By Catherine Wijnberg, CEO of Fetola South Africa needs entrepreneurs to reverse our shrinking economy and high unemployment rate. And while they face numerous barriers in almost every sector, there is one industry that offers them the key to success: The circular economy. Only about 1% of micro-enterprises[1] in South Africa, starting with one to five […]
Category Archives: Startups
startups
Dell’s Digital Transformation Index 2020 surveyed over 4000 business leaders globally and reported that eight in ten organisations fast-tracked their digital transformation programmes in 2020. Technology is evolving rapidly and organisational responses to this process of change are forever dynamic and accelerating. In Digital Business, a new book written by Prof. Brian Armstrong, Chair of Digital […]
This is off the back of the Home-Grown Solutions (HGS) Accelerator for Pandemic Resilience, an initiative that aims to accelerate the growth of African healthcare companies to strengthen the continent’s pandemic resilience The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) held an event […]
Applications Now Open for the Telecel ASIP Accelerator, powered by Startupbootcamp AfriTech Over the course of 2021, African tech startups raised $4.42 billion in funding[1] – almost double the record-breaking $2.4 billion raised in the previous year[2]. “With investment in African innovation increasing, so too has the demand for hands-on support and access to markets from […]
Adanian Labs has launched the Adanian Labs Venture Building Program call for startups for 2022. The program invites applications from tech entrepreneurs for the 2022 cohort of exceptional startups to join Adanian Labs in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Nigeria and South Africa. Since its establishment in 2020, Adanian Labs has incubated fourteen (14) groundbreaking tech startups across […]
API platform connecting real estate agents and social media users leverages significant growth on the continent to target global property market Flow, a proptech startup that enables real estate agents and developers to seamlessly advertise properties on social media, has announced that following consolidated growth in South Africa the company is launching in Australia. Flow’s […]
A major annual event for Afro-European Tech players, the EMERGING Valley International Summit will be held phygitally on December 14, at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille, with over 200 speakers and 2,500 digital and face-to-face participants expected. The event is open and free of charge to everyone, just sign up on the official website. EMERGING Valley is delighted to […]
Energy startup becomes Africa’s first solar company to launch renewables payment scheme for Nigerians abroad Arnergy, Nigeria’s leading distributed utility company delivering solar energy solutions, has today announced the launch of the Diaspora Initiative – a groundbreaking scheme enabling the global Nigerian diaspora to invest in solar energy solutions on behalf of local individuals and […]
Lessons from the insurtech start-up that caught the eye of industry giants While November has always been synonymous with National Entrepreneurship Month, you’d be forgiven for wondering if it’s really necessary to dedicate 30 days to encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit, when it seems that just about everyone aspires to be coffee-guzzling, always-hustling, meme-inspiring business owner nowadays. Yet, as any […]
AfricArena, which provides open innovation challenges, research and dealflow services to help accelerate the work of founders, investors and corporates, hosted its fifth annual Summit from 16 – 17 November in Cape Town. It was preceded by its Founders’ Bootcamp and VC Unconference Weekends, attended by 60 high level international investors and 40 startups from […]
The Annual Investment Meeting 2022 has announced prizes for Startups attending the pitching competition. The Annual Investment Meeting will serve as the premiere platform for Startups planning to scale up & expand to Dubai. The world’s renowned and leading investment platform, The Annual Investment Meeting, will be providing prizes for startups at the startup pitch […]
Healthtech startup, DrugStoc has raised USD 4.4 million in Series A funding to expand access to quality medicines while providing sustainable supply chain financing for healthcare providers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The funding round is led by Africa HealthCare Master Fund (AAIC), and other investors include Chicago-based venture firm Vested World and the German Development Bank […]
In 2020 and 2021, the African continent spawned more unicorns than ever before with at least eight companies now being valued at more than one billion dollars by investors. To keep the momentum going in 2022, Pranary (formerly Startup Circles), will be kicking off its Business Growth Week from Monday, the 15th of November 2021. This is a free […]
A new book from Burnet Media, Cape Town will inspire and guide the next generation of African entrepreneurs. Failing To Win by Mike Quinn is the authentic story of a uniquely African startup at the forefront of the continent’s fintech revolution. Inspired to become the “M-Pesa of southern Africa” after Kenya’s pioneering mobile money innovation, […]
Startup testimony Charles Bwanika, a new generation social entrepreneur Charles Bwanika is a new generation social entrepreneur, passionate about undertaking positive challenges to bring about positive impact people’s lives he’s a seasoned child rights activist, experienced and qualified Community development expert with aBA in Development Studies (BDS) and a Diploma in Community Psychology from Ndejje […]
This week, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) got underway in Glasgow, turning the world’s attention to the global climate crisis and the solutions needed to address this. But many solutions already exist… in Africa. “Whilst we are delighted that nearly 500 global financial firms have agreed to align $130 trillion – 40% of the […]
Casablanca, Morocco, 1st November 2021. — Draper Startup House has opened its first location in Morocco, partnering with KOWORK Anfa Place in Casablanca. With the launch, Draper Startup House expands its presence into Africa in a year when tech startups in the continent raised a record-breaking $1.1 billion through the first eight months of the […]
This week, the Presidential Office held a special meeting with individuals from various organisations that are invested in the growth and support of local entrepreneurs and businesses to discuss what is needed to eliminate the red tape obstructing the growth of small and medium enterprises. Among them were representatives from the South African Startup Act […]
“Africa’s new bank for startups and SMEs” to expand to South Africa & Kenya following funding Brass, a Nigerian digital bank delivering easy access to affordable premium banking services for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), has today secured $1.7mn in funding to address the heavily underserved banking needs of local entrepreneurs, traders and fast-growing businesses. […]
Zama Zaca, Head of New Business at Tetris South Africa, shares some design tips on how to make workspaces more inclusive and improve employee mental wellness of employees. Mental health has been in the spotlight recently, with people under strain from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and top athletes opening up about their mental health struggles […]
African unicorns have made big news in recent months, with four startups having recently reached a $1 billion valuation or more this year alone, taking the total up to seven. Two of the new entrants are in fintech, one in edtech, and one in general technology. These and other technology-enabled sectors are where emerging market […]
FSD Africa, the UK Government’s flagship financial sector programme in Africa, is making an initial investment (£650,000) in a highly innovative digital solution connecting carbon credits from small-scale green projects across the global south to international buyers. The investment will deliver funding through the test phase of the solution being developed by Nick Hughes, who […]