Category Archives: Startups

startups

African startups are weathering the storm with acquisitions and securing new funding

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, […]

The Global Startup Awards Africa is now open for applications for the 2022/23 season

By the end of 2022, world leaders will be halfway towards the 2030 deadline of achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of ending poverty, fighting inequality, and stopping climate change. However, seven years on and countries across the globe are on track to accomplish almost none of them[i]. This is no different in Africa […]

Stellantis invests in Africar Group to create Auto24, an African used vehicle startup

Auto24, a subsidiary of Africar Group, has launched its activities in Ivory Coast. Africar Group is a class leading and multi country digital automotive marketplace across Sub-Saharan Africa. Stellantis investment aims at accelerating its used vehicle (UV) business on the buoyant African UV market. Auto24 is a faster and safer way to buy and sell […]

New technology launched to help protect authenticity and ownership of luxury goods using sustainable blockchain power

Sotheby’s sells valuable jewellery verified by the new tech from UK start-up Database of Native Assets (DNA) DNA guarantees provenance boosting confidence for buyers and sellers and tackles the blight of counterfeiting head on A plug & play solution that facilitates brand transition to Web 3.0 A blockchain technology with the potential for mass adoption […]

CURBON, a SA startup, is taking a bold offset and uplift approach to solving climate change

Curbon makes it easy to make a difference, both from a climate action and community empowerment perspective, says Steffen Burrows, CURBON co-founder and director. According to billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, it is unrealistic to expect to solve climate change by asking people to live greener lifestyles. Telling people to stop eating meat, drive less, and buy smaller […]

Flourish Ventures launches Madica, an Africa-focused pre-seed investment platform

The new investment program is targeting up to 30 underrepresented entrepreneurs across Africa who are working in underserved sectors and geographies. The goal of the program is to provide them with the resources and support they need to grow their businesses and impact their communities. Flourish Ventures, a global venture capital firm investing in mission-driven […]

MaxAB raises $40 million from Silver Lake, BII, and DisruptAD to support company growth and regional expansion

MaxAB, an e-commerce and distribution platform for food and grocery items, has announced the close of a $40 million pre-series B equity round to finance its expansion into the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan region. New investors in this round include Silver Lake, British International Investment and DisruptAD, along with existing investors Beco Capital, […]

Digital security for entrepreneurs: How to protect your online business

As South Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit blossoms, digital security is more important than ever, warns Steve Flynn, Sales and Marketing Director at ESET Southern Africa. The pandemic fundamentally changed the working world forever. Not only are more employees working remotely, but more people are starting their own businesses – often from home. There has been a significant […]

30 African Startups in Healthcare Supply Chains Selected for Support from Gates Foundation, MSD, WHO-AFRO and More

The i3 program is excited to announce the selection of 30 African startups that are leading the way in innovative health solutions. These startups come from 14 different countries and are working on novel solutions for device and medicine distribution, stock management and financing, authentication, traceability, medical waste management and more. 47% of the companies […]

The African Business Landscape: Evolving and Growing

The African business landscape is undergoing a transformational shift, with more businesses and startups in Africa than ever before. According to the latest research, there are now over 2,000 businesses and startups in Africa that have received investment from venture capitalists. This is a significant increase from just a few years ago, when there were […]

2 Ethiopian startups are in the running for TAW (Tech African Women) prize

The TAW (Tech African Women) program, launched by the UNECA (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa) in partnership with Betacube, closed its 3-day Ethiopian bootcamp on September 9th, 2022. The event was organized in partnership with AdoreAddis and the two Ethiopian winning startups were each awarded the program’s participation prize of $2,000. The selection process […]

Tanzanian startups nominated for TAW final in Ethiopia

The TAW (Tech African Women) program, launched by the UNECA (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa) in partnership with Betacube, closed its 3-day Tanzanian bootcamp on the 31st of August 2022. The two Tanzanian winning startups were awarded the program’s participation prize, with $2,000 for the first winner Ujana. The selection was based on the […]

New carbon-neutral online shopping service launches in South Africa

With a goal to curb carbon emissions, South African startup Curbon, will make carbon-neutral online shopping possible through the launch of the country’s very first plugin created to help fight climate change. Curbon’s unique offering gives shoppers the opportunity to take direct, meaningful climate action with every online purchase. Using data from the world’s leading climate […]

Sentech Africa Tech Week 2022: Connecting Africa for a Digital Future

Sentech Africa Tech Week 2022 made its fourth consecutive appearance this year, providing a platform where 5,000 attendees came together – in person and virtually – to learn, be inspired, and meet those in the industry who are making a remarkable impact on solving Africa’s unique challenges. Held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre […]

African Innovative Startups Join the Social & Inclusive Business Camp Program

On August 30th, the SIBC officially launched its 6th edition, welcoming the 43 entrepreneurs selected for the 2022 cohort. These social and inclusive entrepreneurs were chosen among more than 380 applications across Africa to participate in an intensive program aimed at preparing them for scaling up, through training, mentoring, peer-to-peer exchanges and meetings with investors. To contribute to […]

Creating a sustainable positive impact in South African communities begins with investing in innovative, globally relevant tech solutions

By Paula Mokwena, CEO & Head of Direct Investments, Fireball Capital South Africa is home to innovative technology companies that have developed solutions that are solving real global challenges. The country is well-established as one of the continent’s “big four” startup ecosystems, and leads the way for exits, with more than one-third of the acquisitions […]

Startupbootcamp AfriTech pilots $7m Gates Foundation program to uplift South African HealthTech startups

In recent years, African HealthTech has recorded impressive growth, as the majority of Africans rely on under-funded public health facilities while a small minority have access to well-funded, quality private health care.  It is a reality that across much of Africa, health systems suffer from serious inefficiencies and are widely inaccessible, and this was exasperated […]

Now in South Africa, the AfyaRekod Universal Patient Portal is empowering patients to take charge of their healthcare

AfyaRekod has launched the fully automated Universal Patient Portal in South Africa and it is ready to change the face of patient care across the country, Africa, and the world.  Using block-chain driven technology the Universal Patient Portal is a secure central, mobile platform where patients and the medical professionals treating them have real-time access […]

The Struggles of Content Creators – A Founder’s Viewpoint

By Kayode Adebayo From a hobby to a big-time career, content creation has become a vital part of the social media marketing that few people envisaged. The art of content creation transcends location, age, race or identity, yet it relies on these and more, for it to be impactful. As consumers of content, it is […]

Angel investors plugging the early-stage funding gap in sub-Saharan Africa

Alexandra Fraser One of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurial start-ups in sub-Saharan Africa is funding – particularly early-stage financial support – even though the landscape across the region has evolved over the past few years with more funders and capital deployed in this space. This has been driven primarily by a growing appetite for alternative […]

African health tech start-ups in supply chain show promise, prompting launch of $7 million innovator support program

The Pan-African “Investing in Innovation” program will provide grants and commercialization support to 60 healthtech companies over two years. Healthcare consulting firm Salient Advisory has launched its latest market intelligence report highlighting promising African healthtech start-ups in supply chain. Spurred by these findings, a consortium of global and continental organizations, with funding from Bill and […]

Understanding the Metaverse – Africa’s role

By Balkissa Ide Siddo, Director of Public Policy, Africa, Meta Since the start of the twenty-first century, technology has been at the heart of enhancing communication and human contact. The internet has not only enabled people to communicate with family and friends all over the world in real time, but powered businesses and creativity across the […]