Tag Resultaten

Published: 06-04-2018 16:44:00 | By: Nico Scherphuis | hits: 3825184 | 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.


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.


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.


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.


Indian e-Commerce startup LoveLocal raises $18m Pre-Series B investment round to accelerate growth
Published: 29-10-2021 | 16:33:00 | By: Pie Kamau
LoveLocal, India's hyper-local e-Commerce platform empowering local retailers, has raised $18 million in a Pre-Series B investment round.


Fintech startup Able raises $3.2m seed round to power the new creator economy
Published: 29-10-2021 | 16:21:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Able, the first income management platform designed for the new economy of independent workers has raised $3.29 million in seed funding led by Elefund with additional backing from Moonshots Capital.


P&G Ventures invites entries for its next Innovation Challenge
Published: 29-10-2021 | 16:05:09 | By: Pie Kamau
P&G Ventures, the early-stage startup studio within Procter & Gamble, announced the call for entries for its next Innovation Challenge.


Chinese SEI Robotics partners with Silicon Valley's Medtrics to bring telemedicine service to Android TV
Published: 29-10-2021 | 15:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
SEI Robotics, a global innovator of smart IOT devices & provider of Android TV platforms for Pay-TV operators (MVPD), announced its strategic partnership with Medtrics, the Silicon Valley startup, player of digital health service.


Spiceware startup selected as finalist of UK's Trade's Global Fintech Competition
Published: 29-10-2021 | 15:20:55 | By: Pie Kamau
Spiceware, a cloud-based data security company and a member of Born2Global Centre, was selected as the "Joint Winner" at the Global Fintech Competition 2021 hosted by the British Ministry of International Trade (DIT).


Nigerian Auto financing startup Autochek secures $13.1m seed funding to deepen West African footprint
Published: 28-10-2021 | 16:55:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Autochek, the Nigerian automotive startup which recently expanded to Kenya, has secured $13.1 million in seed funding.


South African e-Health startup RecoMed concludes $1.5m funding round to scale its online healthcare marketplace
Published: 28-10-2021 | 16:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
RecoMed, the online healthcare marketplace and booking platform in sub-Saharan Africa concluded a highly successful funding round of $1.5 million with a strong and diversified group of leading local and international investors.


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.


Biotech startup Shiru closes $17m Series A to develop novel plant-based food ingredients
Published: 28-10-2021 | 09:32:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Shiru, a biotech startup that identifies and creates novel plant-based ingredients for the global food industry, closed a $17 million Series A round led by S2G Ventures and joined by returning investors Lux Capital, CPT Capital, Y Combinator, and Emles Venture Partners.


Chinese autonomous driving startup WeRide releases next-gen small, lightweight Sensor Suite 4.0
Published: 28-10-2021 | 09:15:00 | By: Pie Kamau
WeRide, a Chinese L4 autonomous driving company released WeRide Sensor Suite 4.0 (Suite 4.0), marking another key step towards the mass production of self-driving vehicles.


Abacus.AI startup raises $50m Series C funding, releases Computer Vision as a Service
Published: 28-10-2021 | 09:05:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Abacus.AI startup announced $50 million Series C funding from Tiger Global, Coatue, Index Ventures, and Alkeon. As part of this release, the company also announced support for Computer Vision use-cases.


London-based scale-up Wazoku acquires Colombian open innovation crowd Channge
Published: 28-10-2021 | 08:37:03 | By: Pie Kamau
London-based Innovation scale-up Wazoku has continued its global expansion and extended its reach into Latin America with the acquisition of Colombian open innovation crowd Channge.


Female-founded winery startup BOXT raises $9.35m to expand luxury brand of fine wine offerings
Published: 28-10-2021 | 08:13:00 | By: Pie Kamau
BOXT, the female-founded, direct-to-consumer winery, announced it has raised $9.35 million in equity and debt funding to drive the continued expansion of its luxury brand of fine wine offerings.


JAY-Z's VC firm Marcy Venture Partners invests in Iddris Sandu's impact-driven tech incubator, spatial LABS
Published: 26-10-2021 | 11:43:00 | By: Pie Kamau
JAY-Z's venture capital firm Marcy Venture Partners (MVP) has invested in 24 year-old technologist Iddris Sandu's impact-driven tech incubator: spatial LABS (sLABS).


Chinese startup MioTech raises additional financing to develop sustainability innovations that support net-zero global economy
Published: 26-10-2021 | 11:22:07 | By: Pie Kamau
MioTech announced it has secured investments to further its commitment to develop sustainability innovations that support a net-zero global economy.


Asymmetric Capital Partners launches $105m debut fund to invest in B2B startups
Published: 26-10-2021 | 10:50:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Asymmetric Capital Partners (Asymmetric), a new venture capital firm helmed by Rob Biederman, Co-founder, Chairman, and former co-CEO of Catalant Technologies, announced the close of its oversubscribed first fund at $105 million.


Seed-stage VC firm Cove Fund announces $30m third venture fund to invest in Southern California ecosystem
Published: 26-10-2021 | 09:28:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Cove Fund, a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests in the Southern California startup economy, announced the launch of its third fund, Cove Fund III.


Indian education infrastructure startup Teachmint raises $78m Series B round to accelerate growth
Published: 26-10-2021 | 07:48:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Teachmint, the education infrastructure startup and the creator of India's largest teaching platform, raised $78 million in Series B round led by Rocketship.vc and Vulcan Capital.


Pan-African fintech startup Payday joins Techstars Toronto Accelerator program
Published: 22-10-2021 | 14:34:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Payday, a Pan-African fintech startup announced it has joined Techstars Toronto Accelerator program.


Israeli mobile app startup Bites raises $5m seed funding for next-gen employee-communications and training application
Published: 22-10-2021 | 14:17:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Bites, a game-changing player in the employee communications and training industry, announced the completion of its seed funding round, raising $5 million.


SaaS startup ProfitWheel secures $3m investment
Published: 22-10-2021 | 14:00:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Following close on the heels of its US operations launch in September 2021, SaaS startup ProfitWheel announced securing a total capital raise of $3 million.


Healthtech startup Medicardia closes $3m post seed round to accelerate growth
Published: 22-10-2021 | 13:35:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Medicardia Health announced it has raised $3 million in its first major financing round. Founded in 2020, the company was initially bootstrapped by CEO and Founder Indrajit Choudhuri and associates, and was provided seed capital by angel investor Jeff Rusinow.


Basel-based DayOne Accelerator launches call for digital health startups
Published: 22-10-2021 | 13:19:00 | By: Pie Kamau
DayOne, the healthcare innovation initiative based in Switzerland, announced the extended deadline for the global call for its digital health accelerator to Friday, 5 November 2021.


MFS Africa signs agreement to acquire Nigerian fintech startup Baxi
Published: 22-10-2021 | 13:05:27 | By: Pie Kamau
Pan-African digital payments hub MFS Africa signed an agreement to acquire Baxi, one of Nigeria's super-agent networks. The deal, which is subject to approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria, will be the second highest fintech acquisition in Nigeria to date.


Nigerian fintech startup Brass secures $1.7m financing round
Published: 22-10-2021 | 12:57:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Brass, a Nigerian digital bank delivering easy access to affordable premium banking services for SMEs, secured $1.7 million in funding to address the heavily underserved banking needs of local entrepreneurs, traders, and fast-growing businesses.


London-based AI startup Humanising Autonomy raises $11m Series A funding to change how machines understand people globally
Published: 21-10-2021 | 14:10:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Humanising Autonomy, a behaviour AI company using modular, low-power computer vision technology to ethically understand and predict human behaviour raised an $11 million Series A funding round.


South Korean startup Humelo receives $2.6m pre-series A funding for AI voice synthesis solution
Published: 21-10-2021 | 13:42:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Humelo, a South Korean startup that specializes in AI-based voice synthesis solutions and a member of Born2Global Centre, recently received a pre-series A investment of $2.6 million (KRW 3 billion) from KT Investment and Kakao Investment.


Texas-based fintech startup CollateralEdge emerges from stealth with an oversubscribed $3.5m seed round
Published: 21-10-2021 | 13:24:00 | By: Pie Kamau
CollateralEdge, a Texas-based fintech company providing banks with a risk-mitigation tool to efficiently increase lending capacity without compromising credit quality, emerges from stealth mode with an oversubscribed $3.5 million seed round.


North Carolina's SAS and Pappas Capital partner to propel agritech startups with analytics
Published: 21-10-2021 | 13:04:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Two North Carolina companies, analytics leader SAS and venture investment firm Pappas Capital, are joining forces to help advance the state as a global leader in agricultural technology.


Chinese autonomous driving startup WeRide named "AutoTech Startup of the Year" in 2021 AutoTech Breakthrough Awards Program
Published: 21-10-2021 | 12:49:00 | By: Pie Kamau
WeRide, a world autonomous driving company, has been named "AutoTech Startup of the Year" in the annual AutoTech Breakthrough Awards conducted by market intelligence organization AutoTech Breakthrough.


Slovenian healthtech startup MESI selected to join Google for Startups Accelerator, Europe
Published: 20-10-2021 | 15:57:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Slovenian healthtech startup MESI has been selected to join the Google for Startups Accelerator, Europe. The current three-month Google Accelerator programme brings together 15 of the most promising European tech startups in healthcare and well-being.


Tech-enabled PR startup Press Hook secures $1.5m funding to accelerate growth
Published: 20-10-2021 | 15:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Press Hook, a Brooklyn based, tech-enabled, public relations platform, announced $1.5 million in venture-funding after a successful year of growth, led by Emergent Ventures, The Fund and TnT Ventures.


Subscription Management startup Chargebee partners with Worldline to improve customer engagement and retention
Published: 20-10-2021 | 15:28:51 | By: Pie Kamau
Worldline and Chargebee announced collaboration to provide an end-to-end payment, subscription and revenue operations solution for merchants operating in a subscription model.


Nortal acquires minority stake in cybersecurity startup Talgen
Published: 20-10-2021 | 15:19:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Digital transformation company Nortal has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire minority stake in the cybersecurity startup Talgen to bolster cybersecurity capabilities and unlock new opportunities in Europe, North America, and the GCC countries.


Israeli deep learning development startup Deci raises $21m to accelerate commercial growth
Published: 20-10-2021 | 15:03:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Deci, the deep learning development company that helps enterprises build, optimize, and deploy AI to production, announced it has raised a $21 million Series A round led by New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners.


[Startup Interview] Adedokun Muhammed-Ali Adedeji, Founder, Brightcloud Automobile, Nigeria
Published: 20-10-2021 | 11:34:20 | By: Bob Koigi
Adedokun Muhammed-Ali Adedeji is a Nigerian innovator, entrepreneur and logistics manager. A green mobility advocate, Adedokun is the founder of Brightcloud Automotive.


Israeli bio-convergence startup X-trodes completes $4.5m seed round to improve quality of life, reduce hospital workload
Published: 19-10-2021 | 09:24:00 | By: Pie Kamau
X-trodes, a bio-convergence company that developed wearable technology for advanced electrophysiological measurement and analytics, has raised a $4.5 million seed round to improve the quality of life and reduce hospital workload


Indian edtech startup ConveGenius raises $5m pre Series A funding to accelerate growth
Published: 19-10-2021 | 09:04:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Indian edtech startup ConveGenius AI has raised $5 million in Venture Capital funding to grow its conversational AI platform in India and South-East Asian markets.


Berlin-based on-demand delivery startup Gorillas secures close to $1b Series C funding, the largest European round in its sector to date
Published: 19-10-2021 | 08:45:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Gorillas, the European market player in instant on-demand grocery delivery, has successfully raised close to $1 billion in Series C funding round, being the largest funding of a non-listed business Europe's grocery delivery sector has seen to date.


Nigerian e-Commerce startup Sendbox raises $1.8m to digitize deliveries for African SMEs
Published: 19-10-2021 | 08:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigerian e-Commerce fulfillment startup Sendbox announced the completion of $1.8 million seed round from investors including 4DX Ventures, Enza Capital, FJLabs and Golden Palm Investments.


Google selects nine Kenyan startups to receive equity-free funding via its Africa Investment Fund
Published: 19-10-2021 | 07:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
During its very first “Google for Africa” event held early this month, Google announced it will be investing up to $50 million in African early- and growth-stage startups via its Africa Investment Fund.


Paris-based music experience startup Stage11 raises €5m seed round to reimagine music for the metaverse
Published: 15-10-2021 | 12:29:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Immersive music experience startup Stage11 announced it has raised a €5 million euro seed round led by Otium Capital, a European venture capital fund, backed up by founder and CEO, Jonathan Belolo.


Canadian energy startup Pani secures $8m to scale up AI solution to improve water and energy efficiency in water treatment facilities
Published: 15-10-2021 | 12:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Pani, a Canadian software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, announced the completion of an oversubscribed $8 million CAD capital raise.


Insurance startup Branch partners with SimpliSafe to offer proactive protection, affordable home ssecurity to its members
Published: 15-10-2021 | 11:43:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Branch, the startup that pioneered instantly-bundled home and auto insurance, announced a partnership with SimpliSafe, maker of security systems, to offer its members significant discounts on their home insurance.


Global early-stage venture capital firm Antler raises over $300m, expands investment focus to Series C
Published: 15-10-2021 | 11:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Global early-stage venture capital firm Antler announced it has closed over $300m to date, allowing it an opportunity to provide continued support to its companies in subsequent funding rounds.


Google to invest $50m equity-based fund in African startups
Published: 15-10-2021 | 10:57:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Tech giant Google announced it plans to invest up to $50 million in African early- and growth-stage startups via its Africa Investment Fund.


Pan-African fintech startup Carbon partners with Network International to boost digital payment offering
Published: 15-10-2021 | 10:46:07 | By: Pie Kamau
Pan-African fintech startup and digital bank Carbon Bank has partnered with Network International, an enabler of digital commerce across Africa and the Middle East, as part of its plan to boost its digital payment offering.


African fintech startup Payday raises $1m pre-seed to build Africa’s PayPal
Published: 15-10-2021 | 10:38:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Payday, a Pan-African financial technology company has raised one million dollars to build out what they believe will be the “PayPal” for Africa.


[Startup Interview] Femi Apesin, OnePipe Growth & Marketing Lead, Nigeria
Published: 08-10-2021 | 14:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Femi Apesin is the Head of Growth and Marketing at OnePipe, a Nigerian startup that has raised almost US$1 million in a pre-seed round with a plan to make API integration seamless for banks and fintech companies.


Berlin-based startup Made of Air raises €5m seed round to make thermoplastics for Audi, H&M Group and other companies
Published: 08-10-2021 | 13:54:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Made of Air, the carbon negative materials startup that turns wood waste into thermoplastics, announced a €5 million in seed funding, led by Norwegian sustainability-focused family fund.


Israeli startup RepAir Carbon closes $1.5m seed round to develop cell for modular Direct Air Capture
Published: 08-10-2021 | 13:37:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Israeli startup RepAir Carbon closed a $1.5m seed round to develop cell for modular Direct Air Capture inspired by fuel cell technology. The seed funding will allow the RepAir team to refine the company's existing prototype cell.


Singapore gaming startup OP Games raises $8.6m to bridge game developers to Web 3.0
Published: 08-10-2021 | 13:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
OP Games, a startup that enables game developers to monetize their work using Web 3.0, raised $8.6 million of seed funding.


APX Platform announces oversubscribed seed round investments by 20% within 60 days
Published: 08-10-2021 | 13:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
APX Platform, the aesthetic industry's only cloud-based, business intelligence, training, educational and data analytics platform for aesthetic practices, has oversubscribed its seed round investments by 20 percent within 60 days.


Singapore cybersecurity startup BitTrap develops detection technology to address surge in cyberattacks
Published: 07-10-2021 | 13:52:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Singapore cybersecurity startup BitTrap announced a blockchain-based cybersecurity solution that leverages attackers' motivations to provide singular detection capabilities.


MXP Ventures announces $10m venture capital fund to propel next-gen of agency startups
Published: 07-10-2021 | 13:43:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Global incubator MXP Ventures announced the establishment of a $10 million venture fund to invest in new agency startups globally. The fund will focus on building and rapidly scaling new agencies across the marketing services spectrum.


French real-time engagement startup Sparkup expands in the Middle East
Published: 07-10-2021 | 12:59:47 | By: Pie Kamau
Sparkup, a French startup specializing in real-time engagement solutions, has chosen to expand in the Middle East and will introduce its latest innovations at GITEX and CABSAT in Dubai.


South Korean startup Aniai to participate in Microsoft for Startups Global Grand Final program
Published: 07-10-2021 | 12:25:31 | By: Pie Kamau
Korean startup Aniai, a member of Born2Global Centre, got selected as one of the 10 companies that will participate in Microsoft for Startups. Aniai has developed a labor solution for quick service restaurants by building a robotic kitchen.


Start-Up Nation Central signs MoU with TiE to boost technological innovation of Israeli and Indian startups
Published: 07-10-2021 | 11:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Israeli not-for-profit Start-Up Nation Central signed a Memorandum of Understanding with TiE to achieve full implementation of sustainable Israeli and Indian technologies in the foodtech sector.


Westchester Angels announces first exit opportunity, parlays early fintech investment into major win
Published: 06-10-2021 | 14:46:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Investment group Westchester Angels announced its first exit opportunity, providing significant returns to a group of local investors and highlighting their intuition for spotting growth opportunities.


PHYTunes startup closes $1.5m seed round to develop solution for full 5G inside residential, commercial buildings
Published: 06-10-2021 | 14:32:00 | By: Pie Kamau
PHYTunes, a player in 5G at the Edge and wireless-wireline convergence, announced it has close its seed round of $1.5 million with investors Deutsche Telekom´s hub:raum.


Rendered.ai startup raises $6m to expand developer framework for synthetic data
Published: 06-10-2021 | 14:14:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Rendered.ai announced the closing of a $6 million seed round to expand staffing and operations to scale up the Rendered.ai Platform as a Service that supports data scientists, engineers, and business innovators.


Dalan Animal Health startup raises $1.9m seed funding for development of a breakthrough honeybee vaccine
Published: 06-10-2021 | 14:03:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Dalan Animal Health, Inc., a biotech company developing vaccines for new age production animals, announced it has closed funding for a $1.9 million seed round.


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).


Hopscotch emerges out of stealth with $3.6m seed funding
Published: 05-10-2021 | 16:52:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Hopscotch, the platform bringing a consumer-like experience to B2B payments, today announced its emergence from stealth with $3.6 million in seed funding led by NOEMIS Ventures and Stellation Capital.


Chargebee startup adds revenue recognition capabilities to solve complex finance challenges for SaaS, subscription-based businesses
Published: 05-10-2021 | 16:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Subscription Management startup Chargebee announced its acquisition of revenue recognition platform RevLock to expand the company's product offerings.


European startup CircuitMess partners with Warner Brothers Consumer Products to launch STEM-based autonomous Batmobile
Published: 05-10-2021 | 16:30:26 | By: Pie Kamau
CircuitMess announced its licensing deal with Warner Brothers and its Kickstarter campaign for the CircuitMess Batmobile, designed to teach children seven and up about engineering and autonomous driving.


Insurtech startup VOOM raises $15m to provide usage-based insurance to underserved mobility segments
Published: 05-10-2021 | 16:17:00 | By: Pie Kamau
VOOM, creators of innovative insurance products for underserved mobility segments, announced $15 million in funding to expand its usage-based insurance model to additional mobility verticals.


Global Alts launches Unicorn Technology Fund II to provide investors access to private companies, create technological innovations for the future
Published: 01-10-2021 | 12:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Global Alts announced the launch of Unicorn Technology Fund II, to acquire a portfolio of late stage, venture-backed technology companies.


Frame Fitness startup raises $5m seed round to launch at-home digitally-connected pilates reformer
Published: 01-10-2021 | 11:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Frame Fitness was met with immediate interest from pioneers in the fitness industry and closed a $5 million seed financing round with substantial oversubscription, to launch first at-home digitally-connected pilates reformer.


UK-based music distribution startup Blarecast Systems closes seed round to harness the power of BSV blockchain
Published: 01-10-2021 | 11:20:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Blarecast Systems, the UK-based startup aiming to provide an elegant and equitable solution for the music industry with BSV blockchain technology, has closed a seed funding round.


German constructiontech startup Schüttflix raises $50m in additional financing, prepares to go international
Published: 01-10-2021 | 10:59:00 | By: Pie Kamau
After delivering more than 100,000 shipments in Germany, constructiontech startup Schüttflix announced it has raised $50 million of additional capital.


Silicon Valley-based VC firm BGV raises $110m to focus on Enterprise AI and cross-border investments
Published: 01-10-2021 | 10:45:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Silicon Valley-based venture capital (VC) firm Benhamou Global Ventures (BGV), which invests in Enterprise 4.0 companies globally, announced its fourth fund, closing at $110 million, 60% larger than its third fund.


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.