% in 2023…
AVEVA, a global leader in industrial software, today announced the completion of its acquisition by Schneider Electric, a leading global industrial company specializing in digital automation and energy management. Since its foundation, AVEVA has grown from a niche design software developer to a leading global industrial software company with a value of more than £10bn. Today, AVEVA’s…
In a society driven by information, the capacity to understand and respond to human behavior has become the bedrock of innovation in product marketing. Over the past few years, I have immersed myself in this dynamic field, navigating the ever changing intersections of behavioral data analytics and artificial intelligence. As a Senior Product Marketer, my…
The 2023 academic year is opening across Mzansi, with inland schools return date of 11 January, while coastal schools open on the 18th. “Your education is, of course, of absolute critical importance – especially for today’s young people who are adapting to a new digital and hybrid world, where social and student lives are intrinsically…
The fifth edition of Pitch Live at Africa Tech Summit Nairobi’s final deadline is approaching on Friday, January 20. Ten potential businesses will be chosen to present their technological breakthroughs live on stage to more than 1000 investors, corporations, and delegates. Tech startups from all over Africa can attend the Pitch Live event to obtain…
A US$500,000 competition has been launched by Forbes and the Aviram Foundation to find innovative companies dedicated to using technological innovation to create meaningful, substantial change. The competition, whose grand prize is US$500,000, seeks out unique goods or services that will have a positive influence on society, the environment, or people. Hundreds of entries were…
Applications are now being accepted for the 2023 Mentor-Driven Capital Africa Program for Women in Leadership, which is looking for mentors for the continent’s up-and-coming entrepreneurs. One of VC4A’s strategies for enhancing startup ecosystems worldwide is “mentor-driven capital.” The program’s objective is to equip aspiring and experienced business mentors with the resources they need to…
A Kenyan business called iGas has introduced a digital LPG marketplace with the goal of easing last-mile delivery, price, and accessibility issues to speed up access to clean cooking. iGas, a company that was founded in 2021 but only recently became publicly accessible, allows gas sellers, whether they are residential or commercial, to set up…
The Earthshot Reward, a global environmental prize to find, accelerate, and scale ground-breaking ideas to repair and renew the earth, has welcomed African startups to submit applications. Each year, the Earthshot Prize conducts a global search for game-changing solutions. To see the process through to completion, a global network of more than 350 nominating people…
For those who want to be among the first to access the verification for organizations program, Twitter is now accepting signups. The business said this along with a link to the registration form in their statement, adding that it was once known as Blue for Business. For consideration on the waitlist, organizations must submit their…
Global Executives, experts and leaders will take stage, as we return with the 7th Edition Connected Banking Summit in Nairobi, Kenya on March 7, 2023. The Connected Banking Summit Series focuses on building future-oriented banking models by accelerating the pace of digital transformation and delivering a delightful customer experience in line with policy and regulations…
Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, is hosting the opening edition of Nigeria’s Top 50 Digital Economy Enablers February 14, 2023 at the prestigious Sheraton Hotel & Towers. Nigeria’s Digital Economy is evolving positively in spite of a diversity of challenges for organisations in the public and private sectors. Inspired by the need to express both the…
Peter Herweck, AVEVA CEO, will participate in the World Economic Forum 2023 (WEF 2023) in Davos, Switzerland to promote a sustainable industrial digital transformation in support of a lower carbon, socially just world. “AVEVA’s software has played an active role in accelerating the sustainability transition for industrial businesses for many years. At Davos this year, I look…
As part of its second startup exhibition, South African fintech company Stitch has invited early-stage businesses from around the continent to showcase their ideas to investors and other stakeholders. The organization, which held its first startup showcase last year, is currently seeking applications for the event’s second iteration. This infrastructure enables companies to develop, introduce,…
Ethiopia-based SaaS-enabled pan-African talent marketplace Gebeya recently announced a pre-Series A investment from Japanese venture capital firm Inclusion Japan. In more than 30 countries around Africa, Gebeya connects startups, SMEs, and multinational corporations with competent talent and professional services. Gebeya has operations in Kenya and Senegal in addition to its headquarters in Addis Abeba. “We…