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All posts by Matthew Alexander

  • The Foschini Group produces another initiative powered by a startup

    By on 15 June, 2017

    Startup Pargo and major retail corporation The Foschini Group (TFG) have partnered again to launch their Collect In Store initiative. TFG and Pargo, which helps co-ordinate deliveries, previously partnered to launch TFG’s Deliver 2 Me service. The Collect In Store project will allow customers to purchase their items online and collect them at their nearest TFG store within an eight-day period. The initiative will be tested across @home, Foschini, Markham, Sportscene and Totalsports stores within the Western Cape before expanding nationally. Lars Veul and Derk Hoekert (pictured left and right, respectively), directors and co-founders at Pargo commented on the recent partnership in a press release...

  • Will SA startup Moonrock energise local portable power sector?

    By on 14 June, 2017

    Taking on a saturated market isn't always the smartest move when it comes to starting a business. However Cape Town startup Moonrock, is doing just that. Founded by Marcel Hattingh, Josh Swart, Nathan Swart and Ian de Jong in 2016, the startup retails single-use emergency powerbanks through merchants who sell them to customers wanting to recharge their cellphones in a hurry. The powerbanks are offered through merchants who can only make use of them once before having to return them to Moonrock to be charged. Hattingh came up with the idea after getting tired of relying on plugging his devices directly into the wall. "He (Marcel) decided...

  • Orange launches African-focused investment programme

    By on 13 June, 2017

    Telecoms company Orange has announced the launch of a new programme dedicated to helping African entrepreneurs achieve their goals. The Orange Digital Ventures Africa programme will serve as Orange's investment vehicle and is committing €50-million to invest in startups which will account for half of the direct investments made by the flagship programme. The other half will be devoted to "indirect investments through specialised funding". A team will be set up in Dakar in September for the Ventures programme to be able to assist applicants. Pierre Louette, deputy CEO of Orange and Chairman of Orange Digital Ventures commented on the new initiative in a press...

  • Top startup events in South Africa, Africa you should know about this week [12/06/2017]

    By on 12 June, 2017

    Looking to get into the South African startup scene or catch up on some of your skills? Well, you've come to the right place. There are loads of competitions, networking sessions and workshops happening around South Africa and the rest of the continent (namely Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana) that we've rounded them up to make your life a bit easier. This article is part of a weekly series that highlights all the top startup competitions, networking sessions, workshops and conferences around South Africa, and the greater region. If you have any event recommendations for us to add to the list,...

  • These are the 12 startups that will pitch at Seedstars World Maputo

    By on 12 June, 2017

    Global pitching competition Seedstars World today announced the names of the 12 startups that will pitch at its Maputo event to be held at the Standard Bank incubator at the city this Wednesday. The Maputo leg of the event is supported by Standard Bank and UX Information technologies. Seedstars World has also partnered with Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Shell and has received further support from Internet Solutions, Castle Lite, and Coca-Cola. "Standard Bank’s purpose is Africa our home and we drive her growth. To this end, technology is a factor that will play a critical part in changing lives and fulfilling aspirations across...

  • Nokia opens global challenge for innovative IoT startups

    By on 12 June, 2017

    Nokia in partnership with private venture firm Nokia Growth Partners has announced the launch of the Nokia Open Innovation Challenge. The challenge will focus on startups addressing internet-of-things (IoT) solutions for smart cities, mobility as well as safety and security. Submissions for the global competition opened 8 June and close on 20 September. Once selected, startups will attend a two-day "concept development workshop" with industry experts in Helsinki, Finland in November. The final competition will take place immediately after the workshops where startups will compete for access to Nokia's global market, investment opportunities, as well as co-innovation and joint business opportunities. "Co-innovating in an...

  • Egyptian startup Mintrics scores investment from Dubai-based fund

    By on 9 June, 2017

    Egyptian social video analytics tool Mintrics announced today that it had received an investment of an undisclosed amount from Dubai's venture capital seed fund Numu Capital. "The decision to invest in Mintrics was easy – this is a startup that has very high growth potential, a very unique technology and a solid team behind it," said Numu Capital managing director Jamal Al-Mutarreb in a press release. According to the statement, Mintrics will be using the investment to expand globally as well as to develop its technology further. Mintrics allows users to monitor the performance of online videos on various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram,...

  • Three Cape Town startups win place at Seedstars World regional final

    By on 9 June, 2017

    Three Cape Town startups last night secured a place at the next round of global business competition Seedstars World, after coming out tops at a pitching event held in the city. The representatives will go on to compete at the next round of the competition at the Standard Bank Auditorium, Johannesburg on 29 June. Representing Cape Town will be: GreenFingers Mobile — A mobile-first SaaS platform to finance and manage smallholder farmers. EMG Technologies — Aggregates regional medical content from experts in one app for medical professionals. mbora — A solar-powered internet of things enabled sensing suit which provides real-time visibility to any service provider across its network. Jumpin Rides —...

  • HiiL justice accelerator opens call for innovative entrepreneurs

    By on 8 June, 2017

    The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law's (HiiL) justice accelerator is calling all entrepreneurs looking to grow and innovate the SA justice system to apply to join the initiative. Applications for the accelerator close on 30 June and HiiL will be hosting pre-events in Maboneng, Johannesburg tomorrow (9 June) as well as Workshop 17 in Cape Town next Thursday (15 June). The accelerator is looking for lawyers, civil activists and technologists with innovations that could improve the way the law operates within South Africa. Aside from backing innovative ideas, the accelerator is also aiming to build its current network of law...

  • Entersekt concludes multi-million dollar deal

    By on 7 June, 2017

    Cape Town based authentication and mobile-security solutions company, Entersekt announced today that it has concluded a multi-million dollar deal with Rand Merchant Investment Holdings (RMI) and Nedbank Private Equity (NPE). RMI and NPE, through their various startup accelerators and investment hubs such as RMI's AlphaCode and NPE's BoE Private Equity Investments, acquired minority shares of an undisclosed amount in Entersekt. "We are immensely honoured that investors of such a high calibre have endorsed our long-term vision in this way," said Schalk Nolte, Entersekt’s CEO in a press release to Ventureburn. The injection of capital will be used to further expand Entersekt's reach into other markets...