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Fintech startup Zebec debuts in Japan with payroll and payments solutions
This strategic move not only marks Zebec's continued global expansion but also underscores its commitment to fostering collaborative financial innovation worldwide.
EIF and Swedish fintech Invoier boost European SMEs with €58m financing
EIF and Invoier have partnered to provide SMEs with better access to funding.
Japanese semiconductor firm EdgeCortix closes $20m to accelerate AI capabilities
EdgeCortix announced the closing of a $20m funding round.
Five Kenyan cleantech startups selected for JICA’s Project NINJA accelerator
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
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
Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital has joined nT-Tao's Series A funding round.
Berlin-based insurtech startup SureIn closes €4m designed for Europe's SMBs
Berlin-based insurtech startup SureIn has closed a €4 million Seed round.
Visa opens applications for its Africa Fintech Accelerator Program
Visa has opened applications for startups to participate in the first cohort of the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator program.
Swiss fintech startup Numarics raises €10.2m seed round
Swiss fintech startup Numarics has raised a €10.2m seed round for its automated accounting and administration solution tailored to SMEs.
5 tips to improve small business productivity, Family Features
Running a small business comes with a multitude of challenges that can hinder productivity.
Tokyo's dynamic ecosystem for a startup company and its global impact, Plug and Play
Tokyo, Japan is an economic powerhouse with its thriving business landscape.
Ayoba, Adanian Labs launch accelerator programme in Nigeria
Ayoba has partnered with Adanian Labs to launch an SME accelerator program in Nigeria.
Customer success platform ZapScale secures $2.5m seed funding to accelerate growth
ZapScale announced it has successfully raised $2.5 million in seed funding.
[Column] Mukesh Bector: A simple place to start if you’re lagging on digital transformation
Digital transformation: we’ve all heard the phrase a thousand times.
[Column] Oluwatobi Amusan: Financial inclusion in Africa with embedded trade finance
There can be no talk of financial inclusion in Africa without trade finance. Trade promotes economic growth, reduces poverty, fosters economic and cultural links between regions and countries, and facilitates capital movement.
Fintech startup Pyypl rolls out social, micro-investment platform for African entrepreneurs and micro-SMEs
Fintech startup Pyypl has announced the commercial rollout of its social, micro-investment platform for self-employed entrepreneurs and micro-SMEs in Africa.
French-African Fund 2 completes final close at over €50 million
AfricInvest announced a final close of the French African Fund II (FFA II), the successor fund to the French African Fund (FFA), having raised over €50 million of subscriptions.
[Interview] Anne-Marie Chidzero, Chief Investment Officer, FSD Africa
Anne-Marie Chidzero is the Chief Investment Officer at the Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa) Investments. In this interview, she talks about the risks and opportunities in backing Africa’s early-stage startups.
Nigerian fintech startup Moni unveils new community-powered digital loans for African SMEs
Nigerian fintech startup Moni has launched a new range of business loans targeting SMEs in Africa.
[Column] Veerakumar Natarajan: How tech can help stimulate micro economies
Technological progression plays a crucial role in fostering economic growth. A lack of access to technology can hinder local economies, particularly in developing countries such as Kenya and other African nations.
Munich-based finway raises $10m Series A funding to reimagine spend management for European SMBs
finway, the German finance operating system for SMBs, has raised €9.2 million in a Series A round from Capital 49, an early stage venture fund led by founders of global fintech unicorn Airwallex.
Indian SaaS startup Mintoak raises $20m Series A funding round to grow its product portfolio
Mintoak, an India-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform focused on merchant services, has raised $20 million in Series A funding round led by PayPal Ventures.
Workstyle Africa and SNDBX launch entrepreneurship centers in East Africa
Serviced office space provider, Workstyle Africa, has partnered with SNDBX International, a business growth ecosystem, to open five one-stop-shop entrepreneurship centres and workspaces in East Africa.
Pegasus Tech Ventures launches $100m fund with Japanese chemicals and life science company Denka
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
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.
YouBiz research reveals key trends and challenges facing Southeast Asian SMEs in 2023
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
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.
European fintech Novicap raises €200m for its Credit platform as it hits €1b transaction volume milestone
Novicap, the European fintech providing end-to-end working capital solutions, announced it has raised a €200 million debt facility from London-based asset manager, Fasanara Capital.
First investment of Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund goes to Aruwa Capital Management
The first investment of the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund has gone to Aruwa Capital Management, a gender-lens $20 million fund dedicated to Nigeria's SMEs, managed by a first-time woman-led fund manager.
Japanese home health lab startup Bisu collaborates with Polaris Dawn to develop new ways to monitor astronaut health
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
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
TIER IV, an open source autonomous driving startup, announced it has launched commercial autonomous driving software platforms "Pilot.Auto" and "Web.Auto".
GS1 Hong Kong unlocks the next generation of trade finance service for SMEs in China
GS1 Hong Kong (GS1 HK) announced it has welcomed the launch of Commercial Data Interchange (CDI) by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).
Nigerian social commerce startup Bumpa raises $4m seed funding to build the future of commerce for African sellers
Nigerian social commerce startup Bumpa announced it has raised $4 million seed round led by Base10 Partners, the largest black-led fund in the world, with participation from Plug & Play Ventures.
Japanese startup SUN METALON raises $5.6m funding to democratize metal 3D manufacturing
SUN METALON, a Japanese startup developing a metal 3D printer, announced the procurement of $5.6 million in its pre-series A funding round.
Ugandan agritech startup Inputi receives investment to boost inputs distribution
Ugandan agritech startup Inputi announced it received an investment funding to boost inputs distribution across the country.
Ugandan fintech startup Tugende raises $10m pre-Series B funding to increase portfolio growth
Tugende, the innovative fintech platform for MSME credit and asset-financing in East Africa, closed in Q2 pre-Series B equity funding from existing shareholders led by Partech and two new investors, including Women’s World Banking.
Nigerian fintech startup Kippa launches business registration platform to support SMEs
Nigerian fintech startup Kippa has launched Kippa Start, a business registration platform to enable Nigerian MSMEs scale through their businesses.
Japanese foodtech startup Yo-Kai Express partners with IPPUDO and TableMark to bring ramen and udon dishes to its autonomous restaurant platform
Yo-Kai Express announced new partnerships with TableMark and Chikaranomoto, to jointly develop and market varieties of new udon and ramen menu options.
Kenyan fintech startup Pezesha raises $11m to expand across Africa
Pezesha, a Kenyan fintech that has built a platform where small and medium enterprises can access funding, has raised $11 million in a pre-series A equity and debt funding.
Japanese healthtech startup Ubie raises $26.2m Series C funding to fuel business growth in Japan and the U.S.
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
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.
French insurtech startup Orus raises €5m to reinvent professional insurance for SMEs
Orus, the insurtech company for small businesses, announced it has raised €5 million from Frst, Partech, Portage Ventures and around twenty business angels.
Japanese open-source autonomous driving startup TIER IV launches $300m green autonomous driving project
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.
UAE fintech startup Pemo launches all-in-one spend management platform for MENA SMEs
Pemo, the UAE-based fintech startup empowering businesses across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan (MENAP),has announced that it has launched its all-in-one spend management platform.
Untapped Global raises $10.3m pre-seed round to build an investment platform for Africa and emerging markets
Untapped Global announced the launch of its public beta platform, which uses real-time data to provide transparency for investors looking to tap into Africa and emerging markets.
South African fintech firm Hello Pay launches new mPOS device for SMEs
South African fintech firm Hello Pay has launched a new high-end Android Mobile point-of-sale solutions (mPOS) for local merchants and SMEs.
Glovo announces winners of its tech startup pitch competition in Kenya
On-demand delivery platform Glovo has announced the winners of its tech startup pitch competition in Kenya.
Japanese healthtech startup Ubie launches AI-powered symptom checker in the U.S.
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
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
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.
Kenyan fintech 4G Capital raises $18.5m Series C funding to scale lending to MSMEs
Kenyan fintech credit provider 4G Capital has raised $18.5 million in Series C funding from global private equity firm Lightrock.
Japanese SocialGood App raises $14.2m for patented crypto back platform
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
PayGo Energy, an Energy Access Ventures portfolio company, has secured a strategic investment from Saisan, a leading Japanese energy company.
Interviews.
[Interview] Caroline Mutuku, General Manager, Glovo, Kenya
Caroline Mutuku is Kenya's General Manager of multi-category app Glovo. Caroline joined Glovo in December 2022 from Swvl Kenya where she also served as the General Manager from December 2021. In this interview...read more here
[Interview] Renate Swanepoel, COO, INC. Networking
Renate Swanepoel is an entrepreneur, global networker and inspirational speaker that has helped thousands of people around the world to find their purpose. She has gained significant networking and communication...read more here
[Interview] Anne-Marie Chidzero, Chief Investment Officer, FSD Africa
Anne-Marie Chidzero is the Chief Investment Officer at the Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa) Investments. In this interview, she talks about the risks and opportunities in backing Africa’s early-stage startups...read more here
[Interview] James Kilpatrick, Chair, Gravitilab, UK
Gravitilab is a "Space as a Service" business providing research, testing and qualification facilities to space agencies, government, academia and commercial enterprises. The company’s Chair and Chief Finance Officer...read more here
[Interview] Ramanjeet Singh, CEO, Woosper, USA
Woosper is a US-based digital advertising and marketing agency focused on creating experiences that help clients discover their place in the digital world. The CEO Ramanjeet Singh...read more here