Category Archives: Startups

startups

SA Innovation Summit 2023: Igniting Africa’s Innovation Frontier Over 3000 innovators are expected to gather in Cape Town on 27 – 28th of September

With a mission to boost startup success and ignite economic innovation, SAIS’23 aims to gather 3 000 participants, featuring top-notch speakers, innovative exhibitors, and thrilling side events. Over 120 speakers will delve into the realities of building ecosystems, while startups can engage in pitch battles and seize numerous growth opportunities.

AWS announces the 25 startups selected for its first ‘fintech in Africa’ accelerator

Cohort participants from Kenya, Nigeria , South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Uganda, and Cameroon 25 African fintech startups have been selected for the inaugural Amazon Web Services (AWS) FinTech Africa Accelerator cohort. This cohort was selected from over 500 applications and is part of the EMEA Startup Loft Accelerator (SLA) program run by AWS. The pre-seed […]

Investing in Innovation Africa announces its second call for applications to support African startups in healthcare supply chains

Applications are open for early and growth-stage health tech innovators  Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), a pan-African initiative for start-ups building the future of healthcare supply chains, is calling for leading innovators to join its second cohort. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and sponsored by AmerisourceBergen, Merck Sharpe & Dohme (MSD), Microsoft […]

Africa’s and Kubik and Emata win Startup of the Year and Best Newcomer at their Global Startup Awards debut

On March 29, 2023, two early-stage African companies took first place in the finals of the world’s largest independent start-up competition. The rise of the African techpreneur on the global stage was evident in the announcement of the overall winners of the 2022 Global Startups Awards (GSA), considered the world’s gold standard for startups. The […]

Africa itself shares the hallmarks of a tech startup which bodes well for its global competitiveness

By Joshua Raphael, Founder & CEO of Parket It is widely accepted that Africa’s potential is likely to be unleashed through widespread and sustained digital transformation. In other words, technology, and the innovative solving of complex problems, will catapult the continent into global competitiveness. This is not just theoretical, it is likely, and this is […]

Hong Kong rolls out red carpet to African business

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 […]

Flat6Labs Launches New US$95M Venture Capital Fund to Expand its Impact in Africa

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 […]

There is no single formula to start a business, all you need is passion and purpose

Photo credit: Startup Stock Photos (Pexels.com)

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 […]

Gender in Focus: Senegalese “Agripreneur” and African Development Bank AgriPitch Competition winner says digital marketing key to luxury tea startup success

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 Africa Accelerator Programme set to boost prosperity of African small and medium-sized businesses (SMME)

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 […]

Don’t Fall for the Myths: How to Succeed with Your Small Business Start-Up

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 […]

From failing at university to scaling SA’s top venture builder in four years – these two young entrepreneurs are on a mission to help 1-million people build good tech

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 […]

GSA Africa winners to hit the global stage in Copenhagen, next cohort encouraged to submit applications

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 […]

It’s time to demystify Intellectual Property in Kenyan innovation

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 […]

14 start-ups announced to Pitch Live at Africa Tech Summit 2023

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 Secures a 500 000 CHF Loan from Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) Start-up Fund

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 […]

Presenting the 2022 Partech Africa Report: Resilient African Tech Ecosystem Still Growing with $6.5 Billion Raised in 2022

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 […]

11 Disruptive Startups Selected for Cohort 3 of the Africa Startup Initiative Program (ASIP) Accelerator Program powered by Startupbootcamp Africa

 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 […]

RiseBack founder speaks about Affordable University Education and impact on global economy at the launch of Asian African Chamber of Commerce

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 […]