Digemy, a South Africa based ed-tech startup launched in 2017, has raised 68,000 dollars to expand its team and launch its Besmerta financial literacy platform. Digemy provides corporates with educational platforms that focus on learning and retention of the knowledge, as opposed to mere consumption of the learning material. In…
Author: Charity Mbaka
SnapnSave, South African e-commerce startup, allows users to get cash back from their shopping trips through its cashback grocery coupon app. The startup has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Vunani Capital ahead of its Series A round . In 2017, SnapnSave raised USD 980,000 from Kalon and Smollan in two…
Moringa School, a Kenya-based software development training institution, has been fined USD 5,000 for implementing a buyout without seeking approval from, let alone notifying, the Competition Authority if Kenya(CAK). The coding school was initially founded by Audrey Cheng and Frank Tamre. Mr. Tamre however exited the partnership in 2016, and…
AliBaba is making plans to start an online platform that sells Russian-made goods to the Chinese market by 2020. A source spoke to RT Business at the annual Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) said, “All Russian goods which are currently sold in China are imported through the B2B (business-to-business) service. That…
WeWork, a US-based company that provides co-working spaces for freelancers, entrepreneurs and startups among others. The company recently filed for an IPO, and in so doing had to uncover information previously considered private to the public. Among the information released, was a US$ 5.9 million payment made by the company…
Ethiopian government owned telco, Ethio, has announced its plans to roll out mobile money services. The move is part of the firm’s 3-year strategic plan dubbed ‘Bridge’. The plan also includes rolling out 4G networks across the country in order to profit from the increasingly popular streaming services. The firm…
Ride-hailing service pioneer, Uber, has asked for clarity from the Kenyan government, regarding the recently proposed tax on online firms. The Finance Bill 2019 proposed that income accrued through digital marketplaces by any firm operating within the country, be considered taxable income in Kenya. Uber said it is not against…
Renewable energy has long been presented as the solution to creating sustainable renewable energy sources in light of the worsening climate change. Meru, one of the 47 counties in Kenya, will soon be the home of Africa’s very first large scale hybrid wind, solar and battery renewable energy system. The…
Britam Insurance company has partnered with cyber insurance leader, Chubb, to offer its corporate clients with cyber-security coverage. This will enable corporates to mitigate their risk in the event of cyber crimes, which have been on the rise in Kenya. Recently, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) directed that all firms…
Equity Group is reportedly considering separating its main fintech arm, Finserve Africa, from the main business. This move has come after the exit of key Finserve managers. Most recently its head, Jack Ngare, left to join Microsoft’s research and development establishment, The Africa Development Center. Eric Karobia, the Executive Director…
Rwanda is set to establish a national policy to replace the more common gas motorcycles with the more eco-friendly option, e-motos. Rwanda’s president Kagame said at a youth forum, “We will find a way to replace the ones you have now. We urge taxi-moto operators to help us when the phase-out…
The long anticipated merger between Kenyan telcos Airtel and Telkom has hit another doldrum. The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) suspended the merger owing to investigations into the intricate details of the deal by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). Telkom is also under a separate investigation to further understand the…
Uber-India has announced a 24/7 safety helpline which will enable users to report issues to Uber’s safety team. The new helpline will be dedicated to urgent but non-emergency issues such as co-passenger misbehavior, dispute with drivers or vehicle breakdown while a trip is ongoing. Head of Central Operations (Rides), Uber India and…
The G7 leaders, under the leadership of France’s President Emmanuel Macron, have awarded US $251 million to the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) Initiative. The G7 Summit, 2019 edition, took place in France between the 25th to 27th of August. President Macron described this move as a step towards…
Finally, a breath of fresh air for Huawei and partners, as the US government has extended reprieve for the Chinese tech giant for an added 90 days. Earlier this year, in May, the company was given a temporary license to operate within USA, or supply components to US tech firms.…
Popular ride-hailing service, Uber, is continuously innovating in order to undercut its competition. For users who may not be able to access the Uber app, the company is now providing a “Call for Ride” option. This option allows a user to make a phone call to Uber’s toll free line…
Apple’s streaming service, Apple TV Plus is debuting a new show, The Morning Show. The service released a trailer for the show and one thing caught viewers eyes: the show’s logo has an uncanny resemblance in design to Elon Musk’s ‘The Boring Company’s logo. Both logos are simple textual logos,…
Kenya’s telco giant, Safaricom, etablished the Alpha Innovation Lab in 2017. The Alpha Lab was set up to spearhead research and development in the telco. All has not been well since it commenced operations, as evidenced by high profile exits. In October of 2018, Kamal Bhattacharya, the Chief Innovation Officer…
FlexPay Technologies is a Kenyan-based fintech firm that partners with various retailers to enable its users buy goods on lay away. This is where users purchase a product and pay off the total cost of the product in installments over a period of time. FlexPay is the first Kenyan company…
SA-based SOLA Group has received US $26.1 million from African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), and Nedbank Energy Finance. The firm, founded in 2008, will put this money to use to build affordable solar PV solutions for individuals and businesses in South Africa. Customers will no longer have to pay upfront for installation of the panels.…