Cape Town-based, animation, gaming, and AR/VR company, Sea Monster has secured a $1 million investment from FirstRand’s Vumela Fund.…
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.
How an ambitious African startup grew into a global fintech powerhouse
How an ambitious African startup grew into a global fintech powerhouse…
Hybrid-delivery startup, WAeY Hailing, launches to help users get delivery on their own terms
Another Nigerian startup, WAeY Hailing, has hopped on the logistics bandwagon. It claims to have an edge by allowing users to simultaneously run up to six orders on the same account and change destina…
An insight into how Tokyo-based VC, Samurai Incubate Africa, invests in African startups
Samurai Incubate Africa, Japanese early-stage VC firm, arrived on African shores in 2018. Since then, it has invested in 21 startups including Wallets Africa and more recently, Eden Life. Here’s how i…
TradeDepot raises $10m pre-Series B funding for expansion and new financial products
Nigerian B2B eCommerce startup has raised $10m in pre-Series B funding. This comes after its $3m Series A in 2018. The new funding will allow it expand to other African countries and also offer financ…
Akiddie wants to create the largest collection of African children’s stories
These days, African children read and know more about Western stories than indigenous ones: think Zeus and Sango. Akiddie, a Nigerian media startup, is working towards changing that narrative.…
Safaricom’s financials show how much stake it owns in the new M-Pesa venture
When Safaricom and Vodacom acquired M-Pesa from UK telecoms operator, Vodafone, details of their stakes and acquisition costs were still unclear. But we can tell from their financials.…
SA Fintech startup, Franc secures $300,000 in seed funding
SA fintech startup, Franc, has raised $300,000 in funding within the first half of 2020 which forms part of a wider round of seed investment. The founders, Sebastian Patel and Thomas Brennan provide s…
Zambian fintech startup, Lupiya receives $1 million investment
Lupiya, a Zambian based microfinance startup has received an investment of $1 million from Enygma Ventures, a US venture capital (VC) fund. The investment will enable Lupiya to further its goals in fo…
So far in 2020, African startups have raised about $500m but see a big Q2 slump
In the first half of 2020, African startups raised about $500m. Despite this figure being higher than that of Q1 2019, the total funding this year might be lower than its already alarming projections.…
Fintech company, ProfitShare Partners secures $5m to support South African SMEs
Fintech SME capital provider, ProfitShare Partners has secured $5m from the SA SME Fund. With this funding, ProfitShare Partners looks to partner with small and medium businesses to help accelerate gr…
6 SA startups working to restore and preserve African oceans
Reports indicate that nearly eight-million pieces of plastic make it into our oceans each day. These 6 South African startups, backed by Oceanhub Africa, are working to restore and preserve African oc…
An insight into how Ingressive Capital invests in African startups
Ingressive Capital has invested in 12 startups in Nigeria and Ghana. Following the completion of its $10m fund, founder and partner, Maya Horgan Famodu gives insight into how the venture fund invests.…
SA fintech startup, Mama Money partners Western Union for global expansion
Mama Money, a South African founded digital money transfer operator, has announced a recent partnership with Western Union. The new partnership will enable Mama Money to enter the international money …
4 key metrics from Carbon’s financials in the past three years
Earlier this week, Nigerian fintech startup, Carbon, released its financials for the second year running. Here are four key metrics that signal the company’s growth since 2017.…
OPay finally drops super app ambition; restructures model
OPay responds to shutdown claims of its businesses in Nigeria as it reveals plans to restructure. For the Chinese-backed startup, it seems current economic situations have forced it to limit its focus…
LifeQ announces working with B-Secur to develop ECG and optical-based tech solution
SA-based biotech startup LifeQ, has announced that it is working with Belfast based B-Secur to offer an advanced, integrated Electrocardiogram (ECG) and optical (PPG) based technology solution.…
How South African startup, Voyc, is taking its AI-backed contact centre software beyond Africa
Founded in 2018, SA-based startup, Voyc helps African call centre operators, via its software, make informed decisions. With headquarters in the Netherlands, Voyc is rebranding and expanding to intern…
The Great Stack: Paystack is building an army of exceptional execs
Paystack, a Nigerian payment startup that started with two software engineers as co-founders in 2015, has grown to a 112-person team in 2020. What isn’t obvious, however, is the rich background of its…
Pan-African payments gateway, MFS Africa acquires Beyonic in an undisclosed deal
One of Africa’s leading mobile money API providers, MFS Africa has acquired payments management startup, Beyonic, in an undisclosed deal. This deal will see them take cross-border payments aroun…