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[Column] Kevin Ng'ang'a: E-commerce can create a borderless and efficient market for Africa
One area that has the potential to create a borderless and efficient market as envisioned by AfCFTA is Africa’s e-commerce space which Statista estimated hit the $40 billion-mark last year.
E-commerce tech platform MarketLeap secures €2.6m to expand brands’ global reach and revenue
MarketLeap has secured €1.5m funding.
Vistry unveils conversational AI platform LumoChat for food commerce
Vistry has announced the launch of its Conversational AI platform, LumoChat.
French SaaS firm scnd raises €4m to disrupt the sales of services
scnd, the trailblazing French SaaS solution, announced a €4m funding round backed by 42Cap and Partech.
Canadian e-Commerce inventory platform Centro launches with $2m pre-seed funding round
e-Commerce inventory platform Centro, announced a $2m in pre-seed funding.
IFC invests in e-Commerce platform ANKA to support Africa’s creative Artisans
IFC has invested $3.4m equity investment in African e-Commerce platform ANKA.
Genus AI secures over $6m seed extension round for Generative AI in e-Commerce
Genus AI, a generative AI platform, has secured over $6m in a seed round extension
African fintech startup Lipa Later gets greenlight for public fundraising in US
Lipa Later Group is a global trailblazing innovator recognized as one of Africa's Fastest-Growing Fintech Companies by the Financial Times that continues to reshape the finance, payments, and e-commerce landscape in Africa.
Liviri launches independent e-Grocer grant program
Liviri is launching its first-ever e-Grocer grant program – an initiative that will award resources to an independent grocer.
Israeli social commerce startup Terrific completes its seed round of financing
Israeli social commerce startup Terrific has completed its seed round of financing.
Startupbootcamp AfriTech opens cohort 4 of its ASIP accelerator program
Startupbootcamp AfriTech has opened applications its ASIP accelerator program.
Kenyan agritech startup Kyosk acquires KwikBasket, expands into fresh produce market
Kenyan agritech startup Kyosk, is expanding into the African fresh produce market.
[Column] Paul Selibas: Embedded finance in the age of e-Commerce
The African online e-Commerce market has grown rapidly in recent years.
Kenyan e-Health startup MYDAWA raises $20m funding from Alta Semper Capital
MYDAWA has received $20m capital injection from private equity investor.
Kenyan fashion e-Commerce startup ShopZetu raises pre-seed funding to fuel growth of its marketplace
Kenyan fashion e-Commerce startup ShopZetu has raised $1m pre-seed funding.
[Interview] Caroline Mutuku, General Manager, Glovo, Kenya
Caroline Mutuku is Kenya's General Manager of multi-category app Glovo.
Genetica raises $500k seed round to make cannabis shopping smarter with AI
Genetica, an AI cannabis retail platform, announced the close of its seed round.
Austrian SaaS startup Shopstory scores million-dollar investment to accelerate growth
Austrian SaaS startup Shopstory has scored another million-dollar investment.
Kenya's B2B e-Commerce startup Wasoko expands to Zambia
Wasoko has revealed plans to invest over $1 million in Zambia. The B2B retail and e-Commerce made this announcement while announcing its official entry into the Southern African country.
Milan-based fintech startup Viceversa closes €10m Series A funding round to accelerate growth
Viceversa, the Milan-based fintech startup that introduced revenue-based financing to Italy to support the growth of digital companies, announced the closing of €10 million Series A financing round.
Forces shaping the retail landscape in 2023, ESW
Brands and merchants are constantly adapting to the ever-changing forces that shape the retail landscape
3 key trends in retail and brand innovation, Plug and Play
Brands and the retail industry are undergoing a rapid transformation. As technology and customer expectations continue to evolve, businesses must innovate to stay competitive and provide a better consumer and user experience.
[Column] David Meintjes: Unified communication and collaboration trends for 2023
As businesses continue evolving to meet changing customer behaviour, the uptake and investment in cloud unified communications platforms and tools will continue to soar.
Vue.ai announces new AI powered models to generate inclusive ad creatives through Meta's Creative Shop
Vue.ai, the retail vertical of AI startup Mad Street Den, announced its partnership with Meta to generate automated and inclusive ad creatives using AI-powered models for brands using Meta's creative services.
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.
Tech startup Uspace fills the gap in web marketing missing from main street small business
Recent advertising by e-Commerce giants Go Daddy, Shopify, Wix and others would have the public believe that anybody can build and launch a moneymaking website with little time and effort.
South African grocery delivery startup Yebo Fresh raises 4.5m pre-Series A funding to fuel expansion
Yebo Fresh, a South African grocery delivery startup has raised $4.5m in a pre-series A equity funding round.
Bangladeshi B2B commerce platform ShopUp secures $30m debt financing to fuel expansion, strengthen supply chain operations
ShopUp, a full-stack B2B commerce platform in Bangladesh, announced it has secured $30 million in debt financing, to drive expansion efforts and strengthen the company's supply chain operations.
[Startup Interview] Don Okoth, General Manager, Sendy, Kenya
Don Okoth is General Manager for Kenyan Fulfillment and Logistics startup Sendy. In this interview, he talks about the current state of logistics in Kenya and beyond, including Sendy's role in shaping the industry.
Belgian SMEs management software Odoo opens local office in Australia
Belgian company Odoo, an all-in-one integrated business solution for Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), announced it is setting up shop in Australia.
Food Foundry accelerator announces fifth cohort of early-stage foodservice startups
Food Foundry, an accelerator program built by Relish Works and Gordon Food Service for early-stage startups disrupting the food and foodservice industry, announced the five startups that will join the fifth cohort starting in January 2023.
Nigerian online furniture store Taeillo raises $2.5m for expansion
Nigerian online store Taeillo, announced a $2.5 million funding round from Aruwa Capital, a growth equity and early-stage investor.
Senegalese startup Kwely launches made in Africa online store
Kwely, a Senegalese-based startup has launched a B2B e-marketplace to provide African producers and manufacturers with a global window to sell their products at scale.
[Nebulab Case] How this e-Commerce tech studio went global to fight talent shortage and improve diversity
Hiring talent has become one of the top challenges for technology companies. The global talent shortage and emerging trends have made finding and retaining skilled professionals more difficult.
Netail closes $5m seed funding to advance retail-focused AI development
Netail, a technology that enables retailers to auto-identify competitors across the internet and track their assortments, availability and optimize prices in real time, announced the closing of $5 million in seed funding.
Berlin-based AI-powered startup Faircado raises €500K to transform E-commerce into Re-commerce
Faircado, a Berlin-based startup that provides the first AI-powered second-hand shopping assistance, announced it has raised €500,000 in a pre-seed round led by BackBone Ventures.
Kenyan supply chain and logistics startup Leta secures $3m pre-seed funding to accelerate growth
Leta, the supply chain and logistics startup driving distribution optimization, announced the close of $3 million Pre-Seed equity round.
Swiss Web3 payment startup DePay partners with WooCommerce to bring payments to online merchants
Swiss Web3 payment startup DePay, announced it is joining forces with the self-hostable, open-source eCommerce plugin WooCommerce, pushing decentralization further and providing merchants with the ability to have customers send payments directly to their own wallets.
Demand for seamless, convenient way of shopping increase growth of e-Commerce in Africa
The electronic commerce (e-Commerce) transaction of goods and services between business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), consumer-to-consumer, and consumer-to-business, has become rampant in this digital age.
Ultra-convenient healthy meals startup Proper Good closes seed funding to bring absurdly delicious products
PROPER GOOD, an ultra-convenient home-delivered food service company that offers nutritious prepared meals made with simple and high quality ingredients, announced the closing of $3.5 million in seed funding.
Startup Wise Guys selects the second batch of participants for Africa-dedicated fund
Startup Wise Guys (SWG), Europe’s startup accelerator and one of its most active investment funds, has selected the second batch of participants for its €7.5 million fund for African startup investment.
Vue Storefront wins best e-Commerce and retail startup at The Europas Tech Startup Awards 2022
Vue Storefront, a technology company that develops software for businesses to create fast, modern and high-performing online storefronts, was crowned a winner at The Europas Tech Startup Awards 2022.
UK-based hospitality tech startup Journey completes £5m growth capital raise
Journey Hospitality has secured £5 million growth capital investment. The funds, from private equity firm Averroes Capital, will enable Journey to deliver its vision to revolutionise e-Commerce for the hospitality industry.
Vienna-based startup Orderlion raises $4m funding to scale the global B2B food supply chain
Vienna-based startup Orderlion announced the successful closing of $4 million in preSeries A funding, including a mix of equity and debt financing, bringing the total amount of investments raised to $7.5 million since the company’s inception.
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.
Fintech startup Banyan raises $43m Series A to scale world's largest SKU data network
Banyan, the network for SKU data, announced it has raised $43 million Series A round led by Fin Capital and M13. The investment will accelerate Banyan's technology and infrastructure growth.
Logistics Startup Nuvocargo appoints Nicholas Simmons as Head of Engineering to accelerate company's growth
Nuvocargo has appointed former Shopify executive Nicholas Simmons as Head of Engineering to continue to develop the Nuvocargo platform and expand the company’s world-class engineering team.
Climate infrastructure startup EcoCart raises $14.5m Series A to accelerate sustainable e-Commerce
EcoCart, a software company building the infrastructure for e-Commerce companies to operate sustainably at scale, has raised a $14.5 million Series A round.
German startup 35up secures €5 million to cross selling platform for SMEs
A German startup providing cross selling platform has received five million euros financing from VC firm Capnamic and other existing investors.
New Utah startup Oops offers doorstep return pickups for in-store and online purchases
An early-stage startup born in the heart of Utah's Silicon Slopes, Oops is offering doorstep return pickups for in-store and online purchases across the Wasatch Range.
Vendease secures $30m to transform procurement and business operations for restaurants across Africa
Vendease, a Y Combinator-backed digital platform that allows restaurants in Africa to buy supplies, access financial services and power their business operations, has raised $30 million funding round.
West african fintech startup Julaya raises $5m extension round to expand its operations
Julaya, a fintech stratup based in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and France, announced it has raised $5 million extension round led by European venture capital fund Speedinvest to expand its operations in West Africa.
Irish e-Commerce growth unicorn Wayflyer secures $253m debt financing from Credit Suisse
Wayflyer, the revenue-based financing and growth platform for e-Commerce businesses, has secured $253 milion debt financing facility from Credit Suisse.
[Startup Interview] Tesh Mbaabu, CEO, MarketForce, Kenya
Tesh Mbaabu is a serial entrepreneur who lives to blend commerce and technology. He is the Co-founder and CEO of Kenyan-based B2B platform for retail distribution of consumer goods and digital financial services in Africa today, MarketForce.
Austrian SaaS startup Shopstory raises €2.2m in second round funding to back e-Commerce brands
Austrian startup Shopstory is raising a million-dollar investment from tecnet equity, Startup300 and business angels Patrick Pöschl (Co-Founder Scalable Capital) and Hansi Hansmann in its second round of financing.
Kenyan B2B e-Commerce startup Wasoko opens innovation hub in Zanzibar
Wasoko (formerly Sokowatch), an African B2B e-Commerce startup that leverages technology to transform the informal retail supply chain, announced the official launch of the “Wasoko Innovation Hub” in partnership with the Zanzibar government.
FMO partners with SBC AfriTech to support next generation of early-stage African tech startups
FMO has partnered with a pan-African tech accelerator, Startupbootcamp (SBC) AfriTech, for the third installment of the Africa Startup Initiative Accelerator Program which is designed to scout skill and scale early-stage tech startups in Africa.
Nigerian B2B e-Commerce startup Omnibiz raises $15m for expansion
Nigerian B2B e-Commerce startup Omnibiz has raised $15 million pre-Series A round ($5 million equity and $10 million debt) led by Timon Capital, Ventures Platform, Lofty Inc, Chapel Hill Denham, Chandaria Capital and Musha Ventures.
Nigerian last-mile delivery startup Kwik launches in Ibadan
Nigerian last-mile delivery startup Kwik Delivery announced it has officially launched its innovative and just-in-time delivery solutions to merchants, entrepreneurs, businesses, government agencies and social vendors in Ibadan.
South African agritech disruptor AgriKool drives down food costs for consumers, increases profits for farmers
AgriKool, a South African e-trading platform, is connecting agricultural producers to buyers to facilitate the sale of products between retailers and farmers.
Kenyan mobile commerce startup Copia unveils manufacturing unit for sugar and rice production
Copia Global, a Kenyan-based mobile commerce platform has unveiled a new manufacturing unit to enhance its output of affordable sugar and rice to the Kenyan market.
Product search engine startup Vetted raises $15m to vet trustworthy product data for consumers
Vetted (formerly Lustre) announced the launch of its AI-powered product search engine, alongside a $14 million Series A investment round led by global software investor Insight Partners.
VMG Catalyst closes $400m Fund II to scale commerce venture capital space
Venture capital firm VMG Catalyst announced the closing of Fund II at its target of $400 million, bringing the total capital raised to $650 million across both funds.
Why you should implement cryptocurrency payments into your e-Commerce website, Remuno
Crypto is one of the biggest aspects of modern finance and technology. For businesses, this revenue stream could provide major boosts to sales numbers, with crypto payments giving customers more freedom while also bringing benefits.
Ukrainian and Dutch-based startup Cloudprinter.com raises €7m seed funding to grow its global print API platform
Cloudprinter.com, the Ukrainian and Dutch-based global print API platform raised €7 missed in a seed round led by Capital Mills.
Bodybuilding.com partners with Retail Ecommerce Ventures to accelerate growth
Bodybuilding.com, the online fitness store, has struck a deal to partner with Retail Ecommerce Ventures (REV), a global leader in e-Commerce with a rapidly growing roster of well-known brands, to accelerate growth.
London-based healthtech startup Wondr Medical raises £12m seed round to accelerate global collaboration across the medical community
Digital health startup Wondr Medical, announced it has raised £12 million seed round to accelerate global collaboration across the medical community.
Swiss startup Numarics secures leading position in European fintech with $2.2m funding
Swiss fintech startup Numarics is on its way to becoming the standard for state-of-the-art financial management and accounting for creators and small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe.
The Main Stage partners with RedCrow to build white label fundraising platform
The Main Stage, a software technology company that enables startup founders and entrepreneurs to engage with prospects and investors in an efficient and engaging experience, announced a licensing agreement with RedCrow.
Insurtech startup Spot raises $33m funding to ramp up partnerships, offer affordable coverage for customers
Spot, the tech startup offering on-demand injury insurance, announced it has raised $33 million in funding, including $25 million in equity and $8 million in debt.
Dutch-based LUMO Labs invests in edtech startup Metacampus to empower digital professionals
LUMO Fund II Coöperatieve U.A. and a group of international angel investors are investing €1.5 million in Metacampus, a Barcelona-based training platform built for the virtual economy, to empower digital professionals.
Sustainability data and tech startup ESG Book closes $35m Series B to advance its next-gen technology capabilities
ESG Book, a global player in sustainability data and technology, announced it has closed $35 million in Series B funding to advance its next-generation technology capabilities.
Amsterdam-based employment startup TestGorilla secures $70m Series A to help companies eliminate hiring bias
Amsterdam-based employment startup TestGorilla announced it has secured $70 million Series A to help companies eliminate hiring bias. The round was co-led by Balderton and Atomico.
Medical speech processing startup Cordio Medical raises $18m to accelerate growth
Cordio Medical, a medical speech processing platform, announced its latest successful strategic investment round of $18 million from Ceros Financial Services and Peregrine Ventures.
Real-time compensation platform Pave raises $100m Series C funding, acquires Option Impact
Pave, the real time compensation platform that helps companies plan, communicate and benchmark against the market, announced it has raised $100 million in Series C funding and acquired Advanced-HR from Morgan Stanley.
Indonesian startup Mapan secures $15m Series A funding to enhance financial access and inclusion
Mapan, an Indonesia-based leading startup focused on eliminating barriers to financial access for the masses in the country, announced it has closed a successful Series A round of $15 million.
London-based Screenloop raises $7m for its hiring intelligence platform
Screenloop, the hiring intelligence platform that helps teams hit their recruitment targets faster whilst delivering an enhanced candidate experience, has raised a $7 million seed round.
Rocket VR Health chosen for Newchip's seed-stage global accelerator program
Rocket VR Health was accepted into Newchip's renowned global accelerator program designed to provide all the skills and tools seed-stage founders need to rapidly fund, build and scale their companies.
Breakthrough AI integration platform AI Squared raises $6m seed financing to accelerate growth
AI Squared, the low-code AI integration platform, announced it has raised $6 million Seed financing by global venture capital firm NEA with participation from Ridgeline Partners.
Illumina invests in £30m venture fund to advance breakthroughs in human health
Illumina, a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, announced its participation in Time Boost Capital I LP, a £30 million genomics venture fund dedicated to providing match funding to startups graduating from Illumina Accelerator Cambridge.
Givebutter announces $7m seed funding to empower the changemaker generation
Givebutter, a product-led company that developed the first free operating system for nonprofit fundraising, announced it has completed a seed funding round totaling $7 million.
UK-based BotsAndUs secures $13m seed financing for its warehouse data intelligence platform with autonomous robots
BotsAndUs, a cutting-edge intelligence and robotics company has secured $13 million in seed funding to expand its logistics-disrupting solution globally.
Constructiontech startup ProPlanner raises $2.7m to transform construction scheduling
ProPlanner (formerly Ipsum), a web-based and collaborative construction technology platform, announced it has raised $2.7 million in funding led by global software investor Insight Partners.
Africa-focused VC firm TLcom Capital appoints Eloho Omame as Partner
TLcom, the Africa-focused venture capital firm, has appointed Eloho Omame as a Partner, bolstering its capabilities as it ramps up deployment of TIDE Africa Fund II, its new $150 million pan-African tech fund.
Deeptech startup NEU Battery Materials raises S$800,000 seed funding to produce clean and sustainable lithium batteries
Deeptech startup, NEU Battery Materials has raised a total of S$800,000 in seed funding from Momentum Venture Capital and Se-cure Waste Management.
British Virgin Islands-based SithSwap raises $2.65m to build next-gen AMM on StarkNet
SithSwap, the next-generation automated market maker (AMM) on StarkNet, has successfully raised $2.65 million at a $25 million valuation in a seed funding round led by Lemniscap.
Nigerian Lab testing startup HealthTracka raises $1.5m funding for expansion to Kenya and Ghana
Nigerian at-home lab testing startup HealthTracka has raised $1.5 million in funding to expand its operations into Kenya and Ghana. The pre-seed funding which was led by Ingressive Capital.
Proparco completes pre-series-A investment in Moringa to fuel its expansion across Africa
Proparco announced the completion of a pre-series-A investment in Moringa to its expansion across Africa. The funding from Proparco will also facilitate the broadening of the range of courses offered by Moringa.
EuraTechnologies raises €24m to back deep tech startups, open 10 incubators in Eastern Europe
EuraTechnologies announced the raising of €24 million to back deep tech startups and open 10 incubators in Eastern Europe.
Renewable energy startup Posh raises $3.8m seed round to automate EV battery recycling
Y Combinator alum, Posh, announced it has raised $3.8 million in seed funding. The Bay Area startup automates electric vehicle (EV) battery recycling to build sustainable energy storage solutions.
Cleveland-based tech startup Unify Jobs raises $4.5m to enable diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring
Unify Jobs, an equitable hiring technology company, has raised a $4.5 million seed round led by North Coast Ventures with participation from Jumpstart and several other well-established investors.
Gratuity management startup Kickfin closes $6m Series A to fuel growth across the hospitality industry
Kickfin, the gratuity management software for hospitality, announced it has secured its Series A funding to further accelerate the company's rapid growth.
London, Malta-based fintech CityFALCON raises $2m funding to scale growth
London and Malta based fintech CityFALCON closed an equity fundraising campaign on Seedrs of $2 million to scale up the business and bring even more insightful products to market faster.
Nibble Health startup raises $8.5m to humanize healthcare payments
Nibble Health, a B2B healthcare payments company, announced a $8.5 million seed round co-led by Wing Venture Capital and Tiger Global Management, with participation from A* Capital and Expa.
Healthtech startup Spry secures new investment to strengthen its patient management platform
Spry, an end-to-end patient and practice management SaaS platform for physical therapists, announced it has successfully completed a new round of funding to accelerate its mission to build the future of practice management for physical rehabilitation.
Bardeen.ai startup raises $15.3m Series A to bring workflow automation to the masses
Bardeen.ai, the provider of "automation for all" tools, announced an oversubscribed $15.3 million Series A funding round led by global software investor Insight Partners, with participation from existing investors.
Healthtech startup Idoven raises $19.8m funding to redefine detection and precision medicine of cardiovascular diseases
Idoven, a pioneering health tech company advancing early detection and precision medicine of cardiovascular disease, announced it has raised $19.8 million in funding.
Foodtech venture firm Supply Change closes equity investment from Bank of America
Supply Change Capital, a women and Latina powered venture firm investing in early-stage food technology businesses, announced an equity investment from Bank of America.
Nigerian fintech firm VeendHQ secures $330k pre-seed investment to expand operations, scale growth
Nigerian fintech firm VeendHQ announced it has secured $330k pre-seed fund, backed by Magic Fund, The Oak Capital, Future Africa, Berrywood Capital and other angel investors, to expand its operations and scale growth.
Proparco joins forces with Digital Africa to provide financing solutions for African tech startups
As part of its 2022-2025 roadmap, Digital Africa, in partnership with Proparco, will support 200 African startups at different stages of their growth with a wide range of offers at their disposal.
Ugandan fintech platform Tugende closes pre-Series B investment round to accelerate growth
Tugende, the East African fintech platform providing asset financing and digital services to small businesses, announced it has raised a pre-Series B investment round led by current shareholder Partech Africa.
Kenyan insurtech startup mTek secures $3m funding for expansion across the country
On the heels of a recent $1.50 million (KSh 170 million) investment, Kenyan insurtech startup mTek has secured an additional $3 million (KSh 340 million) investment, through both debt and equity from African-focused fintech platform, Finclusion Group.
Insurtech startup INSTANDA raises $45m to fund its next phase of growth
INSTANDA, the no-code core insurance platform provider has announced the closing of its $45 million fundraising led by Toscafund, one of Europe’s leading Growth Equity investment firms for financial services companies.
London-based AI startup Peptone closes $40m Series A funding to build a state-of-the-art research facility in Bellinzona
Peptone, the molecular computational physics company focused on protein drug discovery, announced the successful completion of a $40 million Series A financing round.
Live-streaming platform Elevate K-12 raises $40m Series C to address the growing national teacher shortage
Elevate K-12, provider of high-quality live-streaming instruction for US K-12 classrooms, has closed a $40 million Series C round of funding led by venture capital firm General Catalyst.
Israeli AI-powered sales solution Amy raises $6m seed round to boost business professionals' selling power
Amy, the pioneering AI-driven sales intelligence solution that automates pre-meeting prospect research and enables meaningful business connections, announced it has raised a $6m seed round.
Indian no-code mobile startup Plobal raises $8.5m to expand presence in North America
Plobal Apps, a no-code mobile app platform for e-commerce stores, raised $8.5 million, led by Elevation Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners.
Amsterdam-based biotech startup CimCure raises € 5m seed round to advance its cancer vaccine
CimCure, a biotech spin-off of Amsterdam UMC, focusing on the development of a novel vaccine-based cancer immunotherapy through its Immune-Boost (iBoost) technology, announced it has raised little over € 5 million in a financing Seed Round.
MFS Africa raises $100m funding to accelerate its expansion plans across Africa and Asia
MFS Africa, Africa’s digital payments network, announced it has secured an additional $100 million in equity and debt funding led by Admaius Capital Partners, taking the total amount raised in the series to $200 million.
Greentech startup Green Badger receives $1.125m seed funding to manage sustainable construction
Green Badger, the SaaS developer for managing sustainable construction, announced it has received seed funding of $1.125 million in a financing round led by venture capital firm Shadow Ventures.
Community-centered lifestyle startup Saysh closes $8m Series A round to scale growth
Saysh, the community-centered lifestyle brand co-founded by Olympian Allyson Felix and her brother and business partner Wes Felix, announced a Series A round closed at $8 million.
Y Combinator-backed Proper Finance raises $4.3m to create an integrated reconciliation software for fintechs
Proper Finance, the integrated reconciliation and ledger data platform that enables financial technology companies to maintain complete financial accuracy, closed a $4.3 million seed round
Inovia Capital closes $325m early-stage fund to strengthen the Canadian tech ecosystem
Inovia Capital announced it raised $325 million for its fifth early-stage fund, the latest step in its journey to help build global, sustainable companies that strengthen the Canadian tech ecosystem.
Financial wellness startup Benny closes $1m pre-seed round to help employees build wealth with their benefits
Benny, the platform helping consumers build wealth with their benefits, announced its graduation from Techstars Boulder and the closing of a $1 million pre-seed funding round, led by Matchstick Ventures.
DeFi for construction finance startup Rigor raises $3.5m to end housing's affordability crisis
Rigor, an innovative decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol for construction lending and payments, has secured $3.5m in institutional seed financing from an honor roll of venture funders.
Tallinn-based NFTPort raises $26m Series A round to become the leading NFT infrastructure
Estonia's NFTPort announced the closing of a $26 million Series A funding round co-led by Taavet+Sten, the investment vehicle of Taavet Hinrikus and Sten Tamkivi, and Atomico.
Chinese biotech startup Meta Pharmaceuticals raises $15m to accelerate its pipeline development
META Pharmaceuticals, China's first immunometabolism-based small-molecule drug discovery company, announced two consecutive Seed and Pre-A funding rounds totaling $15 million.
Digital wedding planning startup Fêtefully raises $1.3m funding to scale growth
Fêtefully, the revolutionary digital wedding planning platform, closed a seed round of funding worth $1.3 million to allow the company to continue business growth and scale in the marketplace.
Chinese ARHUD solution provider Raythink completes Series A+ financing to accelerate mass production of in-vehicle AR displays
Raythink, the ARHUD solution provider for the automotive and transportation industry, announced it has raised around $15 million in a Series A+ funding round led by Chengwei Capital.
Berlin Business Office launches Skytrain to support U.S. LPs investing into venture capital funds in Berlin
Berlin Business Office announced the launch of Skytrain, a network to support U.S. LPs (Limited Partners) investing into venture capital funds in Berlin.
AfricArena partners with FMO to accelerate tech startups in Ghana, Morocco and Tanzania
AfricArena, the African series of tech events, announced a partnership with FMO Ventures Program, the Rise Open Innovation Challenge, which focuses on accelerating the growth of startups looking to improve the state of Africa.
Early stage VC firm Kairos Ventures closes third fund at $58m
Kairos Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm investing in physical and life sciences, announced the close of its third fund (Fund III), with capital commitments of $58 million.
CoachHub startup raises $200m Series C funding to democratize coaching worldwide
CoachHub, the global digital coaching platform, closed a $200 million Series C funding round, led by Sofina and SoftBank Vision Fund 2. The round will be used to further scale CoachHub's product innovation and operations.
ScienceMagic.Studios raises $10m pre-seed to demystify Web3 for brands and talent
ScienceMagic.Studios announced it has secured $10.3 million in pre-seed investment from investors including Liberty City Ventures, Digital Currency Group, Coinbase Ventures, Noam Gottesman and Alan Howard.
BCG Digital Ventures launches new innovation centers in India and Morocco
BCG Digital Ventures (BCGDV), the corporate innovation and business-building arm of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), is opening innovation centers in New Delhi, Mumbai and Casablanca, Morocco.
Tunisian edtech startup GOMYCODE raises $8m Series A funding to expand across Africa
Tunisian edtech startup GOMYCODE, raised $8.85 million in series A funding, one of the highest African funding this quarter to expand across Africa.
Kenyan fintech startup Power Financial Wellness partners with Penda Health to extend healthcare services to users
Kenyan fintech Power Financial Wellness has signed a partnership agreement with private healthcare solutions provider, Penda Health, to see both companies mutually benefit from their tech services.
Green tech startup Ecolibrium launches in the UK with $5m pre-Series A funding round
Advisory and climate tech-led sustainability solution Ecolibrium, has opened a new London HQ after raising $5m in a pre-Series A funding round, to support growing demand from commercial and industrial UK real estate owners.
German agritech startup CROP.ZONE secures $11m equity funding to expand to new international markets
Aachen-based integrated weed management startup CROP.ZONE announced it has secured $11m equity funding from existing shareholders and new financial investors.
Swedish gaming startup Lurkit raises $2.7m to empower gaming influencer marketing globally
Swedish gaming influencer marketing platform Lurkit has raised $2.7 million in a seed round from industry investors as the company is launching Quests, a new software suite that enables paid sponsorships between live streamers and gaming companies at scale.
CerraCap Ventures invests in soil microbiome focused agritech startup Solena
CerraCap Ventures, a Global Venture Capital fund headquartered in Southern California, announced an investment in Solena AG, a soil microbiome startup helping farmers improve agricultural yields and optimize agrarian input costs.
Decarbon8 investment opportunity open for agritech innovation and decarbonization startups
The Decarbon8 Fund, an impact investment vehicle established by the E8 climate tech investing community and platform, announced a new Request for Proposal (RFP) for companies advancing regenerative agriculture solutions.
B2B e-Commerce and fintech startup Bazaar raises $70m to revamp the retail industry in Pakistan
Bazaar, Pakistan’s B2B e-Commerce and fintech platform has raised $70 million in a Series B financing led by Dragoneer Investment Group and Tiger Global Management.
Utrecht-based same day and next day delivery startup Trunkrs raises €15 million in growth capital
Trunkrs, specialist in same day & next day delivery for the e-Commerce sector, has successfully raised €15 million in a series B investment round. The financing round was led by Korys, the Belgian investment company of the Colruyt family.
[Column] Alexandra Fraser: Angel investors plugging the early-stage funding gap in sub-Saharan Africa
One of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurial startups in sub-Saharan Africa is funding – particularly early-stage financial support – even though the landscape across the region has evolved over the past few years with more funders and capital deployed in this space.
Business identity startup Middesk raises $57m Series B round to accelerate growth
Middesk, the business identity platform automating business verification and underwriting decisions, announced it has raised $57 million in a Series B round, co-led by New York-based private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners.
Taiwanese social CRM startup GoSky AI completes undisclosed seed funding round
Taipei-based social CRM startup GoSky AI announced the completion of an undisclosed seed funding round led by 500 Global venture capital firm.
Canadian digital footprint monitoring startup Flare raises CAD$9.5m Series A to democratize cybersecurity
Flare, the leader in digital footprint monitoring, announced a CAD$9.5 million Series A Round led by Inovia Capital with participation from White Star Capital and Luge Capital.
GreenHouse Capital announces 13 African startups selected for the Microsoft scale-up accelerator
GreenHouse Capital has announced the 13 African startups that have been selected for Microsoft scale-up accelerator program. The programme is targeted at startups a the pre-series A stage looking to expand into new markets.
Vietnam's blockchain gaming startup Ancient8 raises $6m to build infrastructure software for GameFi
Ancient8, a GameFi infrastructure developer and Vietnam's largest blockchain gaming guild and community, announced the completion of a $6 million private round of financing led by Makers Fund and C² Ventures.
Dutch fintech Backbase secures €120m funding to accelerate growth
Dutch financial technology company Backbase, the creator of the category-leading Engagement Banking platform, raised €120 million in growth equity funding from Motive Partners.
Amsterdam-based Instant Commerce secures €2m pre-seed funding to boost its headless storefront builder
Amsterdam-based Instant Commerce announced it has secured €2 million pre-seed funding to boost its headless storefront builder.
Tech startup LibLab raises $42m Series A to autogenerate software development kits for API services
LibLab, a developer tools company that offers a SDK-as-a-Service platform for engineering teams, announced it has raised $42 million in Series A funding to enable the expansion of its core software development kit (SDK) code generator services.
Seed-to-Sale software startup Canix raises $10m Series A funding to accelerate growth
Canix, a market-leading cannabis ERP seed-to-sale platform, announced it has raised $10 million in funding from venture capitalists.
Singapore crypto payments startup Request Finance raises $5.5m seed round to accelerate growth
Request Finance, the Web3 enterprise crypto payments startup, has closed a $5.5 million seed round with institutional backers including Animoca Brands, Europe's leading early-stage venture capital investor Balderton Capital, and XAnge.
French startup CleverConnect merges with Talentry to lead talent acquisition in Europe
CleverConnect, a cloud-based recruiting solutions company, announced the merger with Talentry, a Munich-based provider of talent relationship management solutions, to counteract the current unprecedented shortage of skilled workers.
Fabric tech startup Nextiles raises $5m oversubscribed seed round to fuel growth in smart athletics
Nextiles, a smart fabric technology for athletes, announced its $5 million seed round led by Drive by DraftKings, with participation from the NBA.
Nigerian fintech startup Indicina raises $3m seed funding to expand into other African markets
Nigerian fintech startup Indicina announced it has raised $3 million in seed funding round to foster its commitment to the credit value chain.
Ethena raises $30m Series B for modern and effective compliance training
Ethena, a modern compliance training platform, announced it raised a $30 million Series B, led by Lachy Groom, with participation from existing investors including Felicis, Neo, Homebrew, and others.
Early stage venture capitalist ROBUST primed to bridge innovation gap across borders
Venture capital firm ROBUST has launched on the global stage, with an immediate focus on driving investment into disruptive and innovative companies with high growth potential.
Seae Ventures launches $107m Fund to invest in solutions addressing equity gaps in healthtech and fintech
Seae Ventures, a Boston-based venture capital firm dedicated to advancing equity by investing in women and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) entrepreneurs, has launched its inaugural fund of $107m.
Oslo-based Findable secures €2m seed round for its first-to-market building documentation automation platform
Findable, the Oslo-based startup that automates building documentation using Artificial Intelligence (AI), raised a €2 million seed round led by KOMPAS, with participation by Construct Venture.
Constant Ventures launches $100m venture capital fund to invest in tech startups across West Africa
Constant Ventures, a part of the Constant Group, is raising a $100 million venture capital fund to invest across a range of technology startups with a focus on financial inclusion, education and healthcare.
Investing platform Pluto raises $4m seed round to make systematic investing accessible
Pluto, a free investing platform that makes it easy for stock market traders to enhance their efforts with systematic investing, has closed a $4 million dollar seed round led by at.inc/ Nadav Eylath.
Stellate raises $30m funding to build the global data graph
Stellate, formerly known as GraphCDN, is bringing its expertise in GraphQL APIs to the masses with the help of a $25 million Series A from Tiger Global and a $5 million seed round led by boldstart ventures.
BRV China-backed eVTOL startup Zerog closes $1.48m seed round to accelerate growth
Zerog, a Chinese electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer, completed a $1.48 million seed round with BlueRun Ventures China (BRV China) as the sole investor.
Kenyan E-health startup Maisha Meds hits 1000 active facilities, expands to Nigeria
Kenyan digital pharmacy network Maisha Meds announced it has reached1,000 active facilities, making it one of the largest digital pharmacy networks in sub-Saharan Africa.
UK-based tech startup Florence raises $35m series B funding to revolutionise social care
Florence, the UK-based tech innovator for social care, announced it has raised $35 million through a Series B funding round. Florence will use the investment for product expansion to support care in the UK.
Oregon-based Dutch Bros raises $2.3m to help end ALS
Dutch Bros, a drive-through coffee chain headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, announced that together with its customers, raised a record breaking $2.3 million during its 16th annual Drink One for Dane day.
Temasek launches investment platform GenZero to accelerate decarbonisation globally
Temasek announced the launch of GenZero, a wholly-owned investment platform company dedicated to accelerating decarbonisation globally.
Santa Barbara Venture Partners launches $11m Fund to help companies accelerate customer acquisition
Venture capital firm Santa Barbara Venture Partners (SBVP) announced the final close of its $11 million inaugural Fund I focused primarily on investing in tech and tech-enabled firms.
Nigerian edtech startup Afrilearn attracts UNICEF Innovation Fund
Nigerian edtech startup Afrilearn has emerged as the only Nigerian startup to join the latest cohort of the UNICEF Venture Fund.
Ugandan fintech startup Eversend rebrands, announces new features
Eversend, a Ugandan fintech startup providing cross-border money transfers for Africans and Africans in the diaspora has rebranded, to reinforce its commitment to users with an all-inclusive payment platform and a modified look to support this transition.
Constrafor raises $100m+ to increase the construction industry's productivity, dispel cash flow problems
Constrafor, a SaaS construction procurement platform with embedded financing, announced its $100 million+ Seed fundraise in debt and equity to build out new functionality.
RH Capital announces three new investments to improve women's heath
RH Capital, the women's health venture capital fund, announced three new investments to improve health outcomes for women in the US.
Text messaging startup Prokeep raises $9m to modernize distributor communications and commerce
Prokeep, the communications and commerce platform built exclusively for distributors, announced the closing of $9 million seed round.
SaaS recruitment startup HourWork raises additional $2.5m funding to accelerate growth
HourWork, a SaaS recruitment and retention platform for quick-serve restaurant (QSR) franchise owners, announced the closing of $2.5 million in additional Series A funding led by MassMutual's MM Catalyst Fund (MMCF).
Binance Labs closes $500m investment fund to boost blockchain, Web3 and value-building technologies
Binance Labs, the venture capital and incubation arm of Binance, announced the closing of $500 million investment fund to invest in projects that can extend the use cases of cryptocurrencies.
Indonesian social commerce startup Super completes $70m oversubscribed Series C round
Super, an Indonesian social commerce platform serving tier-2 and tier-3 cities and Indonesian rural areas, announced it completed a $70 million oversubscribed Series C round led by NEA with additional investment from Insignia Ventures Partners.
Vancouver cleantech startup VoltSafe introduces electrical technology to reduce the effects of inflation
Vancouver cleantech startup VoltSafe has introduced a new electrical technology to reduce inflation effects in marine, automotive and housing industries.
Swiss Web3 payment startup DePay brings Web3 P2P payment gateway to eligible Shopify merchants
Swiss Web3 payment startup DePay, announced its official integration into omnichannel commerce platform Shopify, allowing for the very first integration of a wallet-to-wallet (P2P) payment solution for eligible Shopify merchants.
Upcycling startup Novoloop extends Series A round to $21m to develop industrial capabilities
Advanced upcycling startup Novoloop nnounced it has expanded its Series A to $21 million through an oversubscribed extension led by Mistletoe Singapore and Hanwha Solutions.
Data analytics startup Gigasheet closes $7m Series A to democratize big data analysis
Gigasheet, a startup that brings data science and big data analytics capabilities to anyone who can use a spreadsheet, announced it has closed $7 million in a Series A funding round.
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.
Indian data insights startup Synaptic raises $20m Series B funding to accelerate growth
Synaptic, an alternative data insights startup, announced the successful closure of $20 million in Series B funding round led by Valor Equity Partne
Nutrition startup Culina Health raises $4.75m funding to democratize access to clinical nutrition
Culina Health, Co-founded by Registered Dietitian Vanessa Rissetto and Steven Kuyan, announced it has secured $4.75 million in seed funding.
Birmingham-based startup Astound raises $1m seed round to improve university access to corporate-sponsored research funding
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.
Bonfire Ventures raises $230m for two new funds to help B2B software startups beat the odds
Bonfire Ventures, the firm helping seed-stage B2B software companies beat the odds, announced the close of its third core seed fund at $168 million, and its second opportunity fund, at $63 million.
AAEC and WAEMU renew partnership with additional funding of 10 million CFA
The support will go towards improving the performance of the Africa e-Trade Hub platform to cater for the exchange of electronic certificates of origin as well as consolidating ongoing initiatives and further support Member States in the process of simplifying procedures and formalities.
e-Commerce logistics startup Kubbo begins international expansion, starts Italy operations
e-Commerce logistics startup Kubbo, announced its first international move to expand its model of digitising logistics for brands and ecommerce companies. The operator has launched its activity in Italy.
Fintech startup BridgerPay raises $6m seed round for self-onboarding payment operations platform
BridgerPay, a Limassol, Cyprus-based payment operations platform provider, raised $6 million in seed (equity and secondary) funding, to build the world's first self-onboarding payment operations platform.
Dough Ecommerce Capital partners with Byrne Capital to scale DTC businesses online
Dough Ecommerce Capital and Byrne Capital Ventures announced a strategic partnership to invest in and acquire direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce businesses.
Salaries for startup CEOs break records, Kruze Consulting
Kruze Consulting, a CPA and finance consulting company for VC-backed startups, released new data on the average salary for startup CEOs.
e-Commerce startup byrd raises $56m Series C to become Europe-wide standard for next-day delivery
e-Commerce fulfillment technology startup byrd has raised a Series C round of $56 million, bringing the funding raised within the last 10 months to $75 million.
Nigerian retail tech startup TradeDepot appoints Chidi Akubuiro as Managing Director for West Africa
TradeDepot, a B2B e-Commerce and embedded finance platform in Africa, has appointed former Coca Cola HBC and Hayat Kimya Nigeria Executive, Chidi Akubuiro as its Managing Director for West Africa.
Viva Technology, IFC announce 45 emerging African startups to compete for the 2022 AfricaTech Awards
Viva Technology and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), announced the top 45 startups that have been long-listed for the first edition of the AfricaTech Awards.
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.
African B2B marketplace Kwely nabs $1m seed round to accelerate growth
African B2B marketplace Kwely finalized a $1 million seed funding round with a $700,000 injection of fresh capital led by WIC Capital with participation from Loftyinc Capital, Afropreneur Angels, Haskè Ventures and other angel investors.
Estonian e-Store startup Upty acquires Finnish peer Rekki, opens up seed round
Estonian startup Upty, the resale e-Store in the Baltic region, announced the acquisition of its Finnish peer, Rekki. In addition, Upty is planning to kick-start the fundraising in the coming months in order to pursue the Company's accelerated expansion across Europe.
Kenyan mobile commerce startup Copia appoints former Amazon Executive to its Board
Copia Global, a Kenyan-based mobile commerce platform has announced the appointment of former Amazon executive Jason Murray to its Board.
Kenya-focused social e-Commerce startup Elloe raises over $1m in pre-seed round
Elloe, a US-based social e-Commerce startup focused on Kenya and emerging markets, announced the raise of an undisclosed amount in pre-Seed funding. Investors for the round were led by Philippines’ Mad Ventures, Inc.
Colombian-based consumer and fintech startup Leal secures $10m Series A round to scale growth
Colombian-based consumer and fintech company Leal has raised a $10 million Series A round co-led by global internet services leader Rakuten Group – through its investment arm Rakuten Capital – and IDC Ventures global fintech investment firm.
Kenyan social commerce startup Tushop raises $3m pre-seed funding to accelerate growth
Tushop, a Kenyan social-commerce platform that enables group-buying of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs), announced it has raised $3 million in pre-seed funding, led by 4DX Ventures.
AI-powered video commerce startup Vyrill raises $3m seed round to accelerate growth
VYRILL, a startup that enables video commerce with new, innovative 'in-video' search technology, announced the closing of a $3 million seed round of funding led by Noemis Ventures and Lightship Capital.
Nigerian B2B startup Kwik closes $2m Series A round to digitize informal African trade
French-Nigerian B2B startup Kwik, a fast-growing provider of SaaS logistics services to social vendors and e-commerce platforms in Africa, has announced that it successfully closed its $2 million Series A round.
Israeli data integration startup Triple Whale raises $27.7m to develop default e-Commerce operating system for Shopify brands
Triple Whale, the all-in-one operating system for Shopify brands, announced it has raised $27.7 million in an extended Series A, the company's first announced funding round since its foundation in May 2021.
Lipa Later selects Hotpoint as new retail partner
Lipa Later, a payment option that allows customers to purchase commodities through affordable monthly instalments has on-boarded Hotpoint as a new retail partner. Hotpoint appliances is Kenya’s premier supplier of Home Appliances and Electronics.
Kenyan e-Commerce startup Sokowatch raises $125m, rebrands to Wasoko
Kenyan based B2B e-Commerce startup Sokowatch has raised a $125 million Series B equity round, the largest venture financing round ever raised for a non-fintech startup in Africa.
Product photo performance startup Bloom raises $1.1m seed round funding to bring generative AI to e-Commerce
Product photo performance engine Bloom announced it has raised $1.1 million at the close of its seed funding round.
Colombian startup Yuno raises $10m seed round to solve online payments in Latin America
Yuno, a Colombia-based startup has raised a $10 million seed round to bring to Latin American companies an easy online checkout solution that solves the pain point of managing multiple payment methods.
Canadian tech startup Calico secures $2.1m to revolutionize modern supply chains
Calico, the developer of the first AI-powered smart supply chain management platform, announced it has raised $2 million in seed funding. The growth financing is led by Serena Ventures following 300% growth since January 2022.
On-demand delivery platform Glovo launches pitch competition for early-stage tech startups in Kenya
On-demand delivery platform Glovo has launched a pitch competition targeting early-stage tech startups in Kenya that are delivering value to SMEs.
e-Commerce startup The Host Co. raises $1.85m to revolutionize short-term rental industry
The Host Co., the first-of-its-kind digital commerce marketplace for short-term rentals, announced an oversubscribed $1.85 million seed funding round, led by HearstLab with participation from The Artemis Fund and Untapped Capital.
Israeli logistics startup PrettyDamnQuick raises $6m seed round to expand growth in the U.S.
Israeli e-Commerce startup PrettyDamnQuick, the provider of checkout-to-delivery management platforms for e-Commerce businesses, announced the closing of $6 million seed investment round.
Retailtech startup Cortina raises $6m seed round to accelerate growth
Cortina, a revolutionary software solution that gives any retailer, from big box to mom-and-pop, the power to become a player in the fast-evolving marketplace revolution, announced it has closed $6 million in seed money.
Kenyan foodtech startup Kune starts commercial operations in Nairobi
Kenyan foodtech startup Kune has officially launched commercial operations with four meal hubs located in strategic locations in Nairobi.
Cross-border fintech startup Dowsure raises $20m to fuel growth of e-Commerce sellers in China
Shenzhen-based fintech startup Dowsure Technologies, has attracted the attention of global strategic investors, fueling the growth of millions of e-Commerce sellers from China on marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Shopee and more.
Kenyan retail tech startup MarketForce raises $40m Series A to scale up super app for Africa’s informal merchants
MarketForce, the Nairobi-headquartered B2B platform for retail distribution of consumer goods and digital financial services in Africa, announced the closing of a $40 million Series A round.
African fintech Flutterwave rebrands, introduces new products and services
African fintech startup Flutterwave has unveiled a significant re-brand and identity during the Flutterwave 3.0, virtual event held on Friday, 18th February 2022.
[African Startup Review] Pie Kamau: Nigerian fintech Flutterwave is now Africa's highest valued Unicorn
As the African fintech industry continues to bloom, so does the funding. Flutterwave has now become Africa's highest valued startup after closing $250 million Series D funding, bringing the company’s valuation to over $3 billion.
German startup Cansativa closes $15m Series B to become the ‘Amazon’ of cannabis for Europe
Cansativa Group announced it has closed a $15 million Series B investment led by Casa Verde with participation by Argonautic Ventures and Munich-based family office Alluti.
Raydiant startup raises $30m Series B to reimagine in-store experiences for brick and mortars
Raydiant, the in-location experience management platform for brick-and-mortar enterprises, announced it has raised a $30 million Series B funding round led by 8VC and Atomic Ventures.
MENA's c-Commerce startup Zbooni launches in Egypt
Zbooni, MENA's c-Commerce (connected commerce) platform, has announced its official launch in Egypt. The rapidly scaling startup, which is backed by regional and global investors, will support the backbone of the Egyptian economy.
Fraugster partners with Dutch-based fintech startup Payaut to provide fraud prevention services to e-Commerce marketplaces
Fraugster, a German-Israeli payment intelligence company, has partnered with marketplace payout specialist Payaut, an Amsterdam-based fintech startup, to provide fraud prevention services to marketplaces.
[African Startup Review] Pie Kamau: Capital funding for tech startups gain momentum in 2022
The startup ecosystem in Africa is taking shape. A lot of technological innovations especially in the areas of fintech, e-mobility, e-commerce, healthtech, foodtech and cleantech have seen accelerated growth towards Africa’s digital transformation and innovation.
Vietnam-focused retail investing app Infina closes $6m seed funding to accelerate growth
Vietnam-focused retail investing app Infina, announced the closing of $6 million in seed funding from Sequoia Capital India’s Surge, Y Combinator, Saison Capital, Starling Ventures, Alpha JWC, and AppWorks.
Agribusiness e-Commerce startup Agrizon receives investment to expand operations in Latin America
Agrizon, a specialized cross-border e-Commerce company that connects and delivers worldwide brands of ag inputs to farmers and businesses, has received investment from Latin Leap Venture Capital Studio to expand operations in Latin America.
SaaS management startup NachoNacho raises $3m to upend the SaaS industry
NachoNacho, a single destination for businesses to manage, discover, and buy SaaS products, and for SaaS vendors to acquire net new paying customers, announced the close of $3 million seed round.
B2B marketplace startup Retailo raises $36m Series A funding to empower community commerce in the MENA region
Retailo, the B2B marketplace startup for retailers in Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan (MENAP), has raised $36 million in its Series A investment round which was a mix of equity and venture debt.
South African delivery startup Orderin raises $4.7m pre-Series B funding for expansion
South African B2B delivery-as-a-service (DaaS) startup Orderin has raised $4.7 million pre-Series B funding to scale its infrastructure and improve its last-mile delivery service.
Grocery logistics startup EasyBins raises $2m late stage seed round for expansion
EasyBins, a company solving the grocery logistics problem for suburban markets in North America, announced $2 million late stage seed round funding to expand its geographic footprint and invest in technology and staff.
Morocco fintech startup Chari closes a bridge round to pilot BNPL services with grocery stores in Francophone Africa
Aiming to take a serious step towards the Fintech space, Chari has announced the closing of a bridge round led by the Saudi-based venture capital fund Khwarizmi Ventures (KV).
Kenyan mobile commerce startup Copia raises $50m to ramp up African expansion
Kenyan-based mobile commerce platform Copia Global raised $50 million in a Series C equity round led by Goodwell Investments.
DutchFounders launches €62m seed fund to back founders building the next wave of marketplaces in Europe
DutchFounders has reached the final close for its second fund, making more than €62m ($70m) available for early-stage marketplaces and so-called marketplace enablers.
Kenyan BNPL startup Lipa Later secures $12m funding to expand across Africa
Lipa Later, one of it’s kind buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) company operating in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Nigeria, has raised $12 million from a consortium of investors.
Irish digital food-ordering startup Flipdish raises €87m funding to transform digital consumer experience in hospitality
Irish digital food-ordering platform Flipdish has become the State’s fifth official home-grown tech unicorn following a new €87 million investment led by global technology company Tencent and Tiger Global.
Ivorian e-Commerce startup Afrikrea raises $6.2m pre-Series A funding, rebrands to 'ANKA'
Afrikrea, an Ivorian e-Commerce startup has raised $6.2 million pre-Series A funding round led by Investisseurs & Partenaires. The startup has also rebranded to 'ANKA'.
Nigerian last-mile delivery startup Kwik reaches 100,000 customers, announces over 400% GMV and revenue growth for 2021
Nigeria's last-mile delivery startup Kwik Delivery, trading name of Africa Delivery Technologies SAS, announced its GMV and revenue for 2021 grew by over 400% year on year.
CellPoint Digital secures $25 million investment to boost entry into new markets
CellPoint Digital, a global provider of digital commerce and payment solutions, has announced an equity financing round of $25M provided by Toscafund and its private equity arm, Penta Capital, to build on a series of major successes in recent years.
Alibaba announces 50 small businesses receiving $10,000 grants to catalyze entrepreneur economy
Alibaba.com, one of the world’s largest B2B ecommerce marketplaces and a business unit of Alibaba Group has announced the 50 entrepreneurs each receiving $10,000 grants from the first-ever Alibaba.com Grants Program.
Kenyan fintech startup Tanda inks deal with Twiga Foods to enable vendors vend its digital financial services
Kenya’s fintech startup Tanda announced a new partnership with Twiga Foods that will see Twiga vendors become a one-stop-shop for a variety of digital and financial services offered by Tanda.
Egyptian fintech startup Sympl raises $6 million to accelerate growth of its merchant network
Sympl will use the proceeds to accelerate the growth of its merchant network to serve multiple product and service categories across online and in-store merchants as well as improving the product offering to better serve the platform customers.
Kenyan-based Penda Health partners with femtech e-Commerce startup Kasha to ease contraceptive access for consumers
Healthcare solution provider Penda Health announced a partnership with Rwandan femtech e-Commerce startup Kasha, to enable increase access to contraceptive products via the Kasha digital platform.
Nigerian B2B e-Commerce startup TradeDepot raises $110m to extend ‘Buy-Now-Pay-Later’ services to African retailers
TradeDepot, the B2B e-Commerce and embedded finance platform in Africa, has raised $110 million in an equity and debt funding round to support the delivery of Buy-Now-Pay-Later services to SME retailers.
[Startup Interview] Sophie Tarif, Nina van Boxtel, Founders, BOETIEK, Netherlands
BOETIEK, a Dutch startup, works with local boutiques and brands to increase audiences and increase online sales. The platform offers a wide range of products and services from latest fashion trends to new online boutiques and concept stores.
Fintech startup Rapyd partners with shopping app nate to expand eCommerce reach globally
Rapyd seeks to serve customers with the best consumer experiences and is thrilled to partner with one of the faster growing consumer shopping apps to support its global expansion.
Retail media research startup Future Commerce announces launch of weekly podcast
Infinite Shelf recognizes that digital media and eCommerce tactics and strategies are no longer confined to traditional eCommerce channels and direct-to-consumer.
London-based healthcare startup Gravitiq raises $55m seed round to expand portfolio of e-Commerce healthcare brands
Gravitiq, the doctor-founded and led healthcare brand aggregator, announced the close of its seed funding round, raising a total of $55 million.
Indonesia's Hypefast emerges from stealth mode as the largest house of e-Commerce native brands in Southeast Asia
Hypefast, Southeast Asia's (SEA) largest house of e-Commerce native brands, announced it has grown its portfolio to more than 25 brands and has been achieving full profitability.
Home fashion startup Modern Matter raises $1.2m seed round to accelerate growth of its e-Commerce platform
Modern Matter, a design company and manufacturer of decorative and architectural hardware, raised $1.2 million in seed capital. Modern Matter collaborates with leading designers to develop exclusive hardware designs for luxury homeowners.
Digital payments startup MFS Africa raises $100 million to expand across the continent
MFS Africa, Africa’s digital payments network, has raised $100 million through an equity and debt financing round.
Indian full-stack agritech startup DeHaat raises $115m Series D round
DeHaat, the technology-based platform offering end-to-end agricultural services to farmers in India, announced it has raised $115 million in Series D funding, led by Belgium based investment firm Sofina and Lightrock India.
Four Ghanaian startups join the Catalyst Fund Inclusive Digital Commerce accelerator
Four startups from Ghana have joined The Catalyst Fund Inclusive Digital Commerce Accelerator, a programme that supports innovators building digital commerce solutions.
Indian e-Commerce startup LoveLocal raises $18m Pre-Series B investment round to accelerate growth
LoveLocal, India's hyper-local e-Commerce platform empowering local retailers, has raised $18 million in a Pre-Series B investment round.
Berlin-based on-demand delivery startup Gorillas secures close to $1b Series C funding, the largest European round in its sector to date
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
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.
ShipHero opens accelerator program to support emerging e-Commerce startups
ShipHero, the shipping and logistics provider for over 5,000 e-commerce brands and 3PLs, announced a new accelerator program for e-Commerce startups looking to supercharge their businesses with best-in-class warehouse management software.
Unilever invites startups to partner through Positive Beauty Growth Platform
Unilever announced the launch of the Positive Beauty Growth Platform, a new initiative which aims to partner with scaleups and startups to drive innovation and brand growth.
Delivery startup Glovo expands its African footprints
Leading multi-category delivery platform Glovo recently announced the expansion of its operations in Africa, to include Ghana and Tunisia, bringing its current operations to a total of seven countries on the continent.
Healthtech startup bttn. adds PlastCareUSA to burgeoning supplier ecosystem
bttn., a Healthtech startup providing a B2B e-Commerce platform for purchasing medical supplies, announced an expansion to its product catalog with the addition of 93 PlastCare USA products for dental practitioners.
Workwear startup BRUNT raises $8.4m Series A funding to accelerate growth
BRUNT Workwear, a modern work boot and apparel brand designed for today's construction workers and tradespeople, closed an $8.4 million Series A round to accelerate its growth and meet demand as the company disrupts a $12 billion-dollar category in the US.
Foodtech startup GrubMarket acquires Bartolotta, further expands in Eastern US and Canada
Food technology startup GrubMarket announced it has completed the acquisition of Bartolotta, a full-service provider of fresh fruits and vegetables to customers in New England, the Mid-Atlantic and Eastern Canada.
[Startup Interview] Nicolas d'Audiffret, Co-Founder, Ankorstore
Ankorstore is an online B2B marketplace connecting brand and retailers, all around Europe.
Wine & spirits e-Commerce startup Speakeasy Co. raises $2m seed round to accelerate growth
Speakeasy Co., a technology company and e-commerce platform for the wine & spirits industry, announced a $2 million seed round led by Trog Hawley Capital LLC with participation from other notable investors.
Kenyan retail tech startup MarketForce raises $100,000 funding from Harambeans Prosperity Fund
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.
Egyptian B2B e-commerce startup MaxAB acquires distribution platform WaystoCap
MaxAB, Egyptian B2B e-commerce platform that serves food and grocery retailers, has acquired WaystoCap, the Morocco-based B2B e-commerce and distribution platform that connects retailers with suppliers across Africa.
End-to-end e-Commerce startup Cart.com raises $98m Series B to deliver integrated solutions for e-Commerce brands
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.
Ghanaian startup Plendify launches B2B e-Commerce marketplace
Ghanaian startup Plendify has launched a B2B e-Commerce marketplace to connect customers with small and large African wholesalers, manufacturers, exporters, and importers.
Full-stack delivery scale-up Merqueo raises $50m Series C to expand its grocery delivery service across Latin America
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
Rapyd, a global Fintech as a Service company, announced a $300 million Series E funding round led by Target Global.
Hospitality tech startup Bbot raises $15m Series A to expand platform capabilities, improve support for restaurants
Bbot, a hospitality tech startup dedicated to simplifying and improving the ordering and payments process for restaurants, announced $15 million in Series A funding led by CRV.
Egyptian social e-Commerce startup Taager raises $6.4m seed round
Taager, an Egyptian social e-Commerce startup raised a $6.4 million seed funding round to help it scale its platform and expand across the Middle East.
unybrands startup raises $300m in growth capital to acquire and scale e-Commerce businesses
unybrands, an integrated platform for e-Commerce businesses looking to scale their operations on and off Amazon, announced the closing of up to $300 million in growth capital with Crayhill Capital Management.
Kenyan startup Marketforce appoints Ore Omolaja as Country Manager, Head of Business for Nigeria
Marketforce, the Kenyan-based B2B platform for retail distribution of consumer goods and digital financial services in Africa, announced the appointment of Ore Omolaja as the Nigeria Country Manager and Head of Business, effective 15th July 2021.
Kenyan startup MarketForce raises $2m pre-Series A to scale B2B retail marketplace, RejaReja
MarketForce, the Kenyan-based B2B platform for retail distribution of consumer goods and digital financial services in Africa, announced a $2 million pre-Series A round, bringing total funding to-date to $2.5 million.
FDJ announces partnership with Plug and Play Brand & Retail France
FDJ announced the beginning of a partnership with Plug and Play, world's open innovation platform.
Codat startup raises $40m, expands its API infrastructure for SME data
Codat, the technology company that enables small businesses to seamlessly share business and financial data with financial and other service providers, secures $40 million from investors, following 3x annual growth and doubling of headcount.
NYC creator economy startup Pietra raises $15m to champion creators, streamline entrepreneurship
Pietra, the new platform that gives Creators the tools to bring an idea for a product line or brand to life from start to finish, today announced it has raised $15 million in a Series A funding round.
Cannabis marketplace and purchasing platform MainStem named Microsoft Partner for Startups
MainStem, the cannabis industry's only marketplace and combined integrated purchasing platform, announced it has been selected as a Microsoft Partner for Startups.
Predictive Kids' e-Commerce startup Ten Little raises $5m to disrupt children's marketplace with personalized guidance
Ten Little, the predictive e-Commerce platform helping parents navigate the cluttered kids product space, announced the close of its $5 million seed round led by Kindred Ventures.
MarketForce acquires Digiduka startup to consolidate distribution of consumer goods with digital financial services in Africa
MarketForce, the end-to-end retail distribution platform for consumer brands in Africa, announced the strategic acquisition of Digiduka, a startup on a mission to bring informal retailers in Africa into the digital economy.
Brazilian logtech startup Uello concludes $4m Series A investment deal led by the Btomorrow Ventures
Uello, a Brazilian logtech startup that uses technology and a collaborative network to provide express freight services with superior experience, concluded its Series A investment deal with an investment injection of $4 million.
SaaS startup Synder raises $2m in late seed round to revolutionize accounting for e-Commerce
TMT investments venture fund invested $2 million as a lead investor in a late seed round into Synder, an easy accounting solution for e-Commerce businesses.
Floral tech startup Something Borrowed Blooms raises $1.5m Series A funding to accelerate growth
Something Borrowed Blooms, the pioneer of the silk wedding flower revolution, announced a $1.5 million Series A funding round led by Callais Capital. This investment brings the total raise by the company to just over $2 million since 2015.
Rapyd launches venture arm to propel digital commerce and payment innovation globally
Rapyd, a global Fintech-as-a-Service company, announced today the launch of Rapyd Ventures, its new venture arm that will focus on investing in early and growth stage businesses that are delivering the next wave of financial services innovation.
Healthcare fintech startup Green Feather secures $1.5m in seed round
Green Feather, an Atlanta-based healthcare fintech company, announced a seed capital raise of $1.5 million. The capital will bolster customer acquisition and engineering resources for Feather Pay, Green Feather's next-generation patient payments platform.
Plug and Play Canada selects 12 startups to participate in Toronto Supply Chain and Logistics Program
Plug and Play Canada announced the selection of 12 startups into the first batch of the Toronto Supply Chain & Logistics Program.
Consumer warranty startup Upsie secures $18.2m Series A round to accelerate growth
Upsie, a consumer-centric platform for purchasing product warranties, announced it has raised a $18.2 million fundraising round led by True Ventures.
On-demand delivery management startup Cartwheel raises $1m seed round to accelerate growth
Cartwheel, an on-demand delivery management platform for restaurants and retailers, announced it has raised a $1 million seed round led by TenOneTen Ventures with participation from Act One Ventures and Portillo's Hot Dogs,
Foodtech startup GrubMarket acquires Vaccaro & Sons to expand to St. Louis, Missouri
San Francisco-based food technology startup GrubMarket announced it has completed the acquisition of Vaccaro & Sons in St. Louis, Missouri.
Mastercard invests in Rwandan femtech e-Commerce startup Kasha Global
Mastercard announced a new investment in Rwandan female-focused e-Commerce platform Kasha Global, to continue shared efforts to ensure women across emerging markets have essential access to health.
Subscription Management startup Chargebee raises $125m Series G funding to accelerate global shift to subscriptions
Chargebee, the subscription billing and revenue management platform, announced a fresh round of $125 million in series G funding, co-led by new investor Sapphire Ventures and existing investors Tiger Global and Insight Venture Partners.
Nigerian last-mile delivery startup Kwik Delivery releases Prestashop plugin
After the release of its plugins for Shopify and Magento, Kwik Delivery has released its plugin for Prestashop.
Twenty-two startups join second cohort of UNICEF StartUp Lab in Ghana
UNICEF announced the launch of the 2021 cohort of the UNICEF StartUp Lab, a co-creation space and accelerator, that engages young startups in the development of innovative, open-source, market-driven products and solutions.
Kenyan logistics startup Amitruck and Sky.Garden announce last mile goods pick-up and deliveries partnership
Logistics platform Amitruck and e-Commerce platform Sky.Garden have partnered to form an end-to-end digital chain for goods pick-up and deliveries to the last mile.
Berkeley-based incubator Batchery announces new cohort of startups, "Batch 12"
Eleven early-stage startups have joined the Batchery's three-month Deep Dive program for entrepreneurs. The program focuses on helping startups get over their first set of growth hurdles.
[Interview] Esinam Yevu, Co-Founder, PayBox, Ghana
Esinam Yevu is Co-Founder and Communications Lead at Ghanaian fintech startup, PayBox
ASIP Accelerator Program open for applications from disruptive startups in Africa
To develop the potential of startups driving the internet economy, Telecel Group has opened applications for the ASIP Accelerator Program powered by Startupbootcamp AfriTech.
Snap acquires tech startup Fit Analytics
Snapchat's parent company Snap has acquired Fit Analytics, a technology startup that has built technology to help shoppers pick the right-sized clothing and footwear when they shop online.
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