Saturday, November 23African Digital Business Magazine

Tag: South African startups

Top African regions set to become leading startup and investment hubs
Kenya News, South Africa News, Startups

Top African regions set to become leading startup and investment hubs

On the back of Cape Town being recognised as the tech capital of Africa, topping international rankings for foreign direct investment strategy, Ian Lessem, Managing Partner at HAVAÍC – investors in early-stage, high-growth technology businesses – says several other African cities are quickly emerging as leading startup and investment hubs to watch. “Startups in Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa raised a total of US$625 million last year. Of those, Kenyan startups raised US$191 million, the most of any other African country, according to Disrupt Africa’s African Tech Startup Funding Report for 2020. Distinct startup geographies are emerging in Africa, each with the potential to become its own powerhouse,” he says. In addition, the World Bank predicts that two thirds of the world’s ...
South Africa News, Startups

Seven South African legal startups to pitch for EUR 10,000 grant

Virtual pitching event to occur on 13 July, register to attend The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) kicked off its annual global Innovating Justice Challenge in search of the region’s best justice-related social entrepreneurs in March this year. With more than 200 applications from startups with high impact justice innovations, HiiL has selected the top seven in Southern Africa to pitch to an esteemed panel and are inviting interested community members to join the presentation. Adam Oxford, Head of the HiiL Innovation Hub Southern Africa, says that an estimated 70 percent of justice problems remain unresolved due to lack of access, trust, and high costs. These issues often result in poor outcomes for health, equality, and economic stability. “By addressing justice over the past...
South Africa News, Startups

Hack the Normal | From Africa for Africa: Meet the Winning Innovations for Sustainable Living, Healthy Living and Financial Solutions in Africa

Through the Hack the Normal initiative, Defy, Africa's stalwart home appliance company, aims to contribute to the advancement of African-led projects that  seek to secure the sustainability of trade, natural resources, and life on the continent. Defy, a leading manufacturer of home appliances, recently hosted the Hack the Normal online hackathon in partnership with ATÖLYE to inspire and facilitate the development of new ideas and projects that aim to make people's lives easier. Supported by Defy’s sister company, Beko, hackathon participants had the opportunity to develop new products, services, and business models with potential for commercialisation and to address existing challenges in Sustainable Living, Healthy Living and Financial Solutions. The hackathon focused on the individual, s...
Medicine, South Africa News, Startups

SA startup, AURA, on what it takes to go global

AURA, South Africa’s leading security and medical response platform, recently announced its expansion into Kenya, followed closely by a move into the UK where it aims to have over 10,000 users receiving the company’s service within seven months. Later this year, the startup will look at possible expansions in Mexico and Nigeria. Warren Myers, AURA’s CEO believes that South African startups can compete with the best in the world thanks to a focus on smart innovations that answer real-world issues. “The biggest problems in the world are starting to feel fixable for the first time in history. Many people are still unaware of just what will be achievable with hyperscale technology tools like AI, IoT, blockchain, and nanotechnology, among others,” notes Myers. He adds that startups have a uniq...
Startups

Last call for innovative Southern African startups to join prestigious Justice Accelerator

Guaranteed EUR 10,000 grant for startups with high impact justice innovations, to grow their business Game-changing justice startups looking for the opportunity to take their business to new heights have until 30 April 2021 to enter the prestigious Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) Innovating Justice Challenge. Interested applicants can enter via www.hiil.org/innovating-justice-challenge. Successful candidates will earn a place in the prestigious international HiiL Justice Accelerator programme, along with EUR 10,000 in funding and a package of tailored local support. In addition to receiving a significant boost of non-equity seed funding, selected startups will have the opportunity to present to an international jury and compete for additional cash prizes of up to EUR 20,000 a...
Rwanda News, South Africa News, Startups

Africa as a Driver of Technovation

Sustainable digital transformation, applied in the context of startups, tech hubs and big business is what will define Africa as the “new frontier,” enabling actionable inspiration far beyond the continent. Founded in Africa, by Africans, for Africans, the most important tech event of the year, Africa Tech Week 2021, is set to be a platform and springboard for like-minded individuals and thought leaders can catapult themselves into a successful space. A space where digital change and evolution is quite possible. In the words of Elon Musk, the great industry disrupter, “Some people don't like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.” The poll data from Africa Tech Week 2020 showed that out of the 904 registrants that attended the event, only 42.6 were confident...
Shaping tomorrow’s innovation: Collaborating with the right VC partner
Startups

Shaping tomorrow’s innovation: Collaborating with the right VC partner

Early-stage African tech investor HAVAÍC says aligning to startup founders’ interests, allowing management to maintain their independence, leveraging off smart capital and working together towards a mutually favourable exit is the foundation for successful collaboration between Venture Capital (VC) investors and startups. Ian Lessem, Managing Partner at HAVAÍC, notes that for African startups with international ambitions, partnering with professional investment managers with proven expertise, well established networks, and experience in scaling businesses both locally and abroad are non-negotiable. “We focus on bringing about strategic value in the companies we invest. Our approach is very much about solving backwards from the end goals and carefully considering what foundations need to be...
South Africa News, Startups

Justice Accelerator calls on innovative Southern African startups changing lives and creating social impact

EUR 10,000 grant for technology-driven finalists to grow their business The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) is calling on all game-changing justice startups that want to grow their social impact and business to participate in this year’s HiiL Innovating Justice Challenge. Successful applicants will earn a place in the prestigious international HiiL Justice Accelerator programme, along with EUR 10,000 in funding and a package of tailored local support. The programme is searching for promising startups and social enterprises who are solving a pressing justice problem in a way that is high impact and sustainable.  Themba Mahleka, co-head of the HiiL Innovation Hub Southern Africa, says that the numerous social and economic challenges of the past year have made tackling inequality...
Cape Town/Stockholm Connect Launches to Unlock Trade and Innovation Opportunities
South Africa News, Startups

Cape Town/Stockholm Connect Launches to Unlock Trade and Innovation Opportunities

The Silicon Cape Initiative, in partnership with Wesgro, the City of Cape Town, Invest Cape Town, The Loudhailer, Business Sweden and the Embassy of Sweden, recently came together to launch Cape Town/Stockholm Connect. The Connect platform will bring together companies, developers, customers, investors, entrepreneurs, and institutions from across Cape Town and Stockholm via a series of activities. The project is set to run for the next three years, with the overarching goal of strengthening ties and facilitating bilateral collaboration between Sweden and South Africa. The launch event featured speakers sharing their insights about the startup landscape in both Stockholm and Cape Town together with the opportunities offered by each city. Kicking off the proceedings and setting the stage for...
HAVAÍC expects bumper year for African tech startups
South Africa News, Startups

HAVAÍC expects bumper year for African tech startups

As one of South Africa’s most active Venture Capital investors, HAVAÍC says 2020 saw the commercial adoption of technology increase at unprecedented rates, as illustrated by the performance of HAVAÍC and its portfolio companies. 2020 saw HAVAÍC’s portfolio companies grow their revenue by a staggering 93%, and in the coming months, Ian Lessem, Managing Partner at HAVAÍC, believes the economic, social and commercial prospects for investing in the African technology sector looks promising, especially as the acceleration of technology adoption continues. According to the recent African Tech Startups Funding Report 2020, published by Disrupt Africa, the year produced a record for funding activity in the African tech startup ecosystem, owing to the increased number of active investors on the con...