Startup news

Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [12/06/2020]

UPDATE (12 June 2020): Insupply founder Tamir Shklaz told Ventureburn subsequent to the publication of this roundup that while Techstars’ Yossi Hasson and ParcelNinja’s…

Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [11/06/2020]

Cape Town based non-profit Reconstructed Living Labs (RLabs) plans to support 40 000 youth, and their families, through its Zlto app. The app rewards…

How agritech can save SA’s smallholder farmers [Sponsored]

South Africa’s agricultural sector is dualistic, characterised by a highly commercial sector running parallel to a smallholder sector of two million dominated by black…

Applications open for HiiL Innovating Justice Challenge 2020

The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) Southern Africa is looking for startups that are developing sustainable, scalable solutions to pressing justice needs…

Covid-19 and African tech startups roundup [10/06/2020]

A number of small businesses in South Africa’s ICT sector are struggling to secure coronavirus relief funding and financial aid from the government. This,…

SA startups called on to apply for Annual Investment Meeting Virtual Pitch Competition

Applications are now open for SA high-growth startups to apply to the Annual Investment Meeting Virtual Pitch Competition. The winner of a local virtual…

Orange Digital Ventures launches seed challenge to invest €500k in seven startups

Seven startups from Africa and the Middle East will be able to land investment of between €50 000 and €150 000 through a new…

Silvertree exits CompareGuru in sale to SA’s SureStart

Online insurance distribution company SureStart today announced that it had acquired CompareGuru, an independent insurance comparison platform, from SA investment company Silvertree Internet Holdings. SureStart claims…

Africa50 Innovation Challenge seeks innovators to boost internet access

Infrastructure investment platform Africa50 has launched an innovation challenge aimed at helping increase access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet in under-served areas on the…

Meet the 10 startups selected for Grindstone Accelerator’s fifth cohort

Venture capital (VC) company Knife Capital today announced the names of the 10 companies selected for its fifth Grindstone Accelerator programme. The names of the companies — which…

Twenty candidates on Explore initiative prepare to pitch for AlphaCode Incubate

Twenty candidates from seven SA startups and developer teams are getting ready to pitch next week for the chance to get into top Joburg…

Sub-Sahara Africa is top market for those that made Inclusive Fintech 50 list

Sub-Sahara Africa is the favoured region for top fintech companies aimed at improving financial inclusion to operate in, if the names of those listed…

Submissions to Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge now open in Africa

Google today announced that the Google News Initiative (GNI) Innovation Challenge is open for application submissions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey. Applicants…

SBC AfriTech announces names of 22 startups shortlisted for selection days

Startupbootcamp (SBC) AfriTech has announced the names of the 22 tech startups selected to attend its final selection days which are set to take…

Oze, Snode Technologies, WayaWaya each win $50k at MEST Africa Challenge final

Three African startups — Ghana’s Oze, Kenya’s WayaWaya and SA’s Snode Technologies — have each won $50 000 in equity investments at the MEST…

Norwegian Håvar Bauck behind Cloud9xp merger in Kenya

Norwegian entrepreneur Håvar Bauck — who earlier this year hit the news over his dealings with controversial Polish tech entrepreneur Marek Zmyslowski — is behind…

GSMA fund to offer £220k grants to up to eight agritech solutions

The GSM Association (GSMA) is looking to offer up to eight grants of £220 000 each for agritech businesses. GSMA says the grants — which…

Ghanaian startup Trukrtech wins one million naira in TechCircle’s Pitch2Win

Ghanaian startup Truckrtech has emerged as the winner of one-million naira ($2700) in equity-free funding at the 2019 edition of TechCircle’s Pitch2Win competition. The…

DataProphet wins AIconics Award for Best Innovation in Deep Learning [Updated]

Cape Town-based machine learning startup DataProphet has won the AIconics Award for Best Innovation in Deep Learning, at an awards ceremony held last night (11 June)…

Here are the first 20 startups set to exhibit at the Africa Rail Startup Pavilion

Conference organiser Terrapinn has announced the names of the first 20 startups that have each scored free exhibition space valued at R25 000 a…

Here are the 10 startups that will pitch for one million naira at Impact Hub today

One Nigerian startup will get the chance to win one million naira ($2700) in equity-free funding in a pitch competition to be held at 2pm…

AfriLabs adds 27 new hubs in six African countries

AfriLabs, a pan-African network of technology and innovation centres, has announced that it has added 27 new hubs in six countries — namely Botswana,…

SA’s Travelstart to acquire Club Travel Group

Fresh from last month having announced a partnership with global private markets investment firm HarbourVest, SA travel booking company Travelstart yesterday revealed it would acquire the Club Travel…

ASUS and AMD Launch AI-Driven Expert P Series PCs for South African SMBs

Calls vs Puts: Understanding the Two Types of Options

HONOR celebrates Amajita’s AFCON win with 400 Lite smartphone drop