- Disrupt Africa wants female VCs and angel investors on the continent to give their views on gender diversity within the tech ecosystem, with the findings to be revealed as part of its groundbreaking report on the subject. Since launching its research arm in 2016, Disrupt Africa has built up a…
- After a successful career with Accenture, in 2016 Clive Butkow finally took the plunge and launched his own venture capital company, Kalon Venture Partners. He believes the company has a recipe for success that will allow its portfolio companies to survive the current economic climate, and propel…
- The Africa Business Angel Network (ABAN) has launched two new thematic angel networks aimed at supporting startups that are building solutions in the smart cities and digital trade sectors on the continent. Established in 2015, ABAN is the largest pan-African organisation of angel investors,…
- Applications have opened for the fourth edition of the eight-month OceanHub Africa accelerator, which will support up to 12 of Africa’s most promising impact for-profit startups focused on preserving and restoring the health of the ocean. The OceanHub Africa accelerator, which selected its third…
- Nigerian startup Pathscape has developed a cutting-edge productivity tool designed specifically to help construction firms automate and simplify their project management processes. Founded in 2021, Pathscape enables firms to effectively track and manage project outcomes, as well as associated…
- South African ed-tech incubator Injini has announced the 12 startups selected for the first Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship Programme, which offers selected companies access to funding and other types of support. Founded in 2017, Injini, which is a member of the UVU Africa Group, is a…
- The Jobtech Alliance has announced its first cohort of 10 companies that are creating accessible, and appropriate jobtech solutions that connect young people to jobs, which will participate in two new programmes and secure access to funding and mentorship. Disrupt Africa reported last October on…
- Nigeria’s Autochek, an auto-tech company making car ownership more accessible and affordable across Africa, has announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Egypt’s AutoTager to deepen its presence in North Africa and support the company’s ongoing growth. Founded in 2020, Autochek aims to build…
- I’M IN Entrepreneurial Programme receives support from J.P. Morgan to launch an Ideation Incubator exclusive to female students from previously disadvantaged communities in the Gauteng Province. I’M IN Entrepreneurial Programme has officially opened applications for the inaugural Ideation…
- Nigerian startup Lazerpay, which built a blockchain-powered solution that enabled businesses to accept payments from anyone, anywhere in the world, using stablecoins, has closed down after failing to secure the necessary funding for survival. Founded in 2021, Lazerpay developed an API that allows…
- Startups in the healthcare industry are invited to apply for the Africa MedTech Challenge, ENRICH in Africa’s initiative to bring change through innovation to healthcare in Europe and Africa. Sothema, the leading pharmaceutical company, and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University are seeking startups…
- Nigerian startup Alajo is an escrowed digital piggy bank for the under- and un-banked, which allows people to access financial services without the need for internet access. Founded in 2021, and a recent participant in the Google for Startups Africa and CATAPULT: Inclusion Africa accelerators,…
- Nigerian anti-counterfeiting startup Chekkit has secured additional funding to help it scale its blockchain-powered drug safety and tracking solution. Formed at the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in Accra, Ghana in 2018, Chekkit has built a platform that tracks product…
- Applications are now open for the annual VC4A Venture Showcase, which helps African founders leading innovative and disruptive startups and scaleups to showcase their businesses to the most active investors on the continent. Since its launch in 2017, the VC4A Venture Showcase Africa alumni have…
- Young African Catalysts has launched in a bid to democratise access to the African venture ecosystem, leveraging data and community to enable young Africans to upskill, find jobs, and unlock investment. Co-founded by Luke Morsert, head of investments at Future Africa, and Karl Nchite, a former…
- In order to address the dire teacher shortage worldwide and improve the quality of education in Africa, Edves, a top provider of educational technology in Africa, has announced a strategic partnership with “1 Million Teachers”, a brand whose focus is to empower teachers via training and…
- Nigerian fintech company SPLIQ DEFI has launched a platform to create more utility for NFTs, in a bid to better integrate the technology into everyday life. Launched in April 2022, SPLIQ DEFI also analyses volatility of crypto assets such as NFTs using live market data to determine the eligibility…
- Ghana-based startup Remoteli is providing young Africans with access to technology skills and job opportunities that were previously unavailable. Launched in 2020, Remoteli is a technology-driven platform that specialises in connecting talented professionals from Africa with innovative companies…
- Nigerian fintech startup GoFree has launched a super app that combines messaging, collaboration, and payment functionality in one platform. Founded in 2022, GoFree is available for download on the App Store and Google Play Store, and allows users to to easily manage their personal and professional…
- South African agri-tech startup FarmTrace, a cloud-based farm management tool that offers a diverse range of tools to help farmers manage their operations, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding to help it expand operations. Based in Tzaneen, Limpopo and Stellenbosch, Western Cape, FarmTrace…
- Ghanaian agri-tech startup Farmerline has expanded into Francophone Africa with an official launch of operations in Ivory Coast, deepening partnerships across West Africa and accelerating its commitment to support small scale farmers everywhere. This year marks a decade since Farmerline was…
- Disrupt Africa wants female founders on the continent to give their views on gender diversity within the tech ecosystem, with the findings to be revealed as part of its groundbreaking report on the subject. Since launching its research arm in 2016, Disrupt Africa has built up a significant…
- Localisation, and employing local team leaders, is pivotal when it comes to expanding African tech startups into new markets on the continent. That is according to Tesh Mbaabu, co-founder and CEO of MarketForce, a Kenya-based B2B commerce super app that allows informal merchants to source, order…
- Nigerian startup GoWagr has launched a platform designed to revolutionise the way people make wagers, eliminating common problems like fraud, especially when dealing with strangers online, or issues where people refuse to pay up after a wager has been won. GoWagr users can easily make wagers with…
- Nigerian startup VarsityScape makes it easier for cohort-based course instructors to access all the tools they need to host a successful course using AI and live-learning technology. Founded in 2019 by Daniel Idiare and Kenney Erimakonosine, VarsityScape began life as a platform for students in…
- The European Union and the African Union enjoy an invaluable partnership in multiple domains, and space is no exception. Through the EU Global Action on Space initiative, the EU facilitates matchmaking between African and European stakeholders and enterprises, and raises awareness around the EU…
- Nigerian leading tech-enabled, scheduled mass transit company Shuttlers has raised an additional US$4 million in equity funding to accelerate the growth of its transportation solution. Founded in 2016 by Damilola Olokesusi, Shuttlers allows commuters to move in comfort along selected routes at…
- Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing division for the world’s largest e-commerce retailer Amazon, has opened applications for its inaugural Femintech Innovation Challenge, tailored specifically for women-led startups across Africa and aimed at facilitating innovation, networking, and…
- African tech startups can ride out the global cash crunch, but they must position themselves to scale efficiently rather than pursue growth at all costs. According to the eighth edition of the annual African Tech Startups Funding Report released by Disrupt Africa in January, a total of 633 African…
- Nigerian fintech startup Moni, which leverages social trust and group responsibility to deliver financial services, has launched a new range of business loans that enable small business owners to take advantage of the power of their communities to access working capital. Moni is pioneering a…
- Leading development partners GIZ Egypt, FMO, and AfricaGrow have announced the launch of the second edition of the “VC Grow” programme for new VCs. The programme targets new and emerging fund managers operating in Africa or the Middle East, with a minimum allocation to Egypt of 25 per cent,…
- South African earned wage access platform Paymenow has raised a ZAR250 million (US$14 million) debt facility through Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) to help fund its growth. The Stellenbosch-based Paymenow was formed in 2019 and went live with its first customer in March 2020. A financial wellness…
- South African fintech startup Peach Payments has raised a US$31 million Series A funding round from Apis Partners to accelerate its growth across the continent and grow its product offering. Founded in Cape Town in 2012, Peach Payments provides a complete toolkit to help businesses accept, manage…
- South Africa’s Akili Labs, a pioneer of cost-effective molecular diagnostics and secure genomic data storage solutions, and BGI Genomics, one of the world’s leading genomics companies, have signed a technology transfer agreement that will provide the Southern region of Africa with clinical-grade…
- Applications are open for the PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator: MENA Sustainability edition, which aims to unlock innovative and disruptive agricultural solutions in partnership with purpose-driven MENA startups. The 2023 PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator: MENA Sustainability edition will select six…
- The Egypt-based VC firm Camel Ventures has launched an EGP500 million (US$16 million) fund that is focused on the country’s fintech startup ecosystem. Camel Ventures is backed by institutions in the fintech space and the financial services arena in Egypt – dfin Holding and Al Ahly Capital Holding.…
- Ariob, an incubation programme aimed at launching African-centered startups into blockchain ventures, is graduating its first cohort tomorrow (April 4). The programme, a collaboration between leading decentralised technology solutions provider Input Output and Ethiopian tech incubator and…
- Goodwell Investments and Oxfam Novib have announced a new EUR20 million (US$22 million) fund that will address the “missing middle” East Africa by investing in early-stage growth companies that are struggling to secure finance from banks and investments funds. Goodwell Investments is an impact…
- Applications have opened for the third Egypt’s Entrepreneur Awards (EEA), which will celebrate, recognise and connect the most innovative, successful and resilient entrepreneurs in Egypt. EEA is the first platform in Egypt to celebrate rising entrepreneurs and existing successful businesses equally…
- African tech startups raised US$649,303,000 between January 1 and March 31 this year, down 57.2 per cent on the total from the corresponding period in 2022, as the sector begins to feel the bite from the global economic climate. According to the most recent edition of the annual African Tech…
- Blockchain technology has gradually advanced into the world of payments to transform the traditional banking environment, driving efficiency and simplicity by establishing new financial processes and services. Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLT) promise to address certain issues,…
- The Ivorian government has unveiled its Startup Act, a framework designed to support the country’s most talented entrepreneurs in achieving their goals. The first specific startup law globally was passed in Italy in 2012, and Tunisia and Senegal were the first two African countries to enact them. A…
- African startups have been invited to apply for the third edition of the Green Changemakers Challenge, a global innovation challenge open to solutions that are equipping others with the mindset and capabilities to contribute towards building a sustainable and equitable world. Run by Ashoka in…
- The Rwanda-based Payday, a leading pan-African neobank issuing global accounts to Africans, has announced a US$3 million seed round to power its expansion into Europe and North America. Launched in June 2021 by Favour Ori, Payday was developed to support African remote workers, freelancers and…
- DFS Lab has announced the launch of the DFS Lab Stellar Africa Fund I, which will back high-potential builders and teams in Africa aiming to transform the digital payments landscape and beyond by building on the Stellar network. DFS Lab is an early-stage investor that focuses on Africa’s largest…
- The African Centre for a Green Economy has opened applications for its Green Business Accelerator programme, which offers access to mentorship, funding and networking opportunities. A non-profit multi-disciplinary think tank working towards accelerating green and inclusive economy in Africa, the…
- Nigeria’s Fez Delivery, a logistics and delivery company, has raised a US$1 million seed funding round to accelerate its development and grow its team. Founded in 2020 by Seun Alley, Fez Delivery began life offering janitorial services to businesses, but suffered from absenteeism of the janitors…
- Start OA is a leading startup advisory firm in Africa that has gained a reputation for providing unparalleled support to startups in various areas such as fundraising, startup advisory services, and expansion into new markets. With its proven track record of success, Start OA has become the go-to…
- The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Ethiopia (MinT) are pleased to announce the “Ethiopia Acceleration Program Kickoff & Pitch event” for investors and companies from Japan and from all over the world as well as anyone interested in…
- Ethiopian startup Medstore has launched a digital marketplace to allow users to sell and buy medical equipment online, and publish and subscribe to medical equipment tenders. Founded in 2020 but only launched this month, Medstore is a match-maker for manufacturers and distributors of medical…