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.
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The largest Hotel Booking Agency in Nigeria, Hotels.ng has entered into an agreement to be sponsor for the first hackathon in Northern Nigeria. Code name: HackJos. The HackJos Hackathon to be held in Jos, Nigeria is a free, 3 day-long coding marathon for developers to create new and novel applications targeted at providing solutions to…
After receiving what must have been thousands of applications from prospective entrepreneurs; and even having to extend the application deadline by 5 days, Airtel Nigeira has finally sent out invitations to the entrepreneurs with the shortlisted business ideas for the Catapult-a-Startup to their pitching event. At the event, shortlisted candidates would present their ideas to…
It’s a good year for Women Entrepreneurs! The Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards is looking for committed female entrepreneurs heading businesses with the potential to grow significantly in the years to come. It is a business plan competition aimed at supporting creative, financially sustainable and responsible women-led companies, in all countries and across all industries. Joining…
If you’re anything like me, then whenever you’d come across a Kaymu ad, you have either rolled your eyes in disgust or turned away in doubt. If this is true, then like me, you’d have greatly misjudged them. Truth be told, I have kind of always saw Kaymu as an e-‘bend down select’ store, mostly…
Nigerian company, SecureID Limited, has just officially launched its SecureCard Manufacturing Plant in Lagos. According to the company, it is the very first of its kind in the continent and is capable of producing 200 million polycarbonate smart cards per year in line with global standards. SecureID limited claims that the plant has been tested…
Jobberman recently moved into their spanking new, modern designed office space, which we, of course, brought pictures of for you; and the office is indeed beautiful. But it was not officially launched then. They’re remedying that, apparently, because an email blast has been sent out to select invitees, asking them to a cocktail event. The…
It’s saddening. At first, it was exciting witnessing the rapid rise of startups in Nigeria. Lately, it’s becoming saddening with copycats propping up everywhere adding little or no value to the consumer. The e-commerce industry is a ready example. There are so many only online shopping sites available now that apart from the Big Two[…
ChopUp has stepped out with their latest game. Called Oya Run with Friends, it brings to mind the Nigerian version of Subway Surf or Temple run. It’s not far from that really, but it’s a play on the most anticipated election in Nigeria. Says ChopUp: It has been decided that the best way to elect…
Don’t want to be alone on the narrow path to a state of grace? Well, there’s an app for that. Prayerbox is an online platform that lets you share prayer points and testimonies with friends, family and religious communities; and claims to have made US$11,000 in revenue even prior to launch. The platform is not…
The 88mph DealWeek is a 1-week sprint for 88mph and entrepreneurs turned investors to advise and invest in the most promising startups, where those selected to participate can receive between $25k and $250k. 88mph has gathered quite a range of founder-investors to evaluate and invest in startups, so we thought you might like to know…
Preparations for the 2015 edition of DEMO Africa are in full gear as Lagos has won the bid to again host the global event for the second year in a row. The event dates have been confirmed as 24th and 25th of September at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. 40 start-ups from…
Everyone, save this date! We are excited to announce to you that Techpoint will be partnering with iAfrikan as they host Marek Zmyslowski in a fireside chat about “Oyinbo Lessons” and doing business in Nigeria as a tech startup. Marek will also be answering any questions you have about tech startups and what it takes to build…
UPDATE: Inside MainOne’s top secret Data Centre in Lagos (full pictorial tour) MainOne last week unveiled its premier Tier III Lekki Data Center to address the growing demand for Colocation, Cloud and Disaster Recovery Services in West Africa. The Data Center is a N7 Billion ($37.7 million) investment and has capacity for 600 racks. The data center will…
Afrileaks, a whistle-blowing website for Africans, has finally been launched. I’m more than a little shocked that this platform wasn’t made available sooner, considering the level of corruption in a number of African countries, but I’m certainly glad it finally exists. The website was launched by media and campaign groups to expose human right abuses,…
Obiwezy, one of our startups to watch in 2015, just launched a service that is set to cement its status as focus-worthy. They really seem hell-bent on bringing Computer Village to us, and I’m more than glad. Obiwezy Swap allows you — as the names implies — swap your old phone for a new one…
I haven’t ever really had a problem with the time it takes me too carry out payments when I’m performing a transaction online, but I have been said to be patient to a fault. I’m usually too high off the excitement of getting new stuff or experiencing crippling buyer’s remorse. But NeTPlus Advisory thinks the current…
As a young professional or a family person, you need that awesome sofa, dinner set and a proper bedroom to keep your body refreshed after a long day at work. The stress of going from showroom to showrooms might get you settle for less. I found an interesting startup working to bring furniture showrooms online…
So, Jumia released a ‘How JUMIA Redefined e-commerce in 2014; empowering Nigeria and Nigerians’ press-release, complete with infographics a few days back. I read it yesterday, delayed because I felt it would be one of those self-congratulatory posts that have become all too popular in the tech ecosystem; I wasn’t wrong, but after a repeat…
The need for reliable logistics for eCommerce in Africa has become inevitable especially with the growth of online retailing and demand in Africa. There are no other equipped entrepreneurs to take the market than the founding fathers of eCommerce in Nigeria, the co-founder and former Managing Director of Jumia, Tunde Kehinde and former Chief Operating…
Majority of Nigerians haven’t ever really thought about the idea of counselling, and even those who do, sadly see it as some form of weakness, something you do when you have lost the capacity to stand on your own two feet; that couldn’t be further from the truth. I think therapy is very necessary, and…