Venture capital

$40m Palladium Impact Fund to focus on agribusiness, off-grid clean energy

A $40-million fund launched last week by Australia-based global impact firm Palladium aims to invest in agribusiness value chains and off-grid clean energy ventures in Ghana, Kenya…

Fincheck acquires stake in FundingHub, takes over management of platform

Fincheck — a SA startup that allows consumers to compare financial services products — has taken an undisclosed minority stake in FundingHub and has also assumed full…

ABAN, research firm Briter Bridges partner to map Africa’s investment landscape

The African Business Angel Network (ABAN) has partnered with Briter Bridges, a London-based think-tank and data driven research firm, to map Africa’s investment landscape….

Are these six, SA’s most important venture capitalists?

Who would you turn to if you were a SA tech startup looking for venture capital (VC)? South Africa’s VC sector has grown substantially…

Nigerian real estate firm Landwey acquires 25% stake in proptech platform Vistafront

Nigerian real estate investment firm Landwey has acquired a 25% stake in Lagos-based proptech platform Vistafront. Vistafront’s LinkedIn profile states that it was founded…

One-size-fits-all view on Africa and other mistakes VCs make

A one-size-fits-all view of the African market or simply transplanting Silicon Valley startup models on the continent, will doom those looking to invest in…

VC is growing in Africa, but sector still hobbled by lack of follow-on and seed funding

Ten years ago when Cape Town venture capitalist Justin Stanford and entrepreneur Vinny Lingham launched Cape Town’s startup initiative Silicon Cape there was hardly an angel…

Who is Israeli angel investor company behind success of SA’s Zapper?

In under four years South African mobile payments platform Zapper has grown to operate in 12 markets, employing over 300 people. It sounds like a…

SA SME Fund is not aimed at venture capital sector, says CEO

South Africa’s R1.5-billion SA SME Fund is not aimed at boosting the country’s nascent venture capital (VC) sector, but rather at helping already profitable mid-sized companies to…

SA VC firm Knife Capital expands to UK in deal with former rugby star Bob Skinstad

Venture capital (VC) firm Knife Capital has expanded to London after introducing UK-based Draper-Gain Investments as a strategic investor. It follows Knife Capital’s management buyout…

SA lending platform Prodigy Finance chose London for ‘pro-business regulation’

Cape Town founder of multi-million dollar lending platform Prodigy Finance Cameron Stevens says the “pro-business” regulation of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority was key in his decision…

Former Rocket Internet man tells how he cloned firms, from Cape Town to Bangkok

Cape Town born Tauriq Brown always wanted to be an international businessman. He may claim to be an entrepreneur. But the 28-year-old former Rocket Internet employee is…

SA startup Pineapple secures R5.2m to take on short-term insurance market

SA insurtech startup Pineapple has secured R5.2-million in seed funding from Lireas Holdings, the strategic investment arm of Hannover-Re Group Africa, in return for…

SA eating out app Feastfox nets $175 000 from Silicon Valley investors

Cape Town eating-out app Feastfox today announced that it had successfully closed an angel fundraising round, raising $175,000 (R2.3 million) primarily from Silicon Valley-based angels…

You don’t need to be super wealthy high net individual to be an angel investor

The outlook for the South African economy may be grim. The Reserve Bank forecasts that the economy will grow at just 0.5% this year. Yet…

VC companies don’t necessarily have to set up a fund to invest – here’s why

Engaging with investors is often like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. This is the feedback we got from entrepreneurs…

4Di Capital funding was ‘less than R10m’ confirms SA IoT startup Sensor Networks

Cape based Internet of Things (IoT) platform Sensor Networks has secured funding from South African venture capital (VC) fund 4Di Capital. Sensor Networks founder…

More than 30 sign-ups to Uprise.Africa SA’s first equity crowdfunding site

Over 30 investees and investors have signed up to Uprise.Africa, South Africa’s first equity crowdfunding platform, since its landing page went live on Friday,…

Grotech rebranding as Kalon Venture Partners to avoid marketplace confusion

South African Section 12J venture capital (VC) company Grotech has rebranded as Kalon Venture Partners. Kalon CEO Clive Butkow said the rebranding was to avoid…

SA’s first equity crowdfunding platform to launch later this month

South Africa’s first equity crowdfunding platform will be unveiled by ThundaFund founder Patrick Schofield in a soft launch later this month, Schofield confirmed today….

Kenyan startup M-Shule gets investment from Engineers Without Borders

Canadian seed-stage investor Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB) yesterday announced a cash investment worth $40 000 in Kenyan edtech startup M-Shule. M-Shule is an SMS and…

SA might be in recession but opportunities are huge – Alphawave chairman

While South Africa slipped into a recession in the first quarter of this year, Stellenbosch investor and entrepreneur Frans Meyer says the opportunities for…

Q&A: Focus on creating unicorn for SA is misdirected says Justin Stanford

Any overt focus by South African ecosystem players on creating the country’s first unicorn is a “misdirection of attention” says venture capitalist and founder of 4Di…

How VR Meditation Apps Like Realms of Flow and Others Are Redefining Our Connection with Reality

Transforming Healthcare in Africa with Technology

How forex trading is transforming startup investment strategies

How One Energy Project Could Reshape Climate Action

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

German luxury cars require a rethink for China

Trump wins – Tesla goes beyond $1 Trillion

Vivo update – a big safety gain