Author: Tapiwa Matthew Mutisi

An online marketplace that connects people who want to rent out their homes with people who are looking for accommodations in that locale, Airbnb has partnered with local payment app SnapScan to launch ‘Support Jozi, Shop Local’. The initiative aims to assist the recovery of SMEs in Johannesburg by providing an incentive for people to support…

Microblogging site Twitter is working on a feature that could offer users a short window of time to rethink posting a tweet even after they hit send. The company recently confirmed such development on Friday that it is indeed testing an undo option that would potentially let users retract or…

Tesla and founder Elon Musk are renowned for notching firsts. In 2012, the EV-maker unveiled the first-ever premium all-electric sedan, the Model S. Six years later, Tesla’s founder, Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched the world’s most powerful rocket, the Falcon Heavy. That milestone marked another first, since the Falcon carried the Tesla Roadster…

A sharp decline in Tesla’s share price has wiped more than $250bn (£193bn) off the value of the electric car company and dragged down the value of an Edinburgh-based investment fund that is one of Tesla’s biggest backers. The decline also wiped billions off Elon Musk’s fortune as investors fear…

Elon Musk’s reign as the world’s richest person was short-lived after Jeff Bezos reclaimed his title of world’s richest person, ending Elon Musk’s roughly six-week reign atop the list. And today, isn’t really a good day for Elon Musk once more, as he lost his position as the second richest person in the…

SA food tech startup SnapMenu which provides a mobile menu that boosts restaurant sales is offering locals the chance to win R1 000 in bitcoin for supporting local restaurants. SnapMenu is the easiest way to create your own online menu in minutes. It provides you with an online menu builder, branded QR…

South African data analytics startup Inoxico a provider of business-to-business credit risk solutions which combine quality data and cutting-edge technology to deliver predictive analytics has secured R10-million in equity investment from the Vumela Fund managed by FNB South Africa and Edge Growth. Inoxico has a proven business model with established customer demand…

Software giant Google plans to stop selling ads based on individuals’ browsing across multiple websites, a change that could hasten upheaval in the digital advertising industry. The Alphabet Inc. company said Wednesday that it plans next year to stop using or investing in tracking technologies that uniquely identify web users…

Newly established SA fintech startup Spot Money offers locals a mobile open banking platform that integrates with various bank and payment services has launched its mobile tap-to-pay function. This new feature will enable customers to use their mobile to make secure, contactless payments on point-of-sale (POS) terminals that accept tap-to-pay…

Struggling black-owned restaurants, catering and accommodation establishments that have been hit hard by the devastating impact of COVID-19, now have an opportunity to get back on the road to success with the Sekela Hospitality Support Programme. In an effort to bring some relief and lift the spirits of business owners…

Africa-based entertainment startup Hitchat creates affordable on-the-ground and digital entertainment in emerging markets by finding, developing, and launching acts within a unique T-pop concept has reported having secured $225 000 in a Series A funding round from undisclosed international investor partners. The secured funding will be used towards the launch of new…

Kraken is a US-based cryptocurrency exchange, founded in 2011. The exchange provides cryptocurrency to fiat trading and provides price information to Bloomberg Terminal, so Jesse Powell as the chief executive officer of crypto exchange is bound to be bullish on Bitcoin. Yet he’s projecting a disruptive future that would stretch…

WeThinkCode, a South African edtech startup that opened in Johannesburg five years ago is on a mission to train Africa’s next generation of top tech talent in order to drive the digitization of African business, has secured a R9.2-million investment from E Squared Investments towards the implementation of a new campus…

Pargo Co., Ltd. is a South African-based smart logistics startup that develops a proprietary and technology-based physical network, which allows customers to both send and receive parcels at dedicated pick-up points and currently, Pargo serves customers in South Africa, has launched sustainable packaging that allows online retailers to minimize the…

Square, the financial payments firm run by Jack Dorsey, launched an in-house bank that it says will allow it to “operate more nimbly” in an increasingly crowded fintech market. Square Financial Services will be an industrial bank, meaning it will offer limited financial services. That also resulted in shares of Square jumping as…

On Feb.15 SpaceX launched another set of Falcon 9 satellites but suffered a rare failed landing of the rocket’s first stage during the mission nine minutes after launch, the booster plopped into the ocean. So as the U.S. agency prepares for the next crewed flight to the International Space Station…

Let’s face it, and I am going to be quite brutally honest, mobile phones, even the best ones, just aren’t that exciting anymore. They’re all way more powerful than we really need, they all have nifty multi-lens cameras and they all look essentially the same. I really hoped that folding phones would give…

US-based venture capital firm, Enygma Ventures, an investment fund for female entrepreneurs and women founders has announced an open call for female entrepreneurs in Southern Africa as the US venture capital (VC) fund aims to invest in women-led and founded businesses in Africa.  Lelemba Phiri, operating partner of Enygma Ventures explains that…

South African cryptocurrency startup Luno has earned a ranking in the top six cryptocurrency exchanges globally as revealed in the latest CryptoCompare Exchange Benchmark and this milestone follows the startup’s achievement of gaining a million new users in a mere seven-week period.  South Africa is one of Luno’s strongest markets and the appetite…

Vodacom Financial Services has announced an expansion of its services to include a supplier portal called VodaTrade, where the small supplier will be able to go digital and connect with bigger business partners. This digital trading platform is set to support small and medium sized business by connecting them to…