Staff Reporter, Author at Ventureburn

SleepOut embarks on ‘Zanzibar to Lagos African Tour’ to connect with community
By Staff Reporter on 17 June, 2014
Offering a digital marketplace can be a challenging endeavour -- particularly when it comes to connecting with the very users who populate your platform. With this in mind, African accomodation marketplace SleepOut, which allows users to find, book and offer accommodation, will be touching base with its community of hosts and travellers across Africa on its 'Zanzibar to Lagos African Tour' for a 12-week period starting in June. The SleepOut team, comprising CEO Johann Jenson, CTO Paul Schwarz and Ayako Bertolli (Head of Photography), will visit 10 destinations in sub-Saharan Africa accompanied by travel photographers and "local accommodation experts" to not only...
DEMO Africa competition extends application deadline for startups
By Staff Reporter on 17 June, 2014
Your startup still has time to enter the DEMO Africa competition. One of Africa's biggest startup pitch events is keeping its application process open for another week from 15 June to 22 June. The annual event last year saw over 500 applicants of which 40 were chosen to pitch at the conference. Executive producer Harry Hare explains why DEMO Africa has decided to extend the application deadline. "From experiences, there is always a last minute rush by start-ups to comply. By extending the deadline, we want to give more time for innovators to ensure that their efforts do not...
IBM seeks Global Entrepreneur of the Year through its exclusive SmartCamps
By Staff Reporter on 17 June, 2014
The IBM Global Entrepreneurial Initiative has been gaining traction in Africa over the last three years. The goal of the initiative -- comprising the IBM Global Entrepreneur Programme and SmartCamps -- is to build relationships with quality startups and ultimately help accelerate them to market in a quick, cost effective manner while boasting a sustainable and profitable business model. 2014 is set to be IBM's biggest so far. The IBM Entrepreneurial week was held online and in over 40 locations around the world and was a success according to the company, including both face-to-face and virtual mentoring sessions, as well as...
AfroCab launches mobile taxi-hailing platform in Nigeria
By Staff Reporter on 11 June, 2014
This is somewhat surprising, there's another taxi app making a play on the African continent, this time specifically in Nigeria, and the app's name is AfroCab. Not dissimilar to Tranzit or EasyTaxi, AfroCab offers commuters a way to call for a cab with the push of a button on their mobile phones. Interestingly, users can set their own price prior to calling for the cab, to which the app suggests a fare that most closely matches the request. There are no payments made through the app, but rather AfroCab works on a cash-basis, so commuters simply pay the driver at the...
Surefire tips to make your crowdfunding campaign a success [Video]
By Staff Reporter on 11 June, 2014
Welcome to the latest episode of our new YouTube show VentureTV -- a show for entrepreneurs where we share tools, tips and insights to help you run your startup better, or anything we think will add value to your startup journey. Having success with a crowdfunding campaign has become something of an art. From the design of your campaign page to getting early traction before going live, there are some tricks you can use to better your chances of getting that crowdfunding success. In this short video Mich Atagana shares the most effective tips we've seen in practice. VentureTV is...
uAfrica announces speakers for SA eCommerce Conference
By Staff Reporter on 11 June, 2014
The renowned ecommerce company, uAfrica, is announcing the speakers for the annual South African eCommerce Conference which will be taking place 4 September 2014. The speakers will include both local and international industry experts and will discuss significant topics based on current trends and statistics. Andy Higgins, Managing Director of uAfrica says that this event presents a great opportunity for all business experts in South Africa seeking to tap into the online shopping market. "The 2014 South African eCommerce Conference is an opportunity for anyone who wants to learn more about ecommerce in South Africa," he says. "Any business...
Wyzetalk secures Series A round: new investors could aid African expansion
By Staff Reporter on 9 June, 2014
Social enterprise platform Wyzetalk has secured a Series A funding round worth R8 million through Clifftop Colony Capital Partners, a Cape Town-based financial services firm focused on African VC and private equity investments. The round was contributed to by a selection of investors, including Nairobi-based Savannah Fund. Wyzetalk's cloud-based platform offers businesses a way to collaborate with colleagues, employees, customers and suppliers producing greater brand engagement and improved productivity among other benefits. Gysbert Kappers, co-founder and CEO of Wyzetalk, says: "Working with Clifftop as our corporate finance partner has allowed us to credibly access a high-profile local and global investor base...
MeSociable is Africa’s new network for dating and promoting your business
By Staff Reporter on 9 June, 2014
There's a new social network on Africa's block. The site is called MeSociable and seems to aim for something in between Facebook and LinkedIn; with a focus on boosting social updates and the ability to leverage business awareness. MeSociable promises good user experience and easy procedures. It says that there are already a bunch of good social networks in Africa but hopes that it's unique user experience will make it stand out from the rest. The site relies on what's called the MeSociable Stream which is similar to your news feed on Facebook. By connecting with specific friend circles...
SA dev team snatches award at Microsoft Imagine Cup 2014
By Staff Reporter on 6 June, 2014
A South African team from the University of Pretoria recently scooped the Skype Award in Microsoft's student technology competition Imagine Cup 2014. The team, called Super Sea Dragons, had to compete against 171 teams from 76 countries. Daniel Esterhuizen, Gerhard Janse van Rensberg, Eleanor Harding and Emile Hay were awarded US$5 000 for developing a 2D action-adventure game called Orbit. The award will help assist the team to get its project Orbit onto the Windows Phone Store and promote it. Orbit is described as a planet platformer, with gameplay focused on the exploration and navigation of small planets, collecting weapons and upgrading these to...
Snapplify readies ebook distribution platform for SA schools
By Staff Reporter on 5 June, 2014
ePublishing startup Snapplify is set to provide South African learners access to (digital) educational content through a new, and free, eBook store. Snapplify states that it has been watching South Africa's academic space for some time, all the while developing solutions "aimed specifically to help more schools access eBooks." The thinking behind the move is that while many students in the country, and other emerging markets, don't have access to physical textbooks, a lot of learners do have mobile phones or tablets. Working with publishers Oxford University Press, Pearson and Macmillan, Snapplify's free eBook store will function as a platform through...