Quona Capital, a venture firm focused on financial inclusion in emerging markets, has announced the final close of the Accion Quona Inclusion Fund at US$203 million in commitments from an array of leading investors. Quona Capital, which has supported more than 20 financial technology companies expanding access for underserved consumers and small businesses in Latin […]
Read MoreUgandan on-demand motorcycle taxi app SafeBoda has made Nigeria its third market with a launch in Ibadan, the country’s third city. Initially launched in Kampala, SafeBoda connects passengers with motorcycle taxi drivers, while also offering additional financial services. The startup expanded to Kenya in 2018, and raised an undisclosed Series B funding round in the […]
Read MoreNokia Bell Labs today launched the Bell Labs Prize 2020, which is a competition for researchers around the world with disruptive innovations that have the potential to form the foundation of the next industrial revolution and manifestly change human productivity. Prize finalists will be given access to Bell Labs resources – software, hardware, systems, platforms […]
Read MorePricepally has launched a grouo-buying platform that aggregates consumer food demand in urban cities and matches it with supplies directly from farmers and wholesalers. Launched in November, the startup’s aim is to cut out middlemen and save consumers money by leveraging technology to aggregate demand via a sharing model. Users log in to the Pricepally […]
Read MoreLagos crypto-trading startup Bitfxt has raised a US$15 million Series A funding round for infrastructural expansion and the development of new products. Bitfxt allows users to buy and sell digital currencies in real time, but now plans to expand more widely into the blockchain space after raising funding. The US$15 million Series A round comes […]
Read MoreNigerian digital escrow service Vesicash has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Ingressive Capital to help it grow its customer base and secure key partnerships. A digital escrow service, Vesicash was built to prevent digital fraud and disputes by providing payment security for all parties involved in P2P or marketplace transaction. The startup raised […]
Read Morei4Policy, a pan-African community of over 160 innovation hubs in 45 countries across Africa, has launched a continental consultation to shape the next version of the Africa Innovation Policy Manifesto. i4Policy emerged from a gathering of innovation hubs from across Africa, organised in Kigali, Rwanda in October 2016, and in May 2018 a group of […]
Read MoreNigeria’s solar startup Daystar Power has gained access to a debt funding facility of up to US$4 million from SunFunder to help it scale further. Daystar Power specialises in providing solar power and energy efficiency solutions for businesses in the commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors that result in at least a 20 per cent reduction […]
Read MoreNigerian Oluseun Oyinsan has credited Flutterwave’s seed round with being the inspiration for him returning home from the United States to launch VC firm Oui Capital. Having started his career in commercial banking with Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank, Oyinsan moved to Boston for business school and then worked as a consultant at Forrester and then […]
Read MoreAgri-tech startup Farmcrowdy has announced the acquisition of Best Foods (L&P) to offer a wider livestock production and processing solution to the meat market. The acquisition sees Farmcrowdy take a majority stake in Best Foods, an agribusiness group formed 16 years ago and focused on the processing of livestock and marketing of agricultural produce. It […]
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