Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [03/04/2020]

US based SA entrepreneur and Civic founder Vinny Lingham has been under a lockdown for two weeks now and has been stockpiling food since February, he said in a podcast yesterday.

Meanwhile, Swiss emerging market startup competition Seedstars announced the five finalist startups that will compete in today’s summit, for a chance of an investment of to $500 000. For the first time the event will be held entirely online.

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.

US based SA entrepreneur Vinny Lingham has been under a lockdown for two weeks now and has been stockpiling food since February

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

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

Online Seedstars Summit 2020: Swiss emerging market startup competition Seedstars will today hold its annual summit where the winner of the Seedstars World stands the chance to net an investment of up to $500 000. For the first time the event — usually held in Lausanne, Switzerland — will be held entirely online. The five finalist startups are Resync (Singapore), Optiyol (Turkey), StudyFree (Russia), Baubap (Mexico) and Pezesha (Kenya). The summit kicks off at 2pm CET today.

CIPC taking key services online: SA’s Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) has taken some of its key services online and suspended major functions such as business rescue proceedings during the country’s Covid-19 lockdown, Business Report said in an article yesterday. Only fully automated services will be available to the public. All other services will be reactivated after the end of the lockdown.

Free Knife Capital webinars: In response to Covid-19 and to support small businesses, the Grindstone Accelerator (of which the SA venture capital firm Knife Capital is a founding member) will next Tuesday (7 April) be hosting four live video streaming micro-sessions of their popular full day Find-Make-Grow-Realise (FMGR) programme. The event will be live streamed exclusively to any company founders and their employees who want to understand the FMGR process. Register here.

Health tech adapts platform: Cameroonian e-health startup OuiCare has adapted its online platform to provide users with access to information and resources amid the Covid-19 virus, tech publication Disrupt Africa reported in an article today. OuiCare’s platform offers users easy, secure and fast access to doctors, medical data and medical facilities.

How Vinny deals with Covid-19: US based SA entrepreneur and Civic founder Vinny Lingham (pictured above) has been under a lockdown for two weeks now and has been stockpiling food since February. In a podcast and video with Tech Central’s Duncan MacLeod, the former Shark Tank host explains why he recently moved to San Diego and how he reckons the virus will change the world going forward and how bitcoin and investment will shape up during the crisis.

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Featured image: US based SA entrepreneur and Civic founder Vinny Lingham (Facebook)