Startups Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

19Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Nigeria News, Startups

TLP Advisory Celebrates 10 Years with New Report on Nigeria’s Startup Ecosystem

The report identifies talent shortages, funding challenges, and regulatory barriers as key obstacles, emphasizing the importance of strategic partnerships and policy advocacy. 51% of surveyed startups struggle to secure funding, with angel investors playing a vital role. 30% of founders cite regulatory issues as significant barriers, urging stronger policy engagement. One-third of startups rely on strategic partnerships, underscoring collaboration as a critical factor for resilience. TLP Advisory, the venture law firm headquartered in Lagos, with offices in London and New York marks ten years of operation with the launch of a new report, “A Decade of the Nigerian Venture Ecosystem: Numbers, Insights & Stories.” The report provides a comprehensive analysis of Nigeria's ...

19Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Events, Startups

EMERGING Valley Set for Record Attendance: Over 100 Startups, 150+ Speakers, and 40 Inspiring Conferences Scheduled

On December 3, 2024, Aix-Marseille-Provence, designated as the European Capital of Innovation in 2023, will host the 8th edition of EMERGING Valley at the futuristic and inspiring site of TheCamp. Organized under the High Patronage of President Emmanuel Macron, this international event is supported by the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, the Bouches-du-Rhône Departmental Council, Euroméditerranée, the City of Marseille, and the French Development Agency (AFD). It will bring together 150 speakers, over 40 sessions across 3 top-tier stages, and participants from more than 50 countries, solidifying Aix-Marseille-Provence's status as a strategic hub for emerging technologies connecting Europe and Africa. A Main Stage Rich in Strategic Announcements and Inspiring Discussions The Main Stage ...

10Nov

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Startups

SeaO₂ Secures €2+ Million for Pioneering Ocean Carbon Removal Technology

Dutch climate tech startup SeaO₂ has announced a major funding boost of over €2 million, aimed at accelerating its innovative carbon removal technology. Specializing in Direct Ocean Capture (DOC), SeaO₂ extracts CO₂ directly from seawater, helping reduce atmospheric CO₂ levels by enhancing the ocean’s natural absorption capacity. With backing from investors including DOEN Participaties, NEW-TTT fund, Future Tech Ventures, and CarbonFix, this funding will support SeaO₂ in scaling from prototype to a pilot plant with a planned capacity of 250 tons of CO₂ per year by 2025. “This investment is a recognition of our team’s dedication,” said CEO Ruben Brands, “and it’s a crucial step towards our mission of removing one gigaton of CO₂ by 2045.” SeaO₂’s partnerships with organizations like XPRIZE...

5Nov

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Startups

From Start-Up Origins to AI Innovation: Suppple unveils seeek.ai, Africa’s first conversational AI for multilingual information search & access

Born from a start-up vision to solve pressing digital challenges, Suppple has grown into an established player in the African tech landscape. With its recent provisional listing on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, Suppple underscores its commitment to delivering innovative digital solutions tailored to Africa’s unique needs. At today’s Government Transformation Summit in London, Suppple brings its pioneering spirit and expertise to the forefront, addressing the critical topic of collaboration between dynamic tech companies and government to drive public sector innovation. Leveraging its experience rooted in start-up origins, Suppple introduces seeek.ai - a multilingual conversational AI crafted to democratise information access across the continent. “Our journey from start-up origins has s...

31Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Startups

EMERGING Valley Returns in 2024 to Connect Investors and Startups Between Europe and Africa

Aix-Marseille-Provence, elected European Capital of Innovation, will host the 8th edition of the EMERGING Valley summit on December 3, 2024. Under the High Patronage of President Emmanuel Macron, this event will take place in Marseille and at thecamp, a futuristic venue designed to foster collaboration and innovation. Historically supported by the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, the Euroméditerranée Public Development Agency, the Departmental Council of Bouches-du-Rhône, and the City of Marseille—founding partners since its inception—EMERGING Valley acts as a catalyst for digital innovations and strategic investments. Its goal is to position the Aix-Marseille-Provence region as the hub for impactful innovation and tech startups between Europe, the Mediterranean, and Africa. The su...

15Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, South Africa News, Startups

THE RISE OF FINTECH INNOVATION IN SA: GOING BEYOND PAYMENTS TO TRANSFORM ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR STARTUPS

By Annelene Dippenaar Two decades ago, a startup or small business had limited options when it came to processing transactions, with cash being the only option for many. Startups by their very nature also lacked credit histories, making it difficult to apply for finance, and leaving them vulnerable to unaffordable loans when seeking financial support to fund their business needs. Today, the picture is very different, with access to digital finance platforms, management tools, and mobile banking transforming how these businesses can operate. According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), digitalisation has enabled 700 million people in developing countries to gain access to formal financial services between 2011 and 2014, with 62% of adults having a bank or mobile...

8Oct

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Startups

Misaligned Reporting in African Tech Risks Future Funding, New Report Reveals

Wimbart’s Second Annual Investor Relations Report Calls for Standardised Reporting Frameworks to Strengthen Investor-Startup Relationships 40% of startup founders feel investors do not understand their business and market, creating a disconnect in communication 89% of investors receive regular reporting from their portfolio companies, up from 71% in 2023 72% of investors have increased their reporting requirements over the past 18 months, prioritising sustainability metrics over financial KPIs Wimbart, an award-winning PR agency specialising in business and technology sectors across Africa, has released its second annual report titled “Startup Performance Reporting in Africa: Aligning Startup and Investor Expectations.” The report, which aims to gain a comprehen...

1Oct

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

African News, Business, South Africa News, Startups

Attendees at the Oppenheimers’ South African Future Trust 2024 Summit Can Take Our Country Forward

The country’s premiere entrepreneurial showcase, the South African Future Trust Summit returns to the Sandton Convention Centre on 24 and 25 October – with more speakers, more stages, more opportunities - and a R500 000 investment prize for one stellar delegate. Headlining the event are African Leadership Academy founder Fred Swaniker; Founder & CEO of the Rehumanize Institute and co-founder & previous CEO of SingularityU Nordic, Laila Pawlak; Tasha’s Group CEO & Founder Natasha Sideris; South African songstress and motivational speaker Lira; financial journalist, speaker and author Bruce Whitfield and Veldskoen co-founder & CEO Nick Dreyer – with many more big-name presenters yet to be announced. The presenters and panellists will share their unique insights into how best...

26Sep

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Business, Egypt News, Kenya News, Nigeria News, Startups

Why investment in African healthtech is set for a major decline in 2024

Yomi Kazeem, Engagement Manager at Salient Advisory, and his colleagues explore the alarming trend of declining investments in African healthtech. In 2023, amid a nearly 40% slump in investment across African technology ecosystems, funding for healthtech startups across the continent proved resilient, dropping by only 2% – but that is set to change. Analysis of funding trends in the first of half of 2024 suggests that a major decline in healthtech investment is on the cards, with African healthtech innovations raising only $24 million – a 69% drop compared to the same period in 2023, according to data from Salient Advisory. The drop in funding is driven by a decline in both deal count and value: the number of deals is down by 47% in the first half of 2024, and the average ticket size...

17Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Africa Travel, Interview, Kenya News, Main, Startups, Zimbabwe News

The Challenges and Prospects of Passport-Free Travel in Africa Using Biometrics

Willys Mac'Olale , Director of Fragomen Kenya An interview with Willys Mac’Olale, Director of Fragomen Kenya, on the innovative opportunities and barriers in using biometrics, particularly facial recognition, for passport-free travel. African countries must make an innovative leap to reach a new level of development that will improve the lives of people in Africa. What are the main drivers behind the shift to passport less travel and facial recognition in countries like the US, UAE and Europe? There are a number of reasons for this adoption including; Enhnaced security – The fact that passport less travel typically relies on biometric data which is more secure and harder to forge than traditional passports reduces the risk of identity theft and fraud. Streamlining Tr...