Tag Resultaten

Published: 06-04-2018 16:44:00 | By: Nico Scherphuis | hits: 3787647 | Tags:

San Francisco, London among most developed venture capital cities in the world, report
Published: 23-04-2024 | 17:25:53 | By: Bob Koigi
This dashboard leverages PitchBook data and PitchBook Institutional Research Group methodology to provide a consistently updated ranking system for the size, maturity, and growth rates of the VC ecosystem in leading cities around the world.


Global co-working spaces market to reach $48.1 billion by 2030, study
Published: 23-04-2024 | 17:23:55 | By: Bob Koigi
The global market for coworking spaces is experiencing rapid growth, driven by the evolving dynamics of today's workforce, technological advancements, and shifts toward more agile work cultures.






[Kenya] Livestock sector players review investment opportunities, challenges in unique forum
Published: 01-03-2024 | 13:15:00 | By: Bob Koigi
With the demand for livestock products projected to grow by up to 50% by 2030, there’s a clear opportunity for strategic investments to drive growth and innovation in the sector.


Rwandan female researchers selected for food systems policy fellowship
Published: 21-02-2024 | 08:30:00 | By: Bob Koigi
The AWARD Policy Fellowship is cultivating a growing pool of African women in the policy field to catalyze the design and implementation of gender-responsive agricultural policies across Africa.




Kenya startups raised the highest amount of funding in Africa in 2023, report
Published: 11-01-2024 | 16:27:44 | By: Bob Koigi
For some time now, Nigeria has always received the biggest share of startup investments, however, in 2023, Kenya overtook the West African country, gaining the highest amount of tech funds on the continent. 




Investor-founder disconnect poses major threat to African tech funding
Published: 11-09-2023 | 11:39:00 | By: Pie Kamau
African tech investors will not invest follow-on funding in a startup failing to provide regular reporting updates.


Generative AI has become an emerging risk for enterprises, Gartner survey
Published: 14-08-2023 | 15:33:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The availability of generative AI became a top concern for enterprise risk executives.


Closing the capital gap on impact investment in Africa, report
Published: 08-08-2023 | 11:35:00 | By: Pie Kamau
African fund managers face unique obstacles that impede their access to capital for social impact.


German healthcare investor SHS Capital acquires majority stake in CAM Bioceramics
Published: 07-07-2023 | 15:56:00 | By: Pie Kamau
German healthcare specialist SHS Capital is investing in CAM Bioceramics to fuel growth


New PitchBook survey finds majority of venture capitalists have invested in AI
Published: 03-07-2023 | 11:47:00 | By: Pie Kamau
PitchBook has released findings from a new survey in partnership with Collision.


Africa among top 3 regions prone to mobile financial scam, report
Published: 12-06-2023 | 14:58:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Throughout 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, 14% of installs of potentially unwanted mobile financial apps on Android phones were made.


7 in 10 UK tech workers consider hybrid working a key factor when considering a future employer, report
Published: 17-05-2023 | 12:47:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Techspace has released The Scaleup Culture Report, a national report diving into the current state of workplace culture across the UK tech industry.


French EV startup Driveco raises $250m to become a European leader in EV charging infrastructure
Published: 12-05-2023 | 14:48:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Driveco, the innovative French electric vehicle charging startup, announced a €250 million fundraising round from Dutch pension fund manager APG.


Dairy Runway program launches to provide education and support for early-stage dairy innovators
Published: 10-05-2023 | 15:09:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Cornell University's Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA) and the Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center have launched the Dairy Runway program, an entrepreneurship curriculum for dairy innovators.


GRASP fellowship invests in African women researchers
Published: 06-04-2023 | 12:15:00 | By: Bob Koigi
The Kenyan women, and others selected for the GRASP Fellowship, are set to participate in a series of interventions, including leadership and mentoring training, designed to enable them to become more effective policy practitioners


Fertility treatments aren't just for the 1%, Sunfish
Published: 28-03-2023 | 11:23:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Sunfish, a fintech company founded last year, aims to make fertility treatments more accessible and has recently designed a new product to help reduce the cost of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).


5 innovation metrics (KPIs) every CEO should care about, Plug and Play
Published: 08-03-2023 | 12:27:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Are your innovative strategies paying off? As a CEO, innovating is part of the job description - but do you know if it's actually making a difference in your company? It’s time to get down to data-driven business.


Mexican TV audiences back AI dubbing over subtitles, report
Published: 07-03-2023 | 11:59:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The world's biggest entertainment distributors could win over millions of TV viewers currently swerving non-domestic content by deploying AI dubbing, new research suggests.


To stay competitive, startups must combat gender diversity debt, study
Published: 17-02-2023 | 10:25:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Entrepreneurship is booming, but women are underrepresented among its founders, investors and employees. A recent study investigates entrepreneurship's gender "diversity debt," a demographic disparity that can be difficult and costly to remedy.


[Interview] Seyi J. Matanmi, Founder, Hosteet, Nigeria
Published: 13-02-2023 | 11:21:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Seyi J. Matanmi is a technology product developer and entrepreneur. Educated in software development, research and analytics, he currently leads the cloud services outfit, Hosteet, operating out of Lagos, Nigeria.


Startup Genome partners with Endeavor to research the Detroit region's entrepreneurial ecosystem
Published: 31-01-2023 | 09:51:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Startup Genome and Endeavor are working together to study and support the Detroit region's entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem development.


Michigan State University biotech startup Iaso Therapeutics closes $1.25m equity series seed preferred financing
Published: 26-01-2023 | 13:02:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Iaso Therapeutics closed the first tranche of the company's $1.25 million series seed preferred round of financing.


African tech ecosystem raised $6.5 billion in 2022, report
Published: 25-01-2023 | 12:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Partech Africa, the VC fund dedicated to technology startups in Africa, has issued its annual report on Africa Tech Venture Capital, which reveals that despite the global VC downturn, the African tech ecosystem grew faster than all other markets globally. 


5 key insurance industry trends in EMEA region according to Plug and Play
Published: 23-01-2023 | 13:50:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Insurance industry trends over the past year have been significant, especially across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region.


YouBiz research reveals key trends and challenges facing Southeast Asian SMEs in 2023
Published: 19-01-2023 | 11:00:00 | By: Pie Kamau
YouBiz, the SME spend management platform by YouTrip, launched its first whitepaper studying emerging business spending trends and key business priorities for SME in 2023.


Innovation scale-up Wazoku launches Mindpool SME to help small businesses capture employee insights
Published: 19-01-2023 | 10:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Innovation scale-up Wazoku announced it has launched Mindpool SME, an employee insights dashboard that makes it simpler & faster for SMEs to listen to, understand, and act on employee insights.


Healthcare venture capital fundraising and investment remained strong in 2022, SVB reports
Published: 11-01-2023 | 11:42:00 | By: Pie Kamau
SVB released its 12th annual Healthcare Investments and Exits Report which shows venture capital fundraising and investment persisted in 2022.


For women entrepreneurs, the West is the new promised land, report
Published: 04-01-2023 | 16:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
America's original Westward Expansion was led by entrepreneurs of the day noticing great economic opportunities out of the West. A study by MerchantMaverick.com shows that a new slew of opportunities are appearing in Western states for women entrepreneurs.


AWARD selects 50 African women for fellowship on improving policy in the agri-food systems
Published: 30-11-2022 | 14:00:00 | By: Bob Koigi
Inspired by the flagship AWARD Fellowship Model, the Gender Responsive Agriculture Systems Policy (GRASP) Fellowship, aims to grow a pool of confident and capable African women to lead policy changes to improve African smallholders’ livelihoods.


New Adevinta Ventures report reveals that B2B Marketplaces outperform other tech segments in VC funding
Published: 25-11-2022 | 09:19:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Adevinta Ventures, the early-stage investment arm of Adevinta, an online classifieds specialist, is launching a new B2B marketplaces report.


[Column] Natalia Ahmadian: Four ways to accelerate tech transfer in Europe
Published: 23-11-2022 | 10:27:41 | By: Pie Kamau
The importance of university spin-offs has been recognized for decades. Several studies showed that Tech Transfer is beneficial for social welfare and entrepreneurial activity


Fintech emerging as Africa’s most vibrant sector, study
Published: 28-10-2022 | 13:42:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Fintech startups in Africa grew 81% in 2021, with South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya emerging as key hubs on the continent, found a Mastercard study on the state of fintech in African markets.


Meet female scientists who develop cellular and gene therapies in China, Jiang and Zhang
Published: 27-10-2022 | 12:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Inside Namtai Inno Park in Guangming District hides a low-profile biomedical development firm; Shenzhen Wingor Biotechnology company.


Novo Seeds portfolio company NMD Pharma reports positive top-line Phase I/IIa data in myasthenia gravis
Published: 11-10-2022 | 12:46:12 | By: Pie Kamau
Novo Holdings announced that its portfolio company NMD Pharma, reported positive top-line results from a Phase I/IIa clinical trial for its lead asset, NMD670.


London-based Pheon Therapeutics launches with $68m financing to advance novel ADC for treatment of solid tumors
Published: 28-09-2022 | 10:49:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Pheon Therapeutics (Pheon), an ADC specialist developing next generation ADCs for a wide range of hard-to-treat cancers has launched, following the closing of a $68 million Series A financing.


French biotech startup Tridek-One closes €16m to develop first-in-class immune checkpoint agonists
Published: 16-09-2022 | 12:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Tridek-One, a Paris-based biotech startup specialized in the research and development of CD31 agonists to restore the immune balance, announced it has closed a €16 million financing round led by the Swiss VC Pureos Bioventures.


Finnish biotech startup Onego Bio secures €4.5m additional funding to accelerate Research & Development
Published: 12-09-2022 | 11:57:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Business Finland, a public organization under the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy, has awarded a grant of additional €4.5 million for Onego Bio's research and development work.


BioInnovation Institute announces new cohort of companies entering the Venture Lab program
Published: 07-09-2022 | 12:43:00 | By: Pie Kamau
BioInnovation Institute (BII), an international commercial non-profit foundation incubating and accelerating world-class life science research, announced the latest cohort of participants in its Venture Lab acceleration program for early-stage startups.


Early-stage startups don't stand to benefit from Inflation Reduction Act, Kruze Consulting
Published: 22-08-2022 | 13:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 doubles the R&D Tax Credit from $250,000 to $500,000, a popular tax credit used by unprofitable startups. However, an analysis by Kruze Consulting shows that the earliest-stage startups will likely not benefit from this increased credit.


Immigrants have started more than half of America's billion-dollar startup companies, study
Published: 27-07-2022 | 16:37:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Immigrants have started more than half (319 of 582, or 55%) of America's startup companies valued at $1 billion or more, according to a new study from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), a nonpartisan research organization.


Alien Invasive Fruit Flies project comes to the rescue of Southern Africa mango farmers
Published: 20-06-2022 | 10:45:00 | By: Bob Koigi
In a bid to tame the voracious flies, the Alien Invasive Fruit Flies project in Southern Africa has come up with five technologies as part of an integrated pest management (IPM) package.


[Interview] Michelle Matthews, Director, Viridian, South Africa
Published: 14-06-2022 | 17:14:50 | By: Bob Koigi
Following the rising levels of unemployment among young South Africans, the UK-South Africa Tech Hub Launch League initiative undertook a research project.


African tech startup funding will double by 2025, research
Published: 14-06-2022 | 15:18:00 | By: Bob Koigi
African business leaders are forecasting a surge in spending on tech start-ups as foreign direct investment and improved internet connectivity helps establish the continent as a tech superpower, new research for blockchain-based mobile network operator World Mobile shows.


Birmingham-based startup Astound raises $1m seed round to improve university access to corporate-sponsored research funding
Published: 01-06-2022 | 09:56:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Astound, a Birmingham-based startup, secured $1 million in seed funding to develop the first marketplace to allow research institutions and universities to easily find corporate sponsors.


Biotech startup Transine Therapeutics closes £13.7m seed round to accelerate its platform and portfolio development
Published: 31-05-2022 | 12:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Transine Therapeutics (Transine), a biotechnology company, announced it has successfully raised £4.6 million in additional seed funding.


Breakthrough Properties raises $3b to develop next-gen life science ecosystems
Published: 03-05-2022 | 16:46:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Breakthrough Properties, a joint venture of Tishman Speyer and Bellco Capital, announced the final closings for the Breakthrough Life Science Property Fund.


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.


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.


What Africa requires to attain sustainable and effective food systems
Published: 07-04-2022 | 11:00:00 | By: Bob Koigi
A variety of factors constrain those who are reliant on farming for their livelihoods – particularly smallholders, including women and youth – from stepping up or stepping in to agriculture.


Swiss edtech startup Alphacruncher raises €1.45m for global rollout of research cloud workspace product
Published: 16-03-2022 | 13:36:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Swiss edtech startup Alphacruncher has raised €1.45 million funding from Austrian venture capital firm Alpine Equity, NGM, private investors and existing users, to enable the global rollout of its education and research cloud workspace product, Nuvolos.


Achieving inclusive cocoa and palm oil commercialization in West Africa
Published: 11-02-2022 | 11:30:00 | By: Bob Koigi
Abugre also noted that questions remain with regards to the future of cocoa production given global price trends, climate change, farmers stepping into the sector, and income distribution effects at the local level.


Israel tech startups raised $25.4 billion in 2021, report
Published: 03-01-2022 | 09:54:13 | By: Bob Koigi
The unprecedented figure represents a 136% increase over last year, which concluded with a full-year total of $10.8 billion raised.


African scientists make a case for home grown research on continent’s food systems
Published: 24-12-2021 | 12:00:00 | By: Bob Koigi
A storytelling event organized by African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), saw four accomplished African researchers working on agriculture and food security share their personal journeys in agricultural research, and discuss how they are working to transform farming on the continent.


Nigeria tech startups raised $1.7billion in 2021, report
Published: 20-12-2021 | 14:38:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Since the beginning of 2021, Africa-based tech startups have raised more than $2.9 billion with Nigerian startups which are creating new products, services, and platforms raising $1.7 billion of this total or about 60% of it, a new report has found.


The University of Nairobi and Elgon Kenya to develop agriculture technology and innovation centre
Published: 17-12-2021 | 17:40:11 | By: Bob Koigi
The agriculture sector in Kenya has received a major boost following a partnership between two leading institutions to set up a technology and innovation centre, the first of its kind in East Africa.


Netherlands emerging as 'Hottest Tech Hub' in Europe, not reaching its full potential yet, report
Published: 07-12-2021 | 15:31:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Atomico, an international investment firm that focuses on helping disruptive technology companies scale globally, announced that the Netherlands is emerging as Europe's hottest tech hub.


Agritech startup FarmSense receives $2.2m SBIR funding for development of biosecurity measures against native and invasive pests
Published: 24-11-2021 | 08:27:00 | By: Pie Kamau
FarmSense, the agritech startup and creator of Smart Flight Sensors, announced it has been awarded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funds in the amount of more than $2.2 million.


Retail media research startup Future Commerce announces launch of weekly podcast
Published: 20-11-2021 | 12:00:56 | By: Bob Koigi
Infinite Shelf recognizes that digital media and eCommerce tactics and strategies are no longer confined to traditional eCommerce channels and direct-to-consumer.


Illumina and Sequoia Capital select first startups to join Genomics Incubator in China
Published: 18-11-2021 | 08:56:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Illumina and Sequoia Capital China, an investment firm, jointly announced the selection of the first two startup companies joining the Sequoia Capital China Intelligent Healthcare Genomics Incubator, Powered by Illumina.


Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH joins Variantyx's $26m Series C funding round
Published: 17-11-2021 | 12:20:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH, the corporate venture capital company of the Bosch Group, has completed an investment in Variantyx, to improve personalized oncology treatment.


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.


Biotech startup Elevian raises $40m Series A to advance treatments for stroke recovery and age-related diseases
Published: 17-09-2021 | 12:24:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Elevian, an emerging biotech company developing medicines that restore youthful regenerative capacity with the potential to treat and prevent multiple age-related diseases, announced it raised $40 million in an oversubscribed Series A round led by Prime Movers Lab.


ITRI partners with Arm to provide resources for innovative IC design startups in Taiwan
Published: 15-09-2021 | 16:49:37 | By: Pie Kamau
To promote Taiwanese local IC design startups, the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is supporting the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Arm, in providing critical resources.


Israeli startup Quantum Machines raises $50m to make quantum computers ubiquitous and disruptive across all industries
Published: 07-09-2021 | 15:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Tel Aviv based startup Quantum Machines, creator of the Quantum Orchestration Platform, announced it has secured $50 million in Series B funding to expand its growth into quantum cloud computing and drive its worldwide distribution.


CB Insights launches algorithm to score the quality of startup's founding and management team
Published: 02-09-2021 | 13:05:15 | By: Pie Kamau
CB Insights, which enables world's leading companies to make smarter technology decisions, announced Management Mosaic, the first-ever algorithm to demystify the quality of a startup's founding and management team.


Next-gen research platform Litmaps closes $125K seed-stage investment from Quidnet Ventures
Published: 02-09-2021 | 12:55:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Litmaps, a Science software company based in Wellington, New Zealand has received NZ$125,000 in funding from Quidnet Ventures, a New Zealand-based venture capital fund with operations in Auckland, NZ, San Francisco and New York.


Recreational vehicle startup RINDEV announces preorder reservations of its experience driven electric side by side
Published: 31-08-2021 | 14:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Recreational vehicle disruptor, RINDEV, announced the opening of preorder reservations for their exciting and futuristic electric side by side, designed to address issues of global warming and overall experience.


Insurtech startup Slope Software raises $2m to grow its actuarial modeling platform
Published: 31-08-2021 | 13:23:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Slope Software, the Atlanta insurtech startup that is modernizing actuarial modeling for insurers, announced a $2.0 million investment led by Tech Square Ventures, an early-stage investment firm.


Proptech startup Kocomo raises $56m to tackle cross-border co-ownership of luxury vacation properties
Published: 31-08-2021 | 13:15:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kocomo, a pre-seed stage proptech startup backed by U.S., European, and Latin American investors, has raised $56 million in debt and equity to tackle cross-border, co-ownership of luxury vacation properties.


Korean space tech startup CONTEC gears up to transform space technology
Published: 31-08-2021 | 13:00:00 | By: Pie Kamau
CONTEC, a Korean startup gearing up to transform the space sector, is working towards providing holistic solutions required for downstream data transmitted by satellites.


Kenyan retail tech startup MarketForce raises $100,000 funding from Harambeans Prosperity Fund
Published: 31-08-2021 | 12:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The Harambeans Prosperity Fund, a donor advised investment vehicle formed through the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance’s network of prominent families and corporations co-invested $100,000 in Y Combinator Harambean venture MarketForce.


South African fintech firm Ukheshe partners with dzcard to expand digital payment solutions in Asia Pacific
Published: 31-08-2021 | 12:35:47 | By: Pie Kamau
South Africa“s fintech startup Ukheshe which has been on a rapid expansion to different markets has announced a new partnership with global next-generation card solutions and digital security company, dzcard.


Autonomous vehicle insurtech startup Koop Technologies raises $2.5m seed round
Published: 24-08-2021 | 15:22:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Koop Technologies, an insurance technology startup specializing in autonomous vehicle and robotics risks announced its $2.5 million seed funding.


AI startup 3AI joins NVIDIA Inception program
Published: 24-08-2021 | 15:12:00 | By: Pie Kamau
AI startup 3AI announced it has joined NVIDIA Inception, an accelerator program designed to nurture startups revolutionizing industries with advancements in AI and data sciences.


Nigerian mobility startup Plentywaka raises $1.2m seed funding, acquires Ghana’s Stabus
Published: 24-08-2021 | 14:49:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigerian mobility startup Plentywaka raised $1.2 million seed round, after successfully ending the Techstars Toronto Accelerator Program in July 2021. The startup also announced it has fully acquired Ghana’s mobility startup Stabus.


Arab Bank launches its fintech accelerator program for startups in Egypt
Published: 24-08-2021 | 14:42:27 | By: Pie Kamau
Arab Bank launched its fintech-focused corporate accelerator program “AB Accelerator” in Egypt, following its successful launch in Jordan back in 2018.


South Korean medtech startup Speclipse attracts $7.7m in investments with its laser spectroscopic and AI medical diagnosis technology
Published: 20-08-2021 | 13:17:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Speclipse, a startup specializing in laser spectroscopic and AI-based medical diagnosis technologies and a member of Born2Global Centre, attracted $7.7 million in investments.


Venture capital firm Companyon raises $27.5m for second fund
Published: 20-08-2021 | 13:02:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Companyon Ventures, a venture capital firm leading investment rounds in post-seed, pre-Series A B2B software companies, announced the closing of its $27.5 million second fund midway through the second quarter.


Hiration startup raises $3m to offer its affordable, AI-powered resume-building platform to job seekers
Published: 20-08-2021 | 12:51:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Hiration, the platform that offers world class resources that makes it easy for qualified candidates to create the perfect resumes and find their dream role, announced it has raised $3 million in seed funding from Prime Venture Partners, Venture Highway and Y Combinator.


Healthtech startup bttn. raises $5m seed add-on to modernize medical supply market
Published: 20-08-2021 | 12:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Healthtech startup bttn. announced it has closed a $5 million add-on to its seed round led by FUSE. The funds will be used to expand bttn.'s technology, sales, and operations teams wherein it will further expand and refine the platform, foster additional partnerships.


Energy Distribution startup Fuel Me wins Plug And Play's Supply Chain and Logistics Program
Published: 20-08-2021 | 11:55:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Fuel Me, a cloud-based fuel and energy distributor, was selected from a competition with 100 participating companies, for Plug and Play's "Supply Chain and Logistics Program".


Hybrid gaming startup and broadcaster Live Play Mobile launches 24-hour-a-day live-hosted social casino game
Published: 19-08-2021 | 12:35:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Live Play Mobile, a new social gaming platform developer that combines live TV formats with mobile games, has become the first publisher to launch a 24-hour-a-day, live-hosted social casino game with its debut title, Live Play Bingo.


Prieto Battery startup raises $5.7m to accelerate development of solid-state advanced rechargeable batteries
Published: 19-08-2021 | 12:15:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Prieto Battery announced it has closed on the first tranche of its $5.7 million Series C Round financing. The investment will accelerate Prieto's development of its proprietary 3D solid-state rechargeable lithium-ion battery.


Startup venture AvenueAR launches first global music delivery platform
Published: 19-08-2021 | 12:04:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Startup music venture AvenueAR announced the launch of its digital music, a delivery platform where independent artists will have the unique opportunity to submit their music material directly to industry professionals.


Fintech startup Pngme raises $15m Series A funding to power the future of financial services in Africa
Published: 19-08-2021 | 11:46:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Fintech startup Pngme raised $15 million in Series A funding as the company sets out to grow its financial data infrastructure and machine learning-as-a-service platform for financial institutions and fintechs across sub-Saharan Africa.


Kenyan fintech startup Kwara selected for Mastercard Start Path program
Published: 19-08-2021 | 11:42:09 | By: Pie Kamau
Kenyan fintech startup Kwara is among the 11 startups that have been selected to join the Mastercard Start Path program.


Construction tech startup Buildforce closes $4m financing to sustain its revenue growth rate
Published: 17-08-2021 | 13:54:00 | By: Pie Kamau
On the heels of rapid growth, construction tech company Buildforce announced it closed a $4 million round led by TDF Ventures, alongside existing investor Mercury and Austin-based S3 Ventures.


End-to-end e-Commerce startup Cart.com raises $98m Series B to deliver integrated solutions for e-Commerce brands
Published: 17-08-2021 | 13:34:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Cart.com, the end-to-end e-Commerce services provider, announced the close of a $98 million Series B round, bringing the company's total funding since its launch eight months ago to more than $140 million.


Tel Aviv-based innovation hub Drive TLV to expand in the U.S. and Europe
Published: 17-08-2021 | 13:18:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Drive TLV, a unique innovation hub connecting high-tech Israeli startups with major corporate partners around the world, plans to begin working with U.S. and European startup companies next year.


Four Southern Africa’s innovative legal startups proceed to HiiL Justice Accelerator
Published: 17-08-2021 | 12:43:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL) has announced the four startups that will go on to the prestigious HiiL Justice Accelerator. The four innovators are part of a global cohort of 18 organisations who will receive €10 000 funding and business development support.


Ghanaian startup Plendify launches B2B e-Commerce marketplace
Published: 17-08-2021 | 12:29:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Ghanaian startup Plendify has launched a B2B e-Commerce marketplace to connect customers with small and large African wholesalers, manufacturers, exporters, and importers.


[Startup Interview] Dylan Pfeil, Co-Founder, Business Solutions Centre, South Africa
Published: 16-08-2021 | 13:15:00 | By: Bob Koigi
Business Solutions Centre is a South African-based telecommunication startup that has embraced a business model of providing a one-stop shop for all digital needs of clients.


Sports technology and gaming startup StatusPRO raises $5.2m seed round to accelerate growth
Published: 13-08-2021 | 15:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
StatusPRO, a sports technology and gaming company that combines player data, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to create a suite of training and gaming products, announced it has raised a $5.2 million seed round.


Mobility fintech startup Moove raises $23m Series A funding to democratize vehicle ownership in Africa
Published: 13-08-2021 | 14:29:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Moove, an African mobility fintech startup, announced it has raised $23 million in Series A funding, led by Speedinvest and Left Lane Capital.


Jiddu acquires CerraCap Ventures portfolio company Nirveda Cognition
Published: 13-08-2021 | 13:44:58 | By: Pie Kamau
CerraCap Ventures, a Global Venture Capital fund, announced acquisition of its portfolio company Nirveda Cognition by Jiddu Inc for an all-stock deal. The transaction is one of a slew of recent exits from CerraCap's investment fund.


11 fintech builders join Mastercard Start Path global network to scale innovation
Published: 13-08-2021 | 12:33:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Mastercard has opened door to startups around the world looking to grow platforms across open banking, predictive financial modeling for small businesses, smart rental payments and beyond.


End-to-end marketing startup Surfside raises $4m to build out its cannabis data activation platform
Published: 11-08-2021 | 14:42:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Surfside, the end-to-end marketing platform turning first party customer data into personalized marketing for the cannabis industry, announced it has raised $4 million in Seed funding.


Next-gen self-storage startup Stuf announces new locations in San Francisco and Oakland
Published: 11-08-2021 | 14:17:48 | By: Pie Kamau
Stuf, the next generation self-storage business that provides easy-to-access and "right next door" storage, announced two new locations in San Francisco and Oakland, California.


Digital Disrupt invests in AI-powered cosmetics startups to reinvent the future of beauty
Published: 11-08-2021 | 13:59:41 | By: Pie Kamau
Openface, a personalized AI-based cosmetics solution, raised $380K as Digital Disrupt VC club looks to pioneer data-driven beauty tech in Europe. Belgian fund Pitchdrive participated in the pre-seed round.


2Gether-International launches first tech cohort with support from Google for Startups
Published: 11-08-2021 | 13:44:03 | By: Pie Kamau
2Gether-International (2GI) announced a new and a first of its kind tech cohort exclusively focused on advancing opportunities for disabled entrepreneurs, with support from Google for Startups.


Tech startup Tetavi closes $20m venture round to increase its presence in North America
Published: 11-08-2021 | 13:28:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Tetavi, a volumetric technology platform, announced it has closed its latest venture round led by New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners, with participation from OurCrowd, Nimble Ventures and additional private investors.


Ecobank launches 2021 edition of its fintech challenge for African startups
Published: 11-08-2021 | 12:59:14 | By: Pie Kamau
The pan-African banking group, Ecobank group, is inviting African fintech entrepreneurs to join the 4th edition of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge.


Healthcare startup Kenshō Health raises $3.5m seed round to build the future of holistic medicine
Published: 10-08-2021 | 13:02:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kenshō Health, the first care navigation and provider discovery platform for holistic medicine, raised a $3.5 million Seed investment led by KB Partners, with participation from Company Ventures and Gaingels.


25 African female-founded tech startups selected to join CMM PR mentorship program
Published: 10-08-2021 | 12:35:50 | By: Pie Kamau
Twenty-five African female-founded tech startups have been selected for the second edition of The Future is Female Mentorship Program, a PR and communications mentorship program dedicated exclusively to African female tech founders.


New Zealand legaltech startup LawVu raises $17m Series A funding to expand its category leadership
Published: 10-08-2021 | 12:27:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Legaltech startup for in-house legal teams, LawVu, announced it has raised $17 million NZD in Series A funding led by New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners with support from Australian venture capital firm AirTree Ventures.


RentCheck startup raises $3.6m to automate rental property inspection process
Published: 10-08-2021 | 12:05:00 | By: Pie Kamau
After stealthily achieving product-market fit, RentCheck, world's first vision-based, automated property inspection platform, is ready to change the tenant-landlord dynamic. The company will take aim at the tenant "deposit deduction" problem.


Insurtech startup NEXT Insurance participates in Amazon Insurance Accelerator to provide access to affordable General Liability coverage
Published: 10-08-2021 | 11:47:00 | By: Pie Kamau
NEXT Insurance, the digital insurtech company transforming small business insurance, announced it is participating in Amazon Insurance Accelerator, providing Amazon sellers looking to buy insurance with instant quotes at competitive rates.


Naspers Foundry leads $8.3m Series A investment in South African insurtech startup Naked
Published: 06-08-2021 | 14:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Naspers, through its early-stage tech investment vehicle Naspers Foundry, invested $8.3 million (R120 million) in Naked, the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven insurtech startup that offers full digital insurance to cars, homes, and valuables.


John Deere acquires agritech startup Bear Flag Robotics to accelerate autonomous technology on the farm
Published: 06-08-2021 | 13:49:56 | By: Pie Kamau
Deere & Company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire agritech startup Bear Flag Robotics for $250 million. Founded in 2017, the Silicon Valley-based startup develops autonomous driving technology compatible with existing machines.


AEI partners with Boeing to expand early-stage investing at HorizonX Ventures
Published: 06-08-2021 | 13:16:41 | By: Pie Kamau
AE Industrial Partners, LP (AEI), announced a partnership with Boeing to manage and invest in HorizonX Ventures, Boeing's venture capital fund.


UK-based adtech startup Playrcart raises £1m as it prepares for growth
Published: 05-08-2021 | 14:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
UK-based startup Playrcart, the company that makes advertising assets instantly transactional, raised over £1 million in funding and added industry heavyweight Peter Scott as Chairman.


Korean drone startup PABLO AIR expands U.S. drone delivery business
Published: 05-08-2021 | 13:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
PABLO AIR, a company specializing in drone logistics solutions and delivery services and a member of Born2Global Centre, has collaborated with local American companies to expand its business in drone delivery in the United States.


Tel Aviv and London-based AI construction tech startup Buildots raises $30m Series B funding as its technology reaches 12 countries
Published: 05-08-2021 | 12:51:06 | By: Pie Kamau
Buildots, the AI construction tech company announced a $30 million Series B round led by Lightspeed Ventures with the participation of Buildots’ previous investors; TLV Partners, Future Energy Ventures, Tidhar Construction Group and Maor Investments.


HUAWEI partners with Singapore-based healthtech startup Plano to tackle global problem of myopia
Published: 05-08-2021 | 12:30:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Huawei Technologies and Plano announced a partnership to address the global problem of myopia. Through this partnership, Huawei and Plano will provide Huawei users with easy-to-use, innovative, and science-based technological solutions.


Full-stack delivery scale-up Merqueo raises $50m Series C to expand its grocery delivery service across Latin America
Published: 04-08-2021 | 12:20:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Merqueo, a full-stack delivery scale-up, landed a $50 million series C round led by IDC Ventures, Digital Bridge and IDB Invest. The company is the first and largest full-stack grocery delivery player in Latin America.


Fintech startup Rapyd raises $300m Series E to further enhance its service offering
Published: 04-08-2021 | 12:04:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Rapyd, a global Fintech as a Service company, announced a $300 million Series E funding round led by Target Global.


Audent Global Asset Management leads $11.7m investment round for tech startup Ryff
Published: 04-08-2021 | 11:50:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Audent Global Asset Management, a full-service investment boutique providing global investment solutions, is leading the next round of financing for Ryff, a technology startup that is poised to disrupt the world of visual advertising radically and permanently.


Los Angeles-based veterinary startup Modern Animal raises $75.5m to reimagine veterinary care
Published: 04-08-2021 | 11:36:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Modern Animal, a new kind of veterinary company, announced $75.5 million in funding - a $35.5 million Series A led by True Ventures and Addition and a $40 million Series B led by Founders Fund, who also led the company's Seed round in 2019.


B2B sales productivity startup Nektar.ai closes $8.1m to accelerate product development, launch in the US market
Published: 04-08-2021 | 11:11:00 | By: Pie Kamau
B2B sales productivity startup, Nektar.ai has raised an additional $ 6 million seed round of funding led by B Capital Group, 3one4 Capital and Nexus Venture Partners.


Tech executive Mark Bregman launches Quidnet Ventures, a venture capital fund based in New Zealand
Published: 03-08-2021 | 12:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Mark Bregman, a successful tech executive and entrepreneur, has launched Quidnet Ventures, a venture capital fund based in New Zealand and operated out of New Zealand, San Francisco and New York City.


Philadelphia Eagles Rookie Wide Receiver Devonta Smith joins tech startup LifeBrand
Published: 03-08-2021 | 12:24:40 | By: Pie Kamau
LifeBrand, a tech startup that offers solutions to help build and protect personal and corporate brands on social media, has teamed up with Philadelphia Eagles Rookie Wide Receiver DeVonta Smith to take their game to the next level.


Mental health and wellness startup Rey raises $10m Series A funding for expansion through digital capabilities
Published: 03-08-2021 | 11:47:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Rey, a new mental health and wellness company integrating immersive tools and digital interventions with teletherapy, announced $10 million in new funding, increasing its Series A to a total of $26 million.


Confluera named top cybersecurity startup in 2021 Black Unicorn Awards
Published: 03-08-2021 | 11:26:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Confluera, the provider of next-generation cloud detection and response, has been named a winner in the "Top 10 Cybersecurity Startups" category of this year's 2021 Black Unicorn Awards, by Cyber Defense Magazine.


Oregon-based startup Marwall launches LunchPod to change how Americans go out to eat
Published: 03-08-2021 | 11:13:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Oregon-based startup Marwall LLC is releasing the LunchPod, a stainless steel insulated lunch box with custom utensils and a removable, collapsible silicone to-go container with the goal of changing how Americans go out to eat.


Financials, ICT remain the most attractive sectors for VC investment in Africa, report
Published: 07-07-2021 | 08:34:56 | By: Bob Koigi
Mapping Africa’s startup landscape between 2014 and 2020, the report provides data and analysis on venture capital (VC) deal activity in Africa in 2020 along with information about the types of investors that have participated in those deals.


AI startup LLENA (AI) partners with Southern University to support (USDA/NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative
Published: 29-06-2021 | 14:24:00 | By: Pie Kamau
LLENA (AI) Health Solutions, announced a partnership with Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to support their "Center of Excellence for Nutrition, Health, Wellness, and Quality of Life" initiative to address diet-related health disparities.


The nexus between gender-responsive research and agricultural productivity in Africa
Published: 27-05-2021 | 11:15:00 | By: Bob Koigi
Smallholder farmers across Africa are looking to science to boost farm productivity and to tackle emerging threats, partiuclarly with regards to climate change and pandemics as demonstrated by COVID-19, the report further noted.


Fact.MR redefines the way startups access market research
Published: 21-04-2021 | 12:54:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The number one reason for startup failure isn't lack of funding or stiff competition. The main reason is 'misreading market demand'. Therefore, it becomes important for startups to thoroughly research the market.


CRIO secures Series A financing to accelerate growth, platform development
Published: 16-03-2021 | 15:10:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Clinical Research IO (CRIO), a Boston-based technology firm offering clinical research sponsors and sites a platform to streamline clinical trials, announced the completion of a $3.5 million Series A round led by Rally Ventures.


From grass to cash: Harnessing the power of climate smart forage grasses in Western Kenya
Published: 25-02-2021 | 08:45:00 | By: Bob Koigi
Kenyan researchers have been working with farmers in Western Kenya to test new varieties of fodder grasses known to have higher protein, low fiber and are fast maturing.


Investment in Forward BIOLABS paying off for bioscience startups
Published: 19-02-2021 | 12:02:04 | By: Pie Kamau
Forward BIOLABS, a co-working life science lab that helps bioscience startups grow, is celebrating early successes and honoring the companies that support the organization.


Boast.AI secures $100m to fuel R&D tax credit-based financing for startups
Published: 18-02-2021 | 09:14:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Boast.ai, a software innovator whose flagship product automates the complex process of applying for R&D tax credits, secured a $100 million credit facility from Brevet Capital, a leading alternative credit investment and specialty finance firm.


Kinyungu Ventures calls for changes to cut-and-paste VC strategy in Africa
Published: 18-01-2021 | 16:14:00 | By: Pie Kamau
A new White Paper published by East African venture advisory firm Kinyungu Ventures shows there continues to be a wide misalignment between traditional venture capital models and the African market.


US venture exit value achieved $290 billion in 2020 alongside record years for investment and fundraising activity, report
Published: 14-01-2021 | 11:10:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Though the past year had a lot of uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the US VC industry demonstrated its resilience and long-term mindset, achieving new records in total exit value, deal value and capital raised by VC funds.


Egypt’s life science startup Nawah Scientific raises $1m round for market expansion
Published: 13-01-2021 | 08:22:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Egyptian life science startup Nawah Scientific announced the the closing a second pre-series A round of $1 million in mixed equity and debt capital, raising its total funding to $2 million.


October Startup Sentiment Index shows three-month trend in advancing startup timelines
Published: 12-11-2020 | 12:57:50 | By: Pie Kamau
The number of respondents agreeing that now is a good time to start a business reached a three-month high at 60.6% in October.


Medtech startup Immertec partners with Orthopaedic Foundation to demonstrate effectiveness of VR surgical training
Published: 12-11-2020 | 12:42:56 | By: Pie Kamau
Orthopaedic Foundation has partnered with medtech startup Immertec, to conduct research to evaluate the effectiveness of VR for remote surgical training.


Nearly 60% of startup founders say operating costs are their top spending priority in the first quarter
Published: 11-11-2020 | 14:03:00 | By: Pie Kamau
While the long-term economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is still unknown, the remote work period has forced startups to adjust their spending priorities, according to a new survey from Clutch, a B2B ratings and reviews platform.


Mohammed VI Polytechnic University partners with Plug and Play to launch accelerator programme in Morocco
Published: 09-11-2020 | 09:13:33 | By: Pie Kamau
Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), an academic and research institution, has partnered with global innovation platform, Plug and Play, to launch an Open Innovation Hub in Morocco, with the support of OCP Group.


[Algeria] Sonatrach invests in university incubator for startups
Published: 22-10-2020 | 08:17:00 | By: Bob Koigi
Algeria state owned oil company Sonatrach has partnered with the National Agency for the Promotion of Research and Technological Development Results (ANVREDET), to establish a university incubator for start-ups.


Amsterdam based startup Zeta Alpha launches AI platform to help experts navigate new research
Published: 22-09-2020 | 13:00:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Amsterdam based startup Zeta Alpha is launching AI Research Navigator, a new deep learning-based search platform, to help AI experts navigate new research.


London based health tech startup Closed Loop Medicine secures £250,000 Innovate UK continuity funding
Published: 24-07-2020 | 15:46:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Closed Loop Medicine (CLM), London based therapeutics and health tech company has secured a £250,000 COVID-19 Innovate UK Continuity Funding award to support its ongoing clinical research programme.


Quantum technology startup Q-CTRL enters global partnership with Advanced Navigation
Published: 22-07-2020 | 10:40:33 | By: Bob Koigi
Q-CTRL, a startup that applies the principles of control engineering to accelerate the development of quantum technology, has partnered with Advanced Navigation, a leader in AI-based navigational hardware.


AI startup Deep Longevity launches with Series A financing
Published: 22-07-2020 | 10:31:00 | By: Bob Koigi
Deep Longevity, a biotechnology company transforming longevity R&D through AI-discovered biomarkers of aging, has come out of stealth from Insilico Medicine with financing from prominent investors worldwide.


Dutch online startup, scale-up community funds international research into COVID-19
Published: 20-07-2020 | 15:56:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Eighteen entrepreneurs from the Dutch online startup and scale-up community are joining forces to finance an international study by Erasmus MC into the clinical picture of COVID-19.