F5.5G Leap-forward Development of Broadband in Africa The Africa Broadband Forum 2024 (BBAF 2024) was successfully held in Cape Town, South Africa recently, under…
Savannah Fund intros 3 new tech startups for its accelerator class
Savannah Fund has recently announced the third batch of tech startups to take place in the Fund’s accelerator class. The group includes BIGxGh from Ghana, Nigeria’s UniSmart and Zevan Limited from Kenya.
Based in Nairobi, Kenya the venture capital Fund has supported 13 startups since it launched a few years ago which include companies such as Kola Studios and Binu. Savanah Fund offers US$25 000 to each business as well as a three-month acceleration programme in exchange for 15% equity.
What initially started with a focus on East Africa, Savannah Fund now sources these three latest startups from a total of 95 applications across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Founded by Prince Boakye Boampong, BiGxGh is described as Ghana’s number one music website. The platform empowers Ghanaian musicians by providing them with a platform to display their art to fans worldwide.
In 2013, the site recorded over 20 million views while the most downloaded song on the website has over 523 000 downloads. BiGxGh has been able to accumulate one of the largest communities of Ghana music enthusiasts on the internet and serves as a direct link between artists and their fans.
Nigeria-based UniSmart is a student loyalty platform, connecting verified Nigerian students with both local and national discounts. Founded by Frederik Obasi, UniSmart allows students to redeem perks at the point of sale both online and in-store.
Since launching in February, UniSmart has worked with international brands, such as Nike, Puma, Levis and United Colors of Benetton. With over 1 000 users, UniSmart has partnered with leading Nigerian institutions, such as one of Nigeria’s largest universities, the University of Lagos.
Founded by Stephen Kimiri, Zevan Limited aims to give farmers access to affordable delivery transports by rerouting empty return pick up deliveries and send crops to populations that purchase them. The return-trip systematization and optimisation platform (RTSOP) is currently being used by three major logistic companies and has rerouted 177 trips.
