Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [06/04/2020]

Correction (6 April 2020): We incorrectly had it that Kuda had raised $1-million for its Covid-19 fund. The amount is actually in naira. Sorry. We got ahead ourselves.

Kuda, a digital bank that operates in Nigeria, has raised almost 1-million naira in donations to help the Lagos Food Bank to distribute free food and other essentials to those who need them urgently in Lagos.

This, while Business Partner‘s announced that its Sukuma Relief Programme, which will disburse R1-billion from the Rupert Family to small businesses, is now open to accept applications for funding.

With the coronavirus (Covid-19) headlining news all over the world, Ventureburn has launched a regular daily roundup on the virus and how it is affecting Africa’s tech startup sector.

Those with any news releases relating to Covid-19 and Africa’s tech startup sector can send these to editor@memeburn.com.

Nigerian fintech Kuda has raised almost $1m in donations to help the Lagos Food Bank during Covid-19

Here then is the latest on the coronavirus and African tech startups:

Help for Lagos Food Bank: Kuda, a digital bank that operates in Nigeria, announced in a tweet on Twitter today that it’s still collecting donations to help the Lagos Food Bank to distribute free food and other essentials to those who need them urgently in Lagos. As of 9.30am Nigerian time today, the startup had raised almost 1-million naira. Those who want to help can visit this link. Kuda last year closed a $1.6-million in a pre-seed round. The startup was founded last year by Babs Ogundeyi and Musty Mustapha (picture above, left and right) (see this story).

Business Partners’ Rupert fund open: Business Partner‘s Sukuma Relief Programme, which will disburse R1-billion from the Rupert Family to small businesses, is now open to accept applications for funding from small businesses. The fund is made up of two distinct and separate relief offerings – one for formal sole proprietors (R25 000 grants) and another for other business entities, namely close corporations, companies, and trusts (loans between R250 000 and R1-million) (see this story).

Small business funding applications: In South Africa over 81 000 small businesses had by Friday (3 April) registered to be on the Department of Small Business Development’s SMME SA database, after applications on the database opened last Thursday, the government’s news agency SAnews reported in an article. Those firms that wish to apply for the department’s Debt Relief Fund and Business Growth Facility must first register on the database. Funding applications also opened last Thursday.

Kenyan fund launched: US fintech Tala on Friday (3 April) announced the launch of a 605-million Kenyan shillings ($5.7-million) fund to help Kenyan businesses and communities tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, tech publication TechMoran reported in an article. The fund will prioritise existing Tala customers as well as Tala businesses that provide essential services to their communities, it said.

New online risk assessment tool: Nigerian startup Wellvis has developed an online risk assessment tool, the Covid-19 Triage Tool, to help people living in Africa determine their risk levels. “We hope this tool reduces panic visits to the hospitals and the volume of phone calls to disease centre hotlines,” said Wellvis COO Ayomide Owoyemi. The startup received support from Lagos’s Co-creation Hub (CcHub) and Ventures Platform. “We will keep updating the tool with additional features and intelligence necessary for swift decision making to help everyone of us come out of this crisis quickly and safely,” said Owuyemi.

New grocery delivery service: Cape Town based The Fruit Cube has launched a new home grocery delivery service in partnership with Food Lover’s Market, the company’s CEO, Andrew Scott told Ventureburn. Over the last five years, the Fruit Cube has been delivering fruit boxes and snacks to companies as an employee wellness perk. The business serves the greater Cape Town area, now delivering to the homes of employees and not just offices.

Read more: Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [03/04/2020]
Read more: Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [02/04/2020]
Read more: Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [01/04/2020]

Featured image, left to right: Kuda founders Babs Ogundeyi and Musty Mustapha (Supplied)