Startups
In nearly a decade, hundreds of entrepreneurs have emerged with innovative startups across the African continent. We provide insights on their experiences and highlight the activities of investors who fund them.
Top stories
Flutterwave denies reports of a $75 million government investment and says it is not close to an IPO.
Terra Industries is building Africa’s largest drone factory in Accra, Ghana. The 34,000 sq. ft. Pax-2 facility will produce 50,000 drone units annually by 2028 and create 120 engineering jobs.
In this edition of After Hours, Adeyemi Akitoye, a cybersecurity graduate and the co-founder of Knowvas, a creator platform, shares his journey building a startup with his father.
Start a business in Nigeria in 2026 with a digital-first approach covering registration, tax setup, payments, and compliance for long-term success.
A LASUSTECH student has won Red Bull Basement with Vital-Tag, a device that tracks livestock vitals and feeding behaviour to detect illness early, helping farmers act faster and potentially reduce costly animal losses.
Discover the top SaaS tools for startups in 2026, categorized by function to help you save costs, scale faster, and avoid wasted subscriptions.
By integrating job distribution, digital commerce, and research tools into one ecosystem, the startup is bridging the gap in Africa’s talent ecosystem.
Madica has invested $600,000 in funding to three African startups, while also unveiling a new fundraising guide aimed at helping early-stage founders navigate pre-seed capital.
The South East Development Commission is betting on startups, infrastructure, and private capital to grow the region into a $200 billion economy. However, execution, not ambition, will decide if it succeeds.
Paga has appointed a new acting CEO for its Nigeria business as founder Tayo Oviosu steps back after 17 years. The move signals a shift toward global expansion, AI, and cross-border payments.
After Xara went viral, its Nigerian founder caught the attention of Elon Musk’s xAI. Built as a WhatsApp banking assistant, the startup now has 45,000 users and ₦8 billion ($5,000,000) in transactions.
Cascador is accepting applications for its 2026 ScaleUp Programme, offering growth-stage Nigerian founders tailored support, mentorship, and access to alternative funding options beyond venture capital.
Novastar closes its $147 million third fund with backing from Japanese and global investors, doubling down on climate-focused startups and expanding its reach beyond East and West Africa.
Fixr employs 400 technicians, runs its own logistics, and has processed nearly ₦5bn in solar financing, all without VC funding. Here’s how it’s scaling a contractor-led model across Nigeria and beyond.
As Nigeria’s waste crisis deepens, Ecobarter is betting that paying people to recycle and digitising informal collectors can succeed where public systems have struggled.
After leaving Google, Ibrahima Sylla returned to Côte d’Ivoire to build for the African market. With Yelen, he’s turning WhatsApp and Instagram conversations into structured storefronts, helping social sellers manage payments, customers, and operations from one platform.
Startups are using AI agents to scale without hiring dev teams, but success depends on oversight, costs, and choosing the right workflows.
Sampson Ovuoba believes building UI should not be code-heavy, so he built Windframe for developers to build visually. Today, engineers from a16z use the platform for prototyping.
Moniepoint’s acquisition of Orda signals a deeper push into restaurant operations, embedding payments into daily workflows and setting up stronger competition with Chowdeck in Nigeria’s growing food tech space.
Nigeria startup funding drops as Kenya attracts more VC, with policy stability, venture debt, and investor confidence reshaping Africa’s capital flows.
