Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

The Pentagon scrapped a $10 billion cloud-computing contract awarded in 2019 to Microsoft Corp. after several years of wrangling between the government and some of the biggest U.S. tech companies over the deal, indicating it plans to divide the work between Microsoft and rival Amazon.com Inc. instead. “With the shifting…

The Nintendo Switch family of systems is about to gain a new member, after months of speculation and rumors, Nintendo has announced a new version of its Nintendo Switch console is coming this fall. The Nintendo Switch (OLED model) will go on sale Oct. 8. Priced at $350, the system is similar in many ways…

Software giant Microsoft is urging Windows users to immediately install an update on their personal computers (PCs) after security researchers found a serious vulnerability in the operating system, and this security flaw, known as PrintNightmare, affects the Windows Print Spooler service was revealed last week after security researchers accidentally published proof-of-concept…

Former US President Donald Trump, who has complained about censorship from most major social media platforms announced a class-action lawsuit Wednesday against tech giants Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, along with their respective CEOs Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Sundar Pichai. The suit is being filed by America First Policy Institute, a…

Antivirus software creator John McAfee was last month found dead in his cell in Spain after reportedly committing suicide, hours after the country’s national court approved his extradition to the United States, where he was wanted on tax-related criminal charges that carried a prison sentence of up to 30 years. Just as…

As more South Africans work from home, shop online and the economy shifts to digital channels, the threat of cyberattacks has become a growing reality since the Experian cyberattack, leading South African tech provider of a secure B2B data collaboration platform for deep insights, without compromising personal privacy Omnisient has announced the…

Cybersecurity teams are working feverishly to stem the impact of the single biggest global ransomware attack that played out over the Fourth of July weekend on record, with some details emerging about how the Russia-linked hacker gang ‘REvil’ behind it breached the company whose software was the conduit. The gang now says…

Nigerian consumer data analytics firm Terragon Group recently announced that it had secured an undisclosed investment from VestedWorld, an Africa-focused early-stage investment fund manager. VestedWorld has invested in Terragon to further increase the company’s geographic reach, expand its product suite and develop new partnerships. Understanding the African consumer Founded in 2011 with the…

South African-based fintech startup Ukheshe Payment Solutions has won second place at the first KPMG Private Enterprise Global Tech Innovator Africa competition, which came to an exciting close this week. The competition is aimed at recognizing the fastest-growing, most innovative technology companies across the continent. Africa’s prospective unicorn Founded in 2018, Ukheshe was showcased…

Leading global payments solutions, Visa, on Thursday agreed to acquire Swedish financial technology start-up Tink for 1.8 billion euros ($2.1 billion), in a deal aimed at bolstering the payment giant’s digital ambitions. The deal comes after Visa’s bid to buy Plaid, an American rival to Tink, was torpedoed by U.S. regulators.…

The antivirus software creator John McAfee has been found dead in his cell in Spain, hours after the country’s national court approved his extradition to the United States, where he was wanted on tax-related criminal charges that carry a prison sentence of up to 30 years. Catalan’s regional police force, the Mossos…

Finch Technologies which works with and provides controllers and technology to some of the biggest names in virtual and augmented reality has made another undisclosed investment in FundingHub, South Africa’s leading business finance marketplace. This second investment makes the company FundingHub’s majority shareholder. Michael Bowren, Finch Technologies CEO clarified the decision: “We…

Google will open its first retail store in New York City, highlighting the internet giant’s effort to promote its consumer hardware devices. The store, in Manhattan’s trendy Chelsea neighborhood, will open to the public Thursday, the Mountain View, California-based company said Wednesday in a blog post. The shop, which is…

The Cape Skills and Employment Accelerator Project has been launched by the City of Cape Town in partnership with the National Skills Fund (NSF) to create employment opportunities for youth and women between 18-35. The City is contributing R55-million over three years towards training and work placement in companies in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)…

One platform to access all payment and fintech services across Middle East & Africa MoneyHash announced its acquisition of an undisclosed pre-seed investment led by Amir Farha’s COTU Ventures in a statement released on 7 June. Kepple Africa Ventures and other angel investors also took part in the round. The Egyptian startup plans to…

Waymo, the self-driving company of Google’s parent company Alphabet, has raised $2.5 billion as its investors appear undeterred by a CEO change and progress that has lagged expectations. The investment comes about a year after the company raised $2.25 billion in its first external fundraising round. Waymo said Wednesday that the new funding came from Alphabet,…

Webrock, venture capital and private equity company headquartered in Stockholm, has partnered with Healthforce, a digital health company majority-owned by South Africa’s leading retail pharmacy chain Dis-Chem, to launch a Swedish healthcare app Doktor.se in South Africa. The launch of the platform in Africa follows a pre-seed round of $3-million in funding secured and…

South Africa’s newest kid in the block and first open banking marketplace, Spot Money has launched a shared wallet feature on their fintech app, Spot. The feature is a digital solution that seeks to create transparency for shared financial investments, like stokvels. New Shared Account feature The Spot app offers customers transactional…

SA-based venture capital fundraiser Akro has joined the University of Cape Town’s Investsoc and Entrepreneur’s Society to launch 2021’s UCT Shark Tank. Applications are open until midnight on 27 August 2021. Applicants must be formally registered current students or alumni from 2018-2020. This year’s event will not be just a pure pitch competition –…

On 22-25 June 2021 the Netherlands Enterprise Agency will launch the Virtual Tech Mission in participation with several South African tech organisations. The event brings together companies active in the healthtech, fintech, and smart logistics industries to discuss local issues affecting both nations and create future networking opportunities. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency works to bring subsidising,…