Latest News
Africa’s startup market is bucking the global slowdown
July 20, 2022Parsing the latest data on the startup fundraising market in Q2, TechCrunch has explored the global perspective, taken a closer look at fintech, asked how much dry powder VCs have and brought the latest from unicorn land. But we are not yet done.
3 startups named winners of 1st Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa
July 20, 2022Three startups from Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have been named winners of the first Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa, and will each receive EUR250,000 (US$250,000) in grants, international visibility and long-term mentoring.
SA student housing startup DigsConnect secures pre-Series A funding to spearhead international growth
July 20, 2022South African digital student accommodation platform DigsConnect has closed a pre-Series A round of funding to spearhead its international growth, with a focus on helping African students in the UK and US secure more affordable, convenient, and safe housing.
Meet the Investor: Toffene Kama, MercyCorps Ventures
July 20, 2022Toffene Kama has advised, launched, operated many startups, with experience telling him that funding was a major roadblock for entrepreneurs. So now he is helping to address that, as investment principal at Mercy Corps Ventures.
Nigerian Fintech company owners jailed in the US over $160m proceeds of fraud sent to Nigeria
July 20, 2022The founders of Ping Express US LLC, a Texan payments corporation with connections to the United Kingdom, were given a 27-month prison term for allegedly sending $160 million in proceeds of fraud to Nigeria through the business.
Applications open for SA’s Design Innovation Seed Fund
July 19, 2022Applications have opened for South Africa’s Design Innovation Seed Fund (DISF), through which designers, inventors, entrepreneurs and product developers with pre-revenue innovations can apply for grant funding of up to ZAR800,000 (US$47,000).
Nigerian fintech infrastructure startup Bloc acquires payments company Orchestrate
July 19, 2022Nigerian full-service fintech and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) infrastructure provider Bloc has announced its acquisition of Getwallets, the wallets-as-a-service provider that has now recently pivoted to become payments orchestration company Orchestrate.
SendSprint Hits The Market With $5 Flat Fee For All International Money Transfers
July 19, 2022SendSprint, a money transfer startup based in the U.K. but with operations in the U.S. and Nigeria, has been launched today with the unique selling point of a $5 flat fee for all transfers.
Zazuu Raises $2M To Build A Remittance Marketplace
July 19, 2022Zazuu, a London-based fintech building a marketplace for remittance companies, has announced a $2 million raise.
IFC invests in Wave, a mobile money company, to increase access to digital financial services in West Africa
July 19, 2022IFC, a global development organization, has announced an investment in Wave Mobile Money S.A. (Senegal) and Wave Côte d’Ivoire S.A., mobile money companies that are assisting with lowering pricing and extending services in the region.
Ghana’s SolarTaxi secures funding from Persistent to scale offering
July 18, 2022Ghanaian e-mobility company SolarTaxi has raised funding from Persistent to further scale its offering.
SA smart parking startup Parket launches operations in Cape Town
July 18, 2022South African smart parking software management solution has launched operations in Cape Town’s CBD with plans to expand nationally and internationally later this year.