- The Orange Social Venture Award is now accepting applications for the 2023 edition from startups in Africa and the Middle East. The POESAM prize has been given out annually since 2011 to start-ups with ground-breaking ideas in the fields of education, healthcare, e-commerce, and agriculture in…
- For the first Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders Africa Program, 15 startups from across the continent have been selected. One bootcamp per month is part of the 12-week program, which starts this month. Selected participants will have access to Google products, mentoring from business…
- Meta is reportedly exploring launching a new social media app in an effort to compete with Twitter. The framework that will be used to build the app for Meta will be quite similar to the one that was used to build the app for Mastodon, a service that is comparable to Twitter and was released in…
- Nuru, an energy company based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has raised an initial US$1.5 million in a convertible note financing ahead of the closing of its Series B funding round. During the financial close, the remaining funds will be invested by a stellar group of international…
- Indian Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) startup Houseware has received seed funding of $2.1 million, led by Singapore-based venture capital firm Tanglin Venture Partners. Other participating investors include early-stage investors GTMfund and Better Capital, and undisclosed angel investors from SaaS…
- Munich-based SACLÀB, an online marketplace for pre-loved luxury designer bags, announced that it has raised €1.6M in a Seed round of funding. The investment came from two VCs – Trind Ventures from Estonia and G-Fund from Germany. SACLÀB says that the raised funds will be primarily used for …
- Belgium-based Sunrise, a health-tech company that claims to be revolutionizing sleep analysis, announced that it has raised €17M in a fresh round of funding. This funding is in addition to €12M that the startup has already raised since its inception. The startup plans to accelerate its growth in…
- Amsterdam-based AG5, a SaaS platform mapping and tracking employees’ skills and qualifications, announced that it has raised €6M in a fresh round of investment from Headline, Acadian, and Peak. The announcement comes ten months after raising €1.2M from tech investor Peak. The Dutch firm says it…
- Espoo-based CollectiveCrunch, the creator of the AI-powered Linda platform that enables large-scale sustainable reforestation, announced that it has raised €1.4M in a fresh round of funding. CollectiveCrunch develops products that reduce timelines in forest inventories and offers accurate insights…
- HelloSelf, a London-based digital platform, announced that it has raised approximately €18.69M in Series B funding. The UK-based digital therapeutics platform had last raised an undisclosed sum from Google for Startups in December 2021 and a €6.4M Series A funding in March 2021. The Series B…
- Brazilian fintech Barte raised $3M in a funding round led by NXTP and Force Over Mass, with participation from current investor Venture Friends. Barte is a B2B online payments platform optimizing cash flow management for SMEs in LatAm through automation and revenue-based financing. Founded in 2021…
- Wheel the World, a travel startup that provides inclusive experiences for people with disabilities, raised US$6 million in a pre-Series A investment round led by Chilean venture capital fund Kayak Ventures. The deal also involved investment firms Detroit Venture Partners, Dadneo, Amarena, REI Co-op…
- Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh) has commenced the operational setup of its Ci-Gaba fund of funds. This fund of funds aims to unlock US$75 million in local and international finance for local capital providers. These local capital providers are investing in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in order…
- EchoVC, a technology-focused early-stage VC firm with offices in Lagos that invests in underrepresented founders and underdeveloped markets, has launched EchoVC Chain, a $8 million “pilot” seed fund for blockchain startups. “At EchoVC, we’ve been captivated by blockchains for the previous few…
- NoBroker, India’s real estate platform which is 100% brokerage free, has bagged $5 million in funding from Google, which joins existing investors General Atlantic, Tiger Global, and Moore Strategic Ventures in its Series E round. NoBroker is a one-stop shop for all property-related needs from…
- London-based Cordless, a software development company that provides a platform for customer support services, announced that it has raised €2.15M in a Seed round of funding. The startup says it will use the funds to accelerate customer acquisition, product development and deepen integrations in the…
- Berlin-based Secfix, a cybersecurity company, announced that it has raised €3.6M in an oversubscribed Seed round of funding led by Octopus Ventures. Neosfer, which belongs to Commerzbank, and the founders of Signavio and Blair, as well as existing investors and serial entrepreneurs also…
- Madrid-based StudentFinance, a global career mobility fintech platform for reskilling and upskilling the global workforce, announced that it has raised €39M in a Series A round of funding to provide skills-based training in Europe. The startup has now raised a total funding of €44.7M to date. The…
- Stockholm-based Exeger, a solar cell company whose technology converts all forms of light into electrical energy, announced that it has raised equity capital of approximately SEK 179.8M (approximately €16.1M) against the issuance of 1,634,845 new series B common shares. According to Exeger, the new…
- Amsterdam-based Agurotech, a startup that offers farming solutions, announced that it has raised €1.5M in a Series A round of funding. Agurotech, which specializes in data-driven arable farming, says it will use the funds to take the next step in making the global food system more sustainable. The…
- UK-based Evove, a developer of a graphene-based water filtration technology designed to tackle water shortage, announced that it has secured £5.7M in a round of funding led by One Ventures with participation from AM Ventures and existing investors. The company says it will use the funds to expand…
- Nigeria, like many other countries, is currently undergoing a rapid transformation in its economic landscape. One of the biggest changes is the push towards a cashless economy, in which the majority of transactions are conducted electronically, rather than through physical cash. While this shift…
- The GROW Impact Accelerator is currently accepting applications from agri-tech startups based in Africa. New foodtech and agtech firms that are attempting to solve some of the world’s most pressing sustainability issues are being given a huge boost by the GROW Impact Accelerator, which is funded…
- Startup Wise Guys, a VC and accelerator firm, has closed the first $26.7 million of the US$48 million that will be used across its numerous geographies and vertical-focused funds to support its new strategy focused on international markets that are still underserved by capital investment. Startup…
- Mastercard has announced a new four-month initiative called Start Path Small Business, which will bring entrepreneurs and corporations together to develop and grow solutions that facilitate easy, safe digital experiences for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Startups that are developing…
- Workpay, a Kenyan HR payroll startup, received $2.7 million in pre-Series A funding to expand its services across Africa. Launch Africa, Saviu Ventures, Acadian Ventures, Proparco, Fondation Botnar, Kara Ventures, Axian, P1 Ventures, and Norrsken participated in the funding round. Workpay was…
- Planet42, a South African auto subscription company that purchases used vehicles from car dealerships and rents them to consumers on a subscription basis, has raised $100 million in debt and equity. This latest round of funding includes a mix of equity, a credit line, and debt. With a $15 million…
- Vexi, the Mexican neo bank has raised an $8M round, led by Magma Partners. Previous investors Alpha4Ventures, Noa Capital, and Pomona Impact also participated in the round, along with new investors Redwood Ventures and U.S.-based Rebalance Capital. These funds follow the US$24M round that included…
- QUASH.ai raised $3.7M in a seed round led by HTwenty, G2 Momentum, and Q Capital Venture Capital. Other angel investors, including Barak Kaufman from Insight Partners and Alex Porto from Riverwood Capital, also participated in the round. QUASH.ai’s platform, powered by artificial intelligence,…
- Zurich-based UNISERS, a developer of wafer inspection and particle detection solutions for semiconductor materials, announced that it has secured approximately €13M in a Seed round of funding led by Intel Capital. Participating investors include M Ventures, RSBG Ventures, and Swisscom Ventures. The…
- Faroe Islands-based Ocean Rainforest, a seaweed cultivation and processing company, announced that it has raised approximately €5.8M funding in a Series A round of funding, led by The Grantham Foundation. Katapult Ocean’s Deep Blue fund, Builders Vision, and the Ocean Born Foundation invested along…
- London-based Dronamics, a freight drone airline with a European operating authorisation, announced that it has raised $40M in a pre-Series A round of funding. The investment came from Founders Factory, Speedinvest, Eleven Capital, and the Strategic Development Fund (SDF), the financial arm of the…
- Susan Wojcicki, who has served as CEO of YouTube for the past nine years, has decided to step down from her position. She wrote on her blog that she had “chosen to start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about.” Wojcicki explained that she felt…
- Jumba, a Kenyan marketplace for construction materials, has completed a $4.5 million seed funding round. The seed funding comes a year after the company’s initial $1 million in pre-seed funding. LocalGlobe led the funding round, and Enza Capital joined it along with other investors like…
- RNR, a South African breakdown management startup, has raised US$555,000) to assist its growth and African expansion. RNR is a breakdown management firm with technology that mobilizes a network of nationwide providers to service whole fleets at the push of a button. RNR, which stands for “Right…
- Smile Identity, an Africa-focused firm, has secured a US$20 million Series B fundraising round to aid in its expansion throughout the continent. Costanoa and Norrsken22 served as the round’s lead investors, and 500 Fintech, Commerce Ventures, Courtside Ventures, Two Culture Capital, Valuestream…
- Curacel, an AI-powered platform for claims processing and fraud management in Africa, was founded in Nigeria and has raised US$3 million in seed funding to launch new products and support its growth in North Africa. Y Combinator, Tencent, AAF Management, Elefund, Blue Point Capital Partners,…
- Naked, a South African insurance technology startup powered by artificial intelligence (AI), has raised US$17 million in Series B funding to fuel its expansion. The German Development Finance Institution (DEG) and Naked’s original investors, Yellowwoods and Hollard, are also participating in the…
- The National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) has ordered all of the country’s banks to cease “all crypto-related activity until a regulatory framework has been put in place.” The NBR’s acting governor, Soraya Hakuziyaremye, defended the organization’s activities in a letter sent to managing directors and…
- Terraa, based in Morocco and provides B2B tech-enabled food delivery, has successfully raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding. FoodLabs, a European early-stage VC investor and venture studio for food, sustainability, and health, took the lead in the funding round. UM6P Ventures, Outlierz…
- Sendmarc, a leading provider of email and domain security based in South Africa, has secured a US$7 million Series A funding round. Allan Gray E-Squared Ventures, Fireball Capital, Endeavor Catalyst, 4Di Capital, Kalon Venture Partners, Endeavor Harvest, and Alpha Private Capital joined Atlantica…
- Pade HCM, a human resources technology business in Nigeria, has closed a US$500,000 pre-seed funding round to help it expand its operations. Zrosk IML, Zedcrest Capital, Microtraction, Expert Dojo, and Resilient 17 are among the international network of investors who contributed to the funding…
- The Ethiopian government has been planning to sell off 40% of its holdings in Ethio-Telecom, a state-owned telecom company, since 2021. In public records, the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance lauded Ethio-near-monopoly Telecoms in Ethiopia’s telecommunications market. The company’s outstanding…
- CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated on Instagram that Meta is launching Meta Verified, a new paid subscription service for verification. Instagram and Facebook users on Meta’s platforms can now submit their government ID for a blue verification badge for $11.99 per month on the web and $14.99 per month on…
- Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), the largest innovation hub in Africa, is creating a $15 million accelerator program that will be known as The Edtech Fellowship Program. The goal of this program is to back and support 72 startups based in Nigeria and Kenya over the next three years. The accelerator…
- Bolt, a ride-hailing service, plans to invest $530 million in its African operations over the next two years. This expansion would allow the firm to hire and train over 300,000 new drivers and couriers by 2023. “During the past seven years, we have created a solid team of 500 individuals in Africa…
- The Rice Business Plan Competition 2023 for Student Entrepreneurs, which offers student entrepreneurs practical experience and financial rewards, is now accepting applications. The tournament, which is organized by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, has grown over the past 20…
- BuuPass a B2B2C full-stack marketplace has raised $1.3 million in pre-seed funding to enable operators with a bus management system (BMS) to manage their operations, inventory, and sales. Founders Factory Africa, FrontEnd Ventures, Adaverse, Gullit, Five35, Renew Capital, Changecom, XA Network,…
- Qotto, a company that sells solar kits and has operations in Burkina Faso and Benin, has secured $8 million in a Series A equity-debt round. In addition to the Off-Grid Energy Access Fund (FEI-OGEF), Cordaid, and Qotto’s current investors, the IBL group led the round. Qotto was established in…
- After a two-year suspension, Meta Platforms has reinstated former US President Donald Trump’s access to Facebook and Instagram, according to Meta spokesperson Andy Stone. After determining that Trump’s accounts posed a significant risk of further inciting violence following the tragic Capitol Hill…
