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Published: 06-04-2018 16:44:00 | By: Nico Scherphuis | hits: 3823227 | Tags:









Fintech startup Zebec debuts in Japan with payroll and payments solutions
Published: 09-01-2024 | 15:58:36 | By: Bob Koigi
This strategic move not only marks Zebec's continued global expansion but also underscores its commitment to fostering collaborative financial innovation worldwide.








Japanese semiconductor firm EdgeCortix closes $20m to accelerate AI capabilities
Published: 04-10-2023 | 15:11:00 | By: Pie Kamau
EdgeCortix announced the closing of a $20m funding round.


Five Kenyan cleantech startups selected for JICA’s Project NINJA accelerator
Published: 19-09-2023 | 12:11:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Five Kenyan cleantech startups have been selected for the 3rd cohort of JICA.


Japanese startup Josys raises $93m Series B funding to revolutionize global IT operations
Published: 06-09-2023 | 09:33:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Josys announced a successful Series B funding round of $93 million.


Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital joins Israeli startup nT-Tao's Series A funding round
Published: 04-09-2023 | 14:00:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital has joined nT-Tao's Series A funding round.


Tokyo's dynamic ecosystem for a startup company and its global impact, Plug and Play
Published: 12-07-2023 | 11:15:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Tokyo, Japan is an economic powerhouse with its thriving business landscape.


Pegasus Tech Ventures launches $100m fund with Japanese chemicals and life science company Denka
Published: 27-01-2023 | 11:34:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Pegasus Tech Ventures (Pegasus), a global venture capital firm that is headquartered in the Silicon Valley, has established a $100 million corporate venture capital fund with Denka.


Japan headquartered drone and Urban Air Mobility startup Terra Drone raises $14m funding to accelerate growth
Published: 25-01-2023 | 09:59:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Terra Drone, a drone and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) technology provider, has raised $14 million in funding from Wa'ed Ventures, the venture capital arm of the biggest oil producer in the world, Aramco.


Japanese home health lab startup Bisu collaborates with Polaris Dawn to develop new ways to monitor astronaut health
Published: 05-12-2022 | 11:36:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Traveling in space leads to bone loss, muscle loss, and an increased risk of kidney stone formation, often starting within the first 24 hours of spaceflight as calcium levels in bone and tissue decrease.


Plug and Play Japan selects 74 startups for its Winter/Spring 2023 Batch accelerator program
Published: 05-12-2022 | 10:36:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Global innovation platform, Plug and Play Japan has selected 74 startups from Japan and overseas for the Winter/Spring 2023 Batch accelerator program which will be carried out from December 2022 to March 2023.


Japanese startup TIER IV launches commercial autonomous driving software platforms for multiple operational design domains
Published: 07-11-2022 | 08:55:00 | By: Pie Kamau
TIER IV, an open source autonomous driving startup, announced it has launched commercial autonomous driving software platforms "Pilot.Auto" and "Web.Auto".


Japanese startup SUN METALON raises $5.6m funding to democratize metal 3D manufacturing
Published: 25-10-2022 | 13:36:00 | By: Pie Kamau
SUN METALON, a Japanese startup developing a metal 3D printer, announced the procurement of $5.6 million in its pre-series A funding round.


Japanese foodtech startup Yo-Kai Express partners with IPPUDO and TableMark to bring ramen and udon dishes to its autonomous restaurant platform
Published: 05-09-2022 | 14:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Yo-Kai Express announced new partnerships with TableMark and Chikaranomoto, to jointly develop and market varieties of new udon and ramen menu options.


Japanese healthtech startup Ubie raises $26.2m Series C funding to fuel business growth in Japan and the U.S.
Published: 22-08-2022 | 12:33:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Ubie, a Japanese healthcare AI startup with a mission to develop a healthcare guide for everyone, announced it has raised $26.2 million in the 1st round of Series C funding.


Taiwanese martech startup Wavenet raises $3m series B round to expand in Japan and North America
Published: 12-08-2022 | 12:11:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Taiwanese marketing technology (martech) startup Wavenet, announced the raise of $3 million in series B round, to expand its operations to Japan and North America, and hire more international talents to join the team.


Japanese open-source autonomous driving startup TIER IV launches $300m green autonomous driving project
Published: 19-07-2022 | 13:51:00 | By: Pie Kamau
TIER IV, an open-source autonomous driving startup, announced it has received a grant from the Green Innovation Fund Projects (GI Fund) for research and development of autonomous driving software platforms.


January Ventures closes $21m Fund II to invest in formation stage B2B software startups
Published: 29-04-2022 | 14:20:00 | By: Pie Kamau
January Ventures announced an oversubscribed $21 million Fund II to continue investing in formation stage B2B software startups.


The Batchery announces14th batch of founders to join its startup accelerator
Published: 29-04-2022 | 14:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The Batchery, the Berkeley-based incubator that has built an entrepreneurial ecosystem for investors and startups from around the world, announced that 12 early-stage startups have joined its accelerator program.


Logistics startup Swvl acquires Volt Lines, enters European market
Published: 29-04-2022 | 13:57:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Swvl Holdings, a global provider of transformative tech-enabled mass transit solutions announced a definitive agreement to acquire Volt Lines, a Turkey-based B2B and Transport as a Service mobility business.


African B2B marketplace Kwely nabs $1m seed round to accelerate growth
Published: 29-04-2022 | 13:52:00 | By: Pie Kamau
African B2B marketplace Kwely finalized a $1 million seed funding round with a $700,000 injection of fresh capital led by WIC Capital with participation from Loftyinc Capital, Afropreneur Angels, Haskè Ventures and other angel investors.


CcHUB, Google unveil 9 startups selected for the Fintech Incubation Programme
Published: 29-04-2022 | 13:42:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigeria’s technology innovation centre Co-creation Hub (CcHUB) in collaboration with Google, Ministry of ICT and Innovation Rwanda, and Mojaloop Foundation, announced the nine startups selected for the Fintech Incubation Programme


Estonian e-Store startup Upty acquires Finnish peer Rekki, opens up seed round
Published: 26-04-2022 | 13:18:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Estonian startup Upty, the resale e-Store in the Baltic region, announced the acquisition of its Finnish peer, Rekki. In addition, Upty is planning to kick-start the fundraising in the coming months in order to pursue the Company's accelerated expansion across Europe.


Athletes, artists digital platform Vaunt raises $5m Series A funding to accelerate growth
Published: 26-04-2022 | 12:38:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Vaunt, a platform for athletes and artists to monetize their talents and stream globally for live and digital viewers, announced a $5 million Series A funding round to elevate the brand and potential of the business to the next level.


Austin entrepreneurs launch new crypto cybersecurity startup, CryptoArmor
Published: 26-04-2022 | 12:22:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Austin-based entrepreneurs Grant Mitterlehner and Brendon Kelley are together forming a new startup, CryptoArmor, to build security tailored for crypto, NFT, and metaverse companies.


Japanese healthtech startup Ubie launches AI-powered symptom checker in the U.S.
Published: 26-04-2022 | 12:11:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Ubie, Inc., a healthcare AI startup with the mission to develop a healthcare guide for everyone, has launched in the United States an AI-powered symptom checker that allows users to enter symptoms and discover related diseases.


Insurtech startup ETAP secures $1.5m pre-seed funding to drive car insurance penetration in Africa
Published: 26-04-2022 | 11:55:00 | By: Pie Kamau
ETAP, an insurtech startup that makes it easier to buy and claim insurance, has secured $1.5 million in pre-seed funding to grow its team and drive the adoption of much-needed car insurance across Africa.


UPSIDE Foods raises a $400m Series C round to commercialize cultivated meat at scale
Published: 25-04-2022 | 14:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats), the company in the cultivated meat, poultry, and seafood industry, announced the close of a $400 million Series C funding round, the largest round in the industry to date.


French AI startup Kryptview raises $650k in pre-seed to develop community-driven crypto research platform
Published: 25-04-2022 | 13:48:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kryptview, a collective intelligence platform that provides peer-reviewed research for digital assets, announced the closure of its pre-seed round, raising $650,000 from crypto technology companies.


AI startup GridMatrix raises $3.5m seed round to grow its proprietary cloud architecture platform
Published: 25-04-2022 | 13:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
GridMatrix announced it has raised $3.5 million in seed funding in a round co-led by 8VC and Cota Capital, with participation from Alumni Ventures Group.


Dutch medtech startup STENTiT raises €1.8m seed round to accelerate growth
Published: 25-04-2022 | 13:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
STENTiT, a medical device company bringing a novel class of regenerative endovascular implants for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, closed €1.8 million seed investment round.


Huobi Incubator partners with Celo to promote Stablecoins for the masses
Published: 25-04-2022 | 12:50:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Huobi Incubator, the project incubation arm of Huobi Global, announced it will co-host Celo x Huobi: Stablecoin in Web3 & Sustainability hackathon with Celo.


Solana-based DeFi startup Delta One raises $9.1m to build 'set-and-forget' yield farming protocol
Published: 22-04-2022 | 14:37:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Delta One, a Solana-based DeFi protocol, announced it raised $9.1 million seed round led by Alameda Research and Ship Capital, with participation from Solana Ventures.


Briya Emerges from stealth with seed funding to revolutionize healthcare through blockchain powered research
Published: 22-04-2022 | 14:22:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Briya, a disruptive healthcare data exchange network, announced it has completed a $5.5 million seed round led by Amiti Ventures.


Plant-based meat startup Nowadays closes $7m seed round to accelerate health-focused chicken
Published: 22-04-2022 | 14:09:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Health-focused plant-based meat company Nowadays closed its oversubscribed Seed round, raising just shy of $10 million to-date to support commercialization of new plant-based chicken innovation.


TDK Ventures joins forces with VueReal to accelerate microprinting for microLED
Published: 22-04-2022 | 13:39:00 | By: Pie Kamau
TDK Corporation announced that subsidiary TDK Ventures, has invested in microLED developer VueReal Inc. to accelerate and develop their microprinting manufacturing process.


South Korean medical AI startup Lunit gets preliminary approval to go public on KOSDAQ
Published: 22-04-2022 | 13:32:23 | By: Pie Kamau
Lunit, a medical AI provider, announced a preliminary approval from the Korea Exchange for initial public offering (IPO) on the KOSDAQ market.


Phyto Partners launches neurowellness-focused venture capital fund
Published: 21-04-2022 | 13:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Phyto Partners (Phyto), a top venture capital fund, is launching its fourth private equity fund – Phyto IV, LP – focused on businesses operating in and around neurowellness and brain health.


AI startup Nuclia raises $5.4m seed funding to advance AI-powered search, releases open source NucliaDB
Published: 21-04-2022 | 11:52:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nuclia, the pioneer in AI-powered search that is changing how humans access and discover meaningful data, announced it has raised $5.4 million in its seed round led by Crane Venture Partners and Ealai.


SAP.iO launches Resilient Supply Chain startup program in collaboration with Accenture
Published: 21-04-2022 | 11:37:00 | By: Pie Kamau
SAP SE announced the launch of a virtual startup program focused on building a resilient supply chain at the SAP.iO Foundries Munich and Tel Aviv.


Kenyan electric vehicle startup Opibus rebrands to ROAM
Published: 21-04-2022 | 11:22:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kenya’s leading electric vehicle (EV) maker Opibus has changed its name to ROAM. The company was among the earliest entrants into the local electric vehicle manufacturing sector.


IFC invests in Algebra Ventures to support Egyptian tech startups, drive innovation
Published: 21-04-2022 | 11:18:00 | By: Pie Kamau
To support tech startups with access to finance and drive innovation and job creation primarily in Egypt, IFC announced an investment in the second fund from venture capital firm Algebra Ventures.


Vietnam-based sustainability startup EQUO raises $1.3m for eco-friendly options
Published: 20-04-2022 | 14:12:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Vietnam-based sustainability company, EQUO, has raised $1.3 million in seed funding. Leading the seed round is NextGen Ventures with participation from Techstars and East Ventures.


Blockchain data startup Transpose raises $3m seed round to revolutionize web3 data infrastructure
Published: 20-04-2022 | 13:53:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Blockchain data startup Transpose, whose ground-breaking suite of data APIs vastly simplifies bulk web3 data access, announced an oversubscribed $3 million seed round.


Plug and Play launches $25.5m Supply Chain Fund
Published: 20-04-2022 | 13:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The Plug and Play's Supply Chain Innovation Platform announced the closing of Plug and Play Supply Chain Fund I, L.P., a $25.5 million venture capital fund focusing on investments across the end-to-end supply chain.


UK-based fintech startup Paysend opens Americas headquarters in Miami
Published: 20-04-2022 | 13:19:49 | By: Pie Kamau
Paysend, the UK-based fintech with over 6.5 million customers, announced the opening of its Americas headquarters in Miami.


Startups increasingly use memorable, key-word rich descriptive domain names to stand out from competitors, study
Published: 20-04-2022 | 13:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
TrueName, a global leader in descriptive domains, announced that more startups are choosing descriptive domains than in previous years per recent data by Marc Köhlbrugge.


Belgian tech startup Kpler attracts over $200m strategic growth investment
Published: 14-04-2022 | 12:34:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kpler, the of technology-led data, analytics, and market insight, announced it has agreed on a strategic growth investment led by Five Arrows and Insight Partners.


9am.health startup raises $16m Series A to build a comprehensive virtual diabetes destination
Published: 14-04-2022 | 12:04:00 | By: Pie Kamau
9am.health, a virtual diabetes clinic that delivers personalized, affordable, and compassionate care directly to consumers, announced a $16 million Series A funding round, bringing its total funding to date to nearly $20 million.


U.S. insurtech startup Honeycomb gains approval to write policies in Wisconsin
Published: 14-04-2022 | 11:49:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance has given insurtech startup Honeycomb approval to write policies statewide.


Vivaris Capital partners with Tesla Foundation to form Tesla Climate Capital
Published: 14-04-2022 | 11:39:57 | By: Pie Kamau
Vivaris Capital, LLC, a multi-strategy fund offering hybrid hedge and private equity structures, announced a strategic, joint-venture partnership with the Tesla Foundation to form Tesla Climate Capital.


Brazilian startup Galena raises $16.7m to help young people enter the job market
Published: 14-04-2022 | 11:26:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Galena, a Brazilian startup that propels young talents to access great careers, announced the raising of $16.7m million in Series A round. The investment was led by Altos Ventures, a global venture capital fund based in Silicon Valley.


Canadian medical startup DrugBank raises $9m to solve growing biomedical data problem
Published: 12-04-2022 | 11:58:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Canadian future of medicine startup, DrugBank, announced the securing $9 million in seed funding to solve the challenges associated with the world's exponentially-growing biomedical data.


Microsoft launches accelerator program for East and West African startups
Published: 11-04-2022 | 12:48:16 | By: Pie Kamau
Microsoft has announced a new partnership with GreenHouse Labs to facilitate the acceleration of African startups that are at the pre-series A stage.


Construction tech company myComply closes $4.5m seed round to expand its workforce management solution
Published: 11-04-2022 | 12:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
myComply, a Saskatchewan-based of IoT technology and cloud-connected software for the construction industry, landed its final capital to close its seed round investment at a total of $4.5 million.


London's GripAble raises $11m Series A funding to deliver data-driven neuro and musculoskeletal rehab
Published: 11-04-2022 | 12:11:00 | By: Pie Kamau
London-based GripAble announced a $11 million in Series A funding led by IP Group, with equal investment from Parkwalk Advisors, to enable GripAble to expand its industry-leading data platform.


Twitch Co-founder raises $35m seed round for Fractal, a new marketplace for gaming NFTs
Published: 11-04-2022 | 11:39:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Fractal, a new marketplace for gaming NFTs founded by Justin Kan, the Co-founder of Twitch, announced a $35 million seed round led by Paradigm and Multicoin Capital with with participation from Andreessen Horowitz.


AI platform Relativity6 raises $5.25m round to accelerate sales efforts
Published: 11-04-2022 | 11:04:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Relativity6, the AI platform for industry classification, announced it has raised a $5.25 million seed round led by Fin Capital with participation from State Auto Labs Fund, Vectr Ventures, Cortado Ventures, Angel Ventures, and several strategic individuals.


Nigerian fintech startup ImaliPay closes $3m seed funding to bring financial services to gig workers
Published: 11-04-2022 | 10:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigerian fintech startup ImaliPay has closed $3 million seed funding round to bring financial services to gig workers.


French in-game ad startup Gadsme raises $8m seed round to scale growth
Published: 08-04-2022 | 14:24:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Gadsme, the interactive adtech platform that offers high quality immersive brand experiences through in-game advertising, secured an $8 million seed investment just 11 months after launch.


Latinx insurtech startup Sigo Seguros raises $5.4m seed funding to accelerate growth
Published: 08-04-2022 | 14:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Sigo Seguros, the insurtech startup determined to close the insurance gap within Latinx and immigrant communities, announced it has raised $5.4 million in its seed funding round, co-led by Listen Ventures and Chingona Ventures.


Global experience startup Lilt raises $55m Series C to scale its AI translation platform
Published: 08-04-2022 | 13:56:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Lilt, the global experience platform, announced it has raised $55 million in Series C funding, bringing the company's total raised to $92.5 million.


German tech startup Admitad invests $1.2m in service providing coupon solutions for media
Published: 08-04-2022 | 13:37:00 | By: Pie Kamau
IT company Admitad, with the HQ in Germany and offices in the US (Chicago) and around the world, announced an investment of $1.2 million into White Label that provides сoupon solutions for the online media.


U.S.-based food tech startup Yo-Kai Express launches autonomous restaurant platform in Japan
Published: 08-04-2022 | 13:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Yo-Kai Express, a Silicon Valley-based food tech startup announced the official debut of the Yo-Kai Express autonomous restaurant platform in J.R. East Tokyo.


SVB debuts fellowship program to foster next-gen of Black, Latinx and women venture capital leaders
Published: 07-04-2022 | 16:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
SVB Financial Group (SVB), financial partner of the innovation economy and parent company of Silicon Valley Bank, announced the SVB Fellows Program, a fellowship program for Black, Latinx and women professionals.


UCSF Rosenman Institute connects startups with health care companies to scale up solutions nationwide
Published: 07-04-2022 | 16:30:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The UCSF Rosenman Institute (Rosenman) announced that four early-stage health care companies have been selected to pilot their technology with leading industry partners through the UCSF Rosenman ADAPT (ADAPT) program.


Kenyan mobile commerce startup Copia appoints former Amazon Executive to its Board
Published: 07-04-2022 | 16:18:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Copia Global, a Kenyan-based mobile commerce platform has announced the appointment of former Amazon executive Jason Murray to its Board.


Kenya-focused social e-Commerce startup Elloe raises over $1m in pre-seed round
Published: 07-04-2022 | 16:09:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Elloe, a US-based social e-Commerce startup focused on Kenya and emerging markets, announced the raise of an undisclosed amount in pre-Seed funding. Investors for the round were led by Philippines’ Mad Ventures, Inc.


Shirley Somuah named partner at African private equity fund manager CardinalStone Capital
Published: 07-04-2022 | 16:02:00 | By: Pie Kamau
African private equity fund manager, CardinalStone Capital Advisers (CCA), has appointed Shirley Somuah as a Partner, as it strengthens its presence in Ghana with a new office opening in Accra in Q2.


Polish mental health startup Mindgram closes €7m seed round, begins European expansion
Published: 06-04-2022 | 15:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Warsaw-based holistic mental health & wellbeing platform Mindgram, announced the closing of €7 million seed round and its plan to expand into the European market.


Lefebvre Sarrut launches second edition its European startups accelerator, LightSpeed
Published: 06-04-2022 | 14:27:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Lefebvre Sarrut Group reaffirmed its commitment to innovation and invites European startups to participate in the new edition of LightSpeed, its startup accelerator.


Houston aircraft startup Venus Aerospace raises $20m Series A funding to accelerate growth
Published: 06-04-2022 | 13:43:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Venus Aerospace, a startup developing hypersonic aircraft, raised a $20 million Series A funding round led by Prime Movers Lab, which invests in breakthrough scientific companies that reinvent and transform the way we live and operate.


Berkeley-based fitness startup Flexia raises $4m to shape the future of connected Pilates
Published: 06-04-2022 | 13:24:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Berkeley-based Flexia, developer of the first truly smart and connected Pilates reformer, announced a $4 million Seed round led by ADvantage, an early stage VC fund investing in tech companies shaping the future of sports.


Community-first mobile app Hive Wealth secures $600k deed round Investment from Black Tech Nation Ventures
Published: 06-04-2022 | 13:03:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Hive Wealth, a community-first mobile app that helps people grow their wealth and leave a legacy for future generations, announced it received $600K in funding from Black Tech Nation Ventures.


Finnish booking startup Book Salon raises €3m to gleam European beauty and wellness salons
Published: 05-04-2022 | 14:26:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Book Salon, a Finnish payment and booking service provider specializing in hair, beauty, and wellness companies, has announced the successful closure of a €3 million funding round led by Joint Effects.


SeaX Ventures launches $60m Fund II to help international startups expand into Southeast Asia
Published: 05-04-2022 | 13:54:00 | By: Pie Kamau
SeaX Ventures (Southeast Asia Exponential Ventures), announced the close of its second fund to help accelerate the growth of global startups throughout Southeast Asia.


ComplyAdvantage releases new anti-money laundering essentials guide for Startups
Published: 05-04-2022 | 13:37:00 | By: Pie Kamau
ComplyAdvantage, a global data technology company transforming financial crime detection, announced the release of a new Anti-Money Laundering Essentials Guide for Startups.


Swedish AI Fund announces new fund targeting AI startups in Africa
Published: 05-04-2022 | 13:17:01 | By: Pie Kamau
Swedish AI Fund (SAIF), an NGO providing financial aid, grants and scholarships to AI projects has announced a new fund targeting AI startups in Africa.


Bridgestone Mobility Solutions joins Startup Autobahn as ‘anchor partner’
Published: 05-04-2022 | 13:03:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, Bridgestone EMIA’s business unit focused on developing and launching data-driven fleet, tyre and mobility solutions, has become an “anchor partner” of Startup Autobahn, a mobility-focused innovation network.


South African tech startup SmartWage raises $2m to bridge gap between enterprises and frontline employees
Published: 05-04-2022 | 12:45:00 | By: Pie Kamau
SmartWage, an innovative HR and communications technology startup, raised $2 million oversubscribed seed funding round to support its vision of transforming Africa’s workforce.


Fintech startup Credrails partners with Access Bank to foster the future of finance in Africa
Published: 05-04-2022 | 12:33:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Access Bank has partnered with financial infrastructure startup Credrails to develop open finance rails that will dramatically improve the experience of banking customers across the continent.


Manchester-based HRtech startup Orka raises £3m to accelerate growth
Published: 01-04-2022 | 17:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Manchester-based Orka Technology Group (Orka), announced it has secured £3 million Series A fundraising round from Praetura Ventures.


OSlash raises $5m post-seed round to rewrite fundraising for SaaS startups
Published: 01-04-2022 | 16:38:00 | By: Pie Kamau
OSlash, an enterprise software that facilitates cross-sharing of information in the workplace, announced a $5 million post-seed round, in addition to $2.5 million raised in September from Accel Partners.


Play-to-earn health startup Health Hero closes oversubscribed seed round to finance game development
Published: 01-04-2022 | 16:19:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Health Hero, the company behind the Web3 play-to-earn health game "Health Hero," closed seed round with backing from prominent venture capitals.


Luxury clean CBD brand Lure Life closes $750K seed funding round for expansion
Published: 01-04-2022 | 15:13:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Lure Life, (Lure), a luxury, joy producing CBD brand has raised $750,000 in a Seed round of funding supported by a diverse group of investors in the beauty, finance and the consumer-packaged goods sectors.


Colombian-based consumer and fintech startup Leal secures $10m Series A round to scale growth
Published: 01-04-2022 | 14:05:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Colombian-based consumer and fintech company Leal has raised a $10 million Series A round co-led by global internet services leader Rakuten Group – through its investment arm Rakuten Capital – and IDC Ventures global fintech investment firm.


Plug and Play Japan kicks off 3rd Smart Cities accelerator program in Osaka and Tokyo
Published: 29-03-2022 | 13:48:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Plug and Play Japan has selected 25 startups from Japan and overseas for their accelerator program that promotes open innovation in Smart Cities theme. From the Batch 3 program, it will expand and operate at two locations, Tokyo and Osaka.


Japanese SocialGood App raises $14.2m for patented crypto back platform
Published: 08-03-2022 | 10:57:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Japanese SocialGood App, which gives users cryptocurrency rewards for shopping, has raised $14.2 million in Series A funding from a venture capital firm.


Energy-efficient AI semiconductor startup EdgeCortix closes over $8m Series A funding
Published: 01-03-2022 | 11:58:00 | By: Pie Kamau
EdgeCortix the AI-focused fabless semiconductor company, announced the closing of over $8 million in series A funding.


Japanese powerhouses mixi and DAZN partner to create a sports NFT marketplace on Flow
Published: 07-02-2022 | 12:04:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Media powerhouse mixi, Inc. and global sports streaming service DAZN Japan Investment GK today announced that DAZN MOMENTS, a sports NFT marketplace, will launch on Flow, a Web3 platform designed for consumer-friendly applications.


JICA’s NINJA Accelerator completes 2nd Demo Day in Kenya, sends delegation to Silicon Valley
Published: 31-01-2022 | 14:10:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Shamba Pride, Saada Tech, Kijenzi, M-Paya Energy, and MyMovies.Africa are the five startups that shined during the 2nd Demo Day of the NINJA Accelerator in Kenya.


Japanese VR startup HIKKY raises $57m Series A funding to expand its services domestically and abroad
Published: 16-11-2021 | 12:59:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Virtual reality (VR) startup and organizers of VR events in the world HIKKY raised 6.5 billion yen ($57 million) in an initial stage of its Series A funding round.


JICA kicks off 2nd Cohort of its NINJA Accelerator in Kenya
Published: 28-10-2021 | 16:35:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The NINJA Accelerator in Kenya, powered by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in partnership with Double Feather Partners, Deloitte Tohmatsu and Kenyan implementation partner GrowthAfrica, is kicking off its 2nd cohort with five tech-enabled Kenyan startups.


Japanese startup Autify raises $10m Series A to advance software testing automation through no-code solution
Published: 06-10-2021 | 13:29:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Autify, a no-code AI-powered software testing automation platform, announced today that it has raised $10 million in Series A funding. Leading the round is World Innovation Lab (WiL).


Tokyo-based AI startup Attuned launches writer fellowship on Substack
Published: 29-06-2021 | 13:52:39 | By: Pie Kamau
Attuned, a Tokyo-based tech startup that uses psychology and AI to track intrinsic motivation and boost employee engagement, announced the launch of a global writing competition on digital newsletter-publishing platform Substack.


Plug and Play Japan selects 91 Startups for its Summer/Fall 2021 Batch
Published: 01-06-2021 | 11:28:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Global Innovation Platform, Plug and Play Japan has selected 91 Japanese and international startups into its Summer/Fall 2021 Batch, which will be carried out from June to September 2021.


Kenyan fintech startup Kwara selected for Japan-led Ninja Accelerator programme
Published: 06-05-2021 | 10:56:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Digital banking platform and fintech company Kwara has been selected for the first cohort of the Ninja Accelerator programme in Kenya.


U.S.-based food tech startup Yo-Kai Express expands partnerships with Japan
Published: 26-04-2021 | 13:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
While restaurants and small businesses everywhere have struggled to survive the pandemic, U.S.-based foodtech startup Yo-Kai Express (YKE) has leveraged its technology and ideas to evolve and transform its business models to broader platforms.


Japanese startup Paidy raises $120m in Series D round
Published: 06-04-2021 | 15:36:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Paidy Inc., Japan's "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) service provider, announced it completed the Series D round of funding, raising a total of $120 million.


Australian AI startup HIVERY partners with JR East Water Business to optimize vending machines in Japan
Published: 16-12-2020 | 15:52:24 | By: Pie Kamau
Retail AI pioneer, HIVERY and JR East Water Business, have agreed to rollout HIVERY Enhance, an AI-driven vending machine optimization solution, to 6,000 vending machines across East Japan Railway's train stations.


Plug and Play Japan selects 103 startups for its Winter/Spring 2021 Batch accelerator program
Published: 03-12-2020 | 14:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Plug and Play Japan has selected 103 startups in IoT, Fintech, Insurtech, Mobility, Brand & Retail, Hardtech & Health, and newly launched vertical, Smart Cities, for the Winter/Spring 2021 Batch accelerator program.


Toyoda Gosei Invests in Tohoku University startup Ball Wave
Published: 01-12-2020 | 13:47:49 | By: Bob Koigi
Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has invested in Ball Wave Inc., a startup from Tohoku University that develops practical applications of ball SAW sensors.


Equinix invests $55m to build its third data center in Osaka, Japan
Published: 25-11-2020 | 14:48:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Equinix, the world's digital infrastructure company, announced an initial investment of $55 million to build its third International Business Exchange (IBX) data center in Osaka, Japan.


Toyota AI Ventures invests in Canadian robotic kitchen startup YPC Technologies
Published: 21-10-2020 | 11:50:09 | By: Pie Kamau
Toyota AI Ventures, Toyota's early-stage venture capital fund, announced its investment in YPC Technologies, a robotic kitchen startup based in Montreal, Canada.


Alfa Bank, Plug and Play collaborate on innovation in Fintech
Published: 30-09-2020 | 14:39:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Along with 80 other financial institutions across the United States, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Milan, Paris, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo, Alfa Bank will join Plug and Play's global ecosystem.


Virtual reality startup Nanome partners with Fujitsu to bring drug design software to Japanese market
Published: 15-09-2020 | 08:28:00 | By: Pie Kamau
San Diego-based virtual reality (VR) startup Nanome, has entered into an agreement with Fujitsu to bring their signature product, an immersive scientific design and collaboration platform to the Japanese market.


Kenyan startup PayGo Energy announces strategic investment from Saisan
Published: 21-07-2020 | 15:25:00 | By: Pie Kamau
PayGo Energy, an Energy Access Ventures portfolio company, has secured a strategic investment from Saisan, a leading Japanese energy company.