Venture capital

Fintech lender Investmint links small firms looking for funding, with investor

Chris Bruchhausen and Gareth Price are behind one of SA’s latest fintech lenders, Investmint — which links investors with small businesses looking for finance….

Kenyan on-demand delivery platform Sendy raises $2m

Nairobi-based on-demand delivery platform Sendy has raised $2-million in funding from Dutch impact investor Goodwell Investments. Goodwell Investments announced the deal in a post…

Kenyan startup Twiga Foods closes $30m Series-B round

Nairobi-based mobile-based B2B distribution platform Twiga Foods announced today that it has secured almost $30-million in a new round led by Goldman Sachs. It follows the $5-million…

SA startup DentX raises R1m for vehicle repair pricing platform

SA startup DentX has raised R1-million from angel investors Frederik Gerner and Bas Hochstenbach — founders of the entrepreneurial investor team E4EAfrica. DentX helps…

‘SA SME Fund set to be among country’s biggest institutional investors by year end’

South Africa’s R1.4-billion SA SME Fund has thus far approved R1-billion for investment in a number of funds that will lend to small businesses…

Kenya’s BitPesa announces it’s rebranded, secured $15m in debt finance

Nairobi-based fintech BitPesa announced today that it had rebranded to become AZA Group and had secured $15-million in debt financing from South Africa’s the…

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala to invest $250m in MENA startups

Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi government’s investment company has announced that it will invest a total of $250-million in startups from the Middle East and…

‘Three decades of microfinance key to social investing – Finca Ventures head

Finca International’s 30-year experience in microfinance has given newly launched impact investor Finca Ventures a good grasp on what it takes to scale social…

Leapfrog Ventures’ Takuma Terakubo wants to fund 200 startups by 2020

Leapfrog Ventures founder and CEO Takuma Terakubo says he aims to invest in 200 African startups by 2020. This follows a report by Japanese…

CoGrammar to make 200 hires in Cape after new funding, reveals SA founder

Riaz Moola, the founder of UK and SA-based edtech startup CoGrammar, says his startup will hire 200 employees in Cape Town by the end…

Nigerian payments startup Paystack raises $8m in Series A round led by Stripe

Nigerian payments startup Paystack has raised $8-million in a Series A funding round led by US payments company Stripe. US tech publication Tech Crunch…

Investors use loophole in VC tax incentive to invest in own companies – Sars

Investors are using a loophole in a SA venture capital (VC) tax incentive to invest in companies connected to them and benefit from a…

Kenyan fintech Lendable secures $450k grant from Dutch development bank FMO

Nairobi-based fintech Lendable has secured a $450 000 convertible grant from Dutch development bank FMO. In a statement today (23 August) FMO said the…

State must close door on those that misuse VC tax incentive [Opinion]

This week saw an outcry from South Africa’s venture capital (VC) and private equity sector over amendments the National Treasury plans to make to the…

Fund head puts lack of women angel investors down to information asymmetry

A shortage of information around tech startups has made women sceptical of investing in early-stage businesses. So, says IDF Capital CEO Polo Leteka. Leteka —…

BREAKING: Former PPC Cement head announced as new SA SME Fund CEO [Updated]

Former PPC Cement head Ketso Gordhan was today announced as the new CEO of the SA SME Fund. The announcement that Gordhan will take the helm…

It’s confirmed – SA’s first female focused angel fund to launch this year

In what may be a first for South Africa, the country is set to get its first angel fund focused entirely on women-owned businesses. Alexandra Fraser, one of…

Fintech platform Mines raises $13m in Series-A round led by The Rise Fund

US-based fintech Mines — which was founded by a Nigerian team — has raised $13-million in a Series-A round led by US impact investor The Rise…

Is Silvertree’s co-entrepreneur model the answer to Silicon Valley?

What is a co-entrepreneur? A glorified manager or a true entrepreneur? For Silvertree Internet Holdings managing director and co-founder Manuel Koser a co-entrepreneur is any entrepreneur whose…

Investec out to fund fintech startups through global investment platform

SA bank and asset management group Investec currently looking to invest in three or four early-stage SA fintech startups, Investec Emerging Companies spokesperson Akash Maharaj has confirmed. Earlier…

Cape Town carpooling platform Jumpin Rides raises R1.8-million

Cape Town based carpooling platform Jumpin Rides has raised R1.8-million from undisclosed local and international angel investors. The investment deal had however been concluded already…

Kenyan B2B ecommerce platform Sokowatch raises $2m in seed funding

Nairobi based B2B ecommerce platform Sokowatch has reportedly raised $2-million in a seed round led by Africa-focused early stage venture firm 4Dx Ventures. The investment was first reported by…

Productivity On A Large Screen

Everlytic Launches Cutting-Edge AI Studio with WhatsApp Chatbots for Smarter Communication

Everlytic’s new API Communicator feature enhances customer engagement across multiple channels

Savant Launches Savant Build Cohort 3 to Accelerate Deep-Tech Innovation in the Green Economy

Simplicity at scale: The role of leadership in agile transformation

Microsoft launches new Surface devices in new AI era

Honor Magic V3 launches, four things to know

Honor Magic V3, a Guinness world record attempt

Nio Firefly brings Galaxy design to compact EVs

Google Cast and other Christmas goodies for Rivian

GM switches-off Cruise control on $10bn robotaxi project