Hong Kong, Asia’s leading business destination and the gateway to Mainland China and Asia, is stepping up its efforts to attract African business, with the opening of an InvestHK representative office in Africa. InvestHK, the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government responsible for Foreign Direct Investment, has a presence in 33 […]
Category Archives: Startups
startups
Flat6Labs (www.Flat6Labs.com), MENA’s leading seed investor, has announced the launch of a new US$95 million Seed Fund to nurture the growth and development of early-stage tech startups on the African continent. Flat6Labs has a proven track record in carefully vetting out and investing in promising startups in North Africa since it was founded 12 years […]
By Catherine Wijnberg This article takes a realistic and practical perspective of business start-up using lessons from my extensive start-up experience and those of hundreds of South African entrepreneurs I have worked with across every industry over the past 15 years. It is also why I can admit that unlike baking a cake, there is […]
Senegalese businesswoman Adja Sembene Fall said she had no choice but to launch her start-up business online because her new Contanna fair-trade tea company only had $200 to its name. “Due to [lack of] finance, it was not possible to get a physical shop. We started out in the backyard of my brother’s house. We […]
MultiChoice shortlists 11 start-ups to pitch for international funding and take their small businesses to the next level At a time when unemployment challenges and economic instability are high, small and medium-sized businesses (SMMEs) are proving to be the engines of economic growth and job creation throughout the African continent. In recognition of the critical […]
By Catherine Wijnberg So, you have been thinking it’s about time you started something but just can’t quite get into the groove? Let’s break eight myths around business start-ups and help you gain the momentum to get started. 1. Myth one: you can’t start a business without a business plan Millions of small businesses worldwide have been […]
One of the most hotly debated topics in African innovation is South Africa’s claim to be the “Tech Capital” of the continent. Home to more than 490 startups and a combined US$1-billion (or R17.6-billion) in funding[1], South Africa is an undisputed leader on the continent. But in 2023, that reputation is slipping, as Nigeria takes […]
Winners of last year’s African Startup Awards will be enroute to Copenhagen, Denmark, this March to showcase their solutions to some of the world’s top startups, venture capitalists, and ecosystem enablers at the Global Startup Awards (GSA) Grand Finale. In the meantime, innovators looking to be a part of the next delegation are encouraged to […]
by Sheilah Birgen, Country Lead for Kenya at Innovate UK KTN Global Alliance Africa. With a relatively stable macroeconomic environment, sustained investor confidence, and a fast-expanding services sector, Kenya has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa and the largest in the East African region by way of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)[1]. To […]
Africa Tech Summit has announced the final shortlist of ventures who will Pitch Live on stage to investors, corporate and media at the Africa Tech Summit in Nairobi from 15th to 16th February. More than 250 entries from 20+ African countries, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia, Mali, South Africa, and Benin, were submitted. Pitch Live […]
eWAKA (https://eWAKA.tech/), one of Africa’s most promising sustainable mobility startups, has received strategic support from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) Start-up Fund of the Swiss Confederation. SECO Start-up Fund has offered a 500,000 CHF loan that will support eWAKA’s 2023 plans to accelerate a growth strategy focused on providing innovative and sustainable mobility […]
Amid the drastic pullback in global VC funding, the African tech ecosystem stands out with +8% growth from 2021. Debt funding doubled in volume to $1.5B, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total funding. Fintech, still leading, attracted 39% of the total equity volume; Nigeria retained the top spot with 23% Partech Africa, the […]
Africa’s leading tech Accelerator, Startupbootcamp AfriTech (www.Startupbootcamp.org), together with founding partner and leading telecom giant, Telecel Group (https://TelecelGroup.com) have selected the participants of the much-coveted Accelerator Program, the Africa Startup Initiative Program (ASIP) (https://ASIProgram.com). The intrinsic value of startups in Africa lies in their ability to build fast and effective solutions to pressing challenges. Over the […]
Startup Edtech RiseBack is empowering African, Middle East & American students and professionals with Affordable University Education from India starting at $75 per month On Saturday January 21st 2023 Asian African Chamber of Commerce & Industry (AACCI), a bilateral chamber with presence in Africa & Asia launched their Maharashtra chapter and announcement of Brajesh Kumar […]
By Catherine Wijnberg When times are troubled and uncertain, businesses need to evolve and remain competitive. Developing a change strategy process can be overwhelming but it does not need to be complicated. Here are four easy steps to a change strategy process that will give your business purpose and direction: Set your intention Create quiet, calm time to assess the […]
By Catherine Wijnberg One of the questions I am most frequently asked is: “How can I get funding to start my business?” Today’s Google search will give you 340 million answers to this question. But if it’s just one good answer you need, this one might help. The reality is that most new businesses start […]
From November 23 to 29, 2022, 45 entrepreneurs from 18 African countries met in Marseille for the 6th edition of the Social & Inclusive Business Camp (SIBC) – an acceleration programme for African social and inclusive businesses. After three months of online training and mentoring, the winning entrepreneurs took part in an intensive week-long bootcamp with training […]
Digital Africa, in partnership with Make-IT in Africa, launched Talent 4 Startups in 2022. The program’s objective is to improve the employability of African talent in startups through fully-funded trainings. The program was designed on the basis of a repository of skills and jobs required by startups on the continent, developed with Edtech Connections. The […]
Ramani, the African software company building a cloud network of micro-distribution centers for Africa’s $1 Trillion consumer-packaged goods supply chain, has announced this week the close of its $ 32 million series A round of equity & debt. The company plans to use the new funding to increase its distribution footprint across the continent and […]
By Paula Mokwena, CEO at Fireball Capital The global venture capital (VC) ecosystem is no stranger to the common challenge that female entrepreneurs face – lack of funding. Research by the World Bank shows that for every $1 invested in women, $25 goes to men in the African startup space1. This is the case across all regions […]
Find out the latest information about this inspiring Euro-African co-innovation programme. The 6th edition of EMERGING Valley – the international summit dedicated to African innovation – will be held on Tuesday November 29, 2022 in the majestic setting of the Palais du Pharo in Marseille. More than 2,000 participants, 150 startups and 50 investors from 70 countries […]
The TechCabal Insights report has shown that there has been an increase in the number of tech acquisitions in Africa, with a total of 43 deals by the end of Q3 2022. This indicates a consolidation trend and shows that the tech market is maturing. VC investment has hit a plateau in the last quarter, […]