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Published: 06-04-2018 16:44:00 | By: Nico Scherphuis | hits: 3768012 | Tags:

e-Commerce startup Uzum becomes first tech unicorn in Uzbekistan
Published: 28-03-2024 | 12:10:00 | By: Pie Kamau
























BeatMarket platform launches to empower long-term retail investors
Published: 26-10-2023 | 14:45:00 | By: Pie Kamau


Insurtech startup QuoteWell comes out of stealth, raises $15m Series A funding round
Published: 25-10-2023 | 12:00:00 | By: Pie Kamau
QuoteWell has announced the launch of its brokerage operations.


E-commerce tech platform MarketLeap secures €2.6m to expand brands’ global reach and revenue
Published: 10-10-2023 | 12:03:00 | By: Pie Kamau
MarketLeap has secured €1.5m funding.


Canadian e-Commerce inventory platform Centro launches with $2m pre-seed funding round
Published: 05-10-2023 | 12:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
e-Commerce inventory platform Centro, announced a $2m in pre-seed funding.


French startup Kamino Retail raises €1.25m pre-seed round to accelerate growth
Published: 29-09-2023 | 12:27:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kamino Retail announced a pre-seed funding of €1.25m from business angels.


Nigerian mobility startup Mecho Autotech raises $2.4m, ventures into wholesale spare parts distribution
Published: 15-09-2023 | 13:02:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigerian mobility startup Mecho Autotech, has closed $2.4m pre-Series A investment.


Harmonya raises $20m Series A to transform CPG and retail with AI-powered product data
Published: 05-09-2023 | 15:51:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Harmonya announced a $20m Series A, bringing total funding to $25 million.


Kids footwear brand jbrds closes $500k seed round, establishes $5m valuation
Published: 04-09-2023 | 14:56:00 | By: Pie Kamau
jbrds has subscribed a modest seed round of $500k, establishing a $5,000,000 valuation.


Swedish fintech Klarna records growth in key European markets
Published: 23-08-2023 | 12:14:49 | By: Pie Kamau
Klarna, the global payments network and shopping assistant, announced strong growth across Europe.


B2B marketplace startup Ghost raises $30m to help brands and retailers move surplus inventory
Published: 22-08-2023 | 13:12:00 | By: Pie Kamau
B2B marketplace startup Ghost has raised $30m Series B funding.


Kenyan agritech startup Kyosk acquires KwikBasket, expands into fresh produce market
Published: 10-07-2023 | 11:09:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kenyan agritech startup Kyosk, is expanding into the African fresh produce market.


Kenyan fashion e-Commerce startup ShopZetu raises pre-seed funding to fuel growth of its marketplace
Published: 29-06-2023 | 14:25:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kenyan fashion e-Commerce startup ShopZetu has raised $1m pre-seed funding.


[Interview] Caroline Mutuku, General Manager, Glovo, Kenya
Published: 09-06-2023 | 12:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Caroline Mutuku is Kenya's General Manager of multi-category app Glovo.


How payment technology is changing the rulebook on South African retail
Published: 31-05-2023 | 10:48:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The past few years have seen the proliferation of new methods of transacting.


Dental marketplace Wellplaece launches with $5.5m seed round
Published: 31-05-2023 | 10:05:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Dental marketplace Wellplaece announced the company's Private Beta launch.


Genetica raises $500k seed round to make cannabis shopping smarter with AI
Published: 29-05-2023 | 14:04:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Genetica, an AI cannabis retail platform, announced the close of its seed round.


Austrian SaaS startup Shopstory scores million-dollar investment to accelerate growth
Published: 25-05-2023 | 14:31:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Austrian SaaS startup Shopstory has scored another million-dollar investment.


Singapore-based tech-enabled coffee chain Flash Coffee extends Series B round to $50m
Published: 17-05-2023 | 13:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Singapore-based tech-enabled coffee chain Flash Coffee has announced the successful completion of its Series B financing round led by White Star Capital, raising a total of $50 million following its latest closing.


Kenya's B2B e-Commerce startup Wasoko expands to Zambia
Published: 11-05-2023 | 14:10:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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. 


Africa’s mezzanine debt fund manager Vantage Capital exits Dynamic Bedding
Published: 03-05-2023 | 09:12:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Vantage Capital, Africa’s mezzanine debt fund manager, announced it has fully exited its investment in Dynamic Bedding, a South African specialist bed manufacturer and retailer.


GCPL to invest $12m in early-stage Indian consumer startups
Published: 12-04-2023 | 13:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), announced that it will be investing INR 100 Crore ($12 million) in Early Spring, a new INR 300 Crore early-stage consumer fund being set up by Spring Marketing Capital (Spring).


Forces shaping the retail landscape in 2023, ESW
Published: 28-03-2023 | 16:03:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Brands and merchants are constantly adapting to the ever-changing forces that shape the retail landscape


California furniture startup Woodsy announces pre-seed funding round, launches Kickstarter
Published: 24-03-2023 | 13:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Woodsy, a California furniture startup manufacturing affordable solid wood furniture, announced its first product on Kickstarter, surpassing its funding goal in 6 hours.


3 key trends in retail and brand innovation, Plug and Play
Published: 14-03-2023 | 10:58:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Vue.ai announces new AI powered models to generate inclusive ad creatives through Meta's Creative Shop
Published: 01-03-2023 | 16:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 23-02-2023 | 14:03:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Berlin's EatFirst acquires London-based foodtech startup Feedr to accelerate growth
Published: 13-02-2023 | 10:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Berlin-based corporate food ordering platform EatFirst, has acquired Feedr, a London-based enterprise food technology platform that gives corporate customers software to support healthier daily eating in workplaces.


Bangladeshi B2B commerce platform ShopUp secures $30m debt financing to fuel expansion, strengthen supply chain operations
Published: 03-02-2023 | 11:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Food Foundry accelerator announces fifth cohort of early-stage foodservice startups
Published: 23-01-2023 | 11:42:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Boulder-based startup Hickey Hack develops first ever concealer for hickeys
Published: 13-01-2023 | 08:34:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Hickey Hack, a startup based in Boulder, Colorado, has developed a concealer designed to eliminate hickeys. This is the first time a product like this has ever been created and is a major breakthrough in the cosmetic industry.


Nigerian online furniture store Taeillo raises $2.5m for expansion
Published: 16-12-2022 | 13:17:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 16-12-2022 | 12:38:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Netail closes $5m seed funding to advance retail-focused AI development
Published: 01-12-2022 | 10:54:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Nigerian foodtech Orda raises $3.4m seed round to digitize African restaurants
Published: 01-12-2022 | 09:48:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigerian foodtech platform Orda announced has raised a $3.4 million seed round to further digitize food businesses across the continent.


Berlin-based AI-powered startup Faircado raises €500K to transform E-commerce into Re-commerce
Published: 25-11-2022 | 08:23:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Tanzanian CPG startup Ramani raises $32m to digitize supply chains
Published: 24-11-2022 | 09:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Ramani, a Tanzanian startup focused on consumer-packaged goods (CPG) supply chains,  has raised $32 million in Series A debt-equity funding to introduce new financial services as it expands its operations.


Beverage startup Hangobi raises capital on StartEngine to accelerate growth
Published: 24-11-2022 | 08:35:23 | By: Pie Kamau
Beverage startup Hangobi announced it is raising capital on SearchEngine to expand its footprint beyond NYC,  bringing its healthy drinks to the masses.


Kenyan supply chain and logistics startup Leta secures $3m pre-seed funding to accelerate growth
Published: 23-11-2022 | 09:21:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Leta, the supply chain and logistics startup driving distribution optimization, announced the close of  $3 million Pre-Seed equity round.


Kenyan agritech startup Stable Foods raises $600k funding to grow its climate smart smallholder platform
Published: 22-11-2022 | 10:33:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Stable Foods, a Kenyan agritech startup offering a host of solutions to small-scale farmers, has raised $600k funding round, to build out its climate smart smallholder food production platform.


Demand for seamless, convenient way of shopping increase growth of e-Commerce in Africa
Published: 16-11-2022 | 10:14:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 14-11-2022 | 15:42:27 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Vue Storefront wins best e-Commerce and retail startup at The Europas Tech Startup Awards 2022
Published: 07-11-2022 | 09:08:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


New York startup Scent Lab personalizes the fragrance industry with immersive digital experiences and AI-tech
Published: 02-11-2022 | 10:04:16 | By: Pie Kamau
Scent Lab announced the launch of its online platform that’s changing the way consumers shop for fragrance. Scent Lab is the first digital destination that leverages immersive video experiences and AI tech.


London-based Sidekick raises £3.33m pre-seed to build a modern investment manager for today’s changing world
Published: 31-10-2022 | 07:39:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Sidekick, a digital active investment manager built for today’s rapidly changing world, announced a £3.33 million pre-seed equity round led by Octopus Ventures.


GS1 Hong Kong unlocks the next generation of trade finance service for SMEs in China
Published: 31-10-2022 | 07:21:00 | By: Pie Kamau
GS1 Hong Kong (GS1 HK) announced it has welcomed the launch of Commercial Data Interchange (CDI) by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).


Kenyan fintech startup Tanda announces agency banking entry in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania
Published: 28-10-2022 | 13:32:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kenyan fintech startup Tanda announced plans for agency banking entry in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania to accelerate growth within the East African markets.


Nigerian social commerce startup Bumpa raises $4m seed funding to build the future of commerce for African sellers
Published: 25-10-2022 | 14:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 24-10-2022 | 14:10:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Kenyan home furniture startup MoKo raises $6m to accelerate growth
Published: 17-10-2022 | 15:26:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kenyan home furniture startup MoKo announced it raised $6.5 million in a Series B funding round, which is a combination of debt and equity.


Climate infrastructure startup EcoCart raises $14.5m Series A to accelerate sustainable e-Commerce
Published: 11-10-2022 | 14:39:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Kenyan startup Kyosk Digital expands to Uganda
Published: 07-10-2022 | 14:46:27 | By: Bob Koigi
Kyosk Digital Services aims to address some of the challenges that vendors of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) go through in sourcing products and restocking their outlets.


[Startup Interview] Ehsan, Mohammad, Reza, Co-founders, Coco, Austria
Published: 30-09-2022 | 14:05:00 | By: Bob Koigi
CoCo is a social media analysis platform. It helps to increase the effectiveness of advertising campaigns on social networks.


German tech startup NeoCarbon raises €1.25 million to reverse climate change
Published: 30-09-2022 | 10:38:00 | By: Pie Kamau
NeoCarbon, a Berlin-based tech startup which retrofits cooling towers to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, announced it has raised €1.25 million in a Pre-Seed round co-led by PropTech1 and Speedinvest,


Fintech startup Tongo raises $7m seed funding to accelerate growth in its real estate market
Published: 30-09-2022 | 10:10:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Tongo, a fintech company realigning income and expenses for the commission economy, announced it has raised $7 million in seed funding. 


Plug and Play Alberta announces 50 startups for the second cohort of its accelerator programs
Published: 30-09-2022 | 09:52:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Plug and Play Alberta has announced 50 startups for the second cohort of its industry-specific startup accelerator programs. The companies will participate in one of the following programs: Health, Sustainability, and Sector Agnostic.


South Africa's home services startup SweepSouth closes $11m investment round led by Alitheia IDF
Published: 30-09-2022 | 09:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
SweepSouth, an online home services platform with a presence across Africa has completed a $11 million investment round led byAlitheia IDF (AIF), Africa’s first and largest gender-lens private equity fund.


Estonian startup KOOS raises $4m funding to accelerate the new era of ownership
Published: 30-09-2022 | 09:28:00 | By: Pie Kamau
KOOS, an Estonian-based startup, announced $4 million worth of seed funding led by high profile investors at Plural Platform with participation from investors including LocalGlobe, Tiny.vc and Matt Clifford.


Tech startup Coalesce secures $26m Series A funding to reinvent data transformation in the snowflake data cloud
Published: 30-09-2022 | 09:00:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Coalesce.io, the data transformation company, announced it has secured $26 million in Series A funding led by Emergence Capital, with participation from seed investors 11.2 Capital.


Daiichi Sankyo joins Munich-based Startup Creasphere's program powered by Plug and Play
Published: 28-09-2022 | 11:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Startup Creasphere, the Munich-based digital healthcare platform of Plug and Play, has announced its new partnership with Daiichi Sankyo.


London scaleup Wazoku raises £8.5m series B funding, acquires Danish intelligence startup Mindpool
Published: 28-09-2022 | 11:29:00 | By: Pie Kamau
London-based innovation scaleup Wazoku has closed a series B funding round of £8.5 million through investment from Octopus Ventures along with follow on from existing investors including Calculus Capital.


FNHIC launches to invest $2.5b in startups improving hunger and health outcomes through food
Published: 28-09-2022 | 11:13:00 | By: Pie Kamau
S2G Ventures, Food Systems for the Future and other partners launched the Food, Nutrition and Health Investor Coalition (FNHIC), a call to action to drive $2.5 billion in private investment.


UK scaleup White Label Loyalty launches in the U.S.
Published: 28-09-2022 | 11:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
UK-based loyalty technology experts White Label Loyalty is entering the US market for the first time, with opening of its firrst overseas office in New York.


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


Deep tech startup MATSUKO and European telcos partner to develop holographic presence
Published: 28-09-2022 | 09:48:00 | By: Pie Kamau
European telecom operators Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone, together with the deep tech startup MATSUKO, have conducted a pilot to make holographic calls easy.


Canadian Lia 27 becomes the new face of AI after closing seed funding round at $5m valuation
Published: 27-09-2022 | 16:35:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Canadian Artificial Intelligence (AI) company Lia 27 Inc, announced it has closed a seed funding round valuing the company at $5 million. The funding launches the one-year-old business into the next dimension. 


New Utah startup Oops offers doorstep return pickups for in-store and online purchases
Published: 27-09-2022 | 16:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Ghanaian agritech startup Farmerline raises $1.5m from Dutch investor Oikocredit
Published: 27-09-2022 | 15:59:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Ghanaian agritech startup Farmerline announced the second close of a Pre-Series A investment raise with an additional $1.5 million investment from Dutch social impact investor Oikocredit.


Dallas-based workforce finance startup Meritize taps JP Morgan vet as Business Development VP
Published: 27-09-2022 | 15:55:56 | By: Pie Kamau
Meritize, developer of merit-based financing solutions and a technology platform that connects career starters and mid-career professionals with high-impact skills training, announced it has hired Jeff Parks as the firm's Vice President of Business Development.


Ghanaian fintech SecondSTAX raises $1.6m pre-seed funding to expand to other countries
Published: 27-09-2022 | 15:45:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Ghanaian fintech SecondSTAX (Secondary Securities Trading and Aggregation eXchange), announced it has raised $1.6 million in pre-seed funding from private investors and venture capital firms, including LoftyInc Capital and STEMeIn.


French startup Prophesee closes €50m C Series round to drive commercialization of revolutionary neuromorphic vision technology
Published: 26-09-2022 | 15:57:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Prophesee, the inventor of advanced neuromorphic vision systems, announced the completion of its Series C round of funding with the addition of a new investment from Prosperity7 ventures.


Capacity trading startup Stere closes $5m seed to expand tech-driven solutions for the insurance sector
Published: 26-09-2022 | 15:42:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Stere, a capacity trading platform specializing in capacity sourcing and unique digital capabilities for embedded insurance partners and MGAs, announced it has closed a $5 million funding round.


Detroit cloud-based startup KODE Labs raises $8m to advance its smart building platform
Published: 26-09-2022 | 15:29:00 | By: Pie Kamau
KODE Labs, a Detroit cloud-based smart building startup, announced it has raised a Series A investment of $8 million led by I Squared Capital and other strategic investors.


Vendease secures $30m to transform procurement and business operations for restaurants across Africa
Published: 26-09-2022 | 14:13:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 26-09-2022 | 13:09:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


[Startup Interview] Yashu Kapila, Founder, BugRaptors, India
Published: 23-09-2022 | 14:13:00 | By: Bob Koigi
The startup provides a highly diversified range of services varying from standard testing services, specialized testing services, to test advisory services. 


London-based Genie AI launches Startup Starter Pack, a free open source legal template library for startups
Published: 23-09-2022 | 12:04:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Genie AI, a machine learning company based in London, has launched Startup Starter Pack, a free open source legal template library with contract templates for small businesses and startups.


Norwegian audio-tech startup Nomono secures €3.55m seed round to scale its podcasting and audio solutions
Published: 23-09-2022 | 11:35:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nomono, the pioneering developer of audio recording and collaboration tools that help podcasters and journalists tell immersive audio stories, announced the closing of €3.55 million investment round.


NYSHEX closes $25m Series B funding to improve reliability and efficiency of global shipping
Published: 23-09-2022 | 11:08:00 | By: Pie Kamau
NYSHEX, the ocean contract performance technology servive provider,, announced a $25 million Series B funding round led by Collate Capital. In addition, Blumberg Capital, Goldman Sachs and NewRoad Capital participated.


CrowdStrike’s Falcon Fund invests in API security startup Salt Security
Published: 23-09-2022 | 10:45:00 | By: Pie Kamau
CrowdStrike, a pioneer in cloud-delivered protection of endpoints, cloud workloads, identity and data, announced that its strategic investment vehicle, Falcon Fund, has invested in Salt Security, the pioneer in Application Programming Interface (API) security.


[Column] Nick Durrant: Lead generation strategies that work
Published: 23-09-2022 | 10:24:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Marketers often focus most of their attention on design aesthetics, ignoring the many other factors that could turn website visitors into hot prospects.


ABB partners with Dutch AI predictive maintenance scaleup Samotics to expand condition monitoring services
Published: 23-09-2022 | 10:10:00 | By: Pie Kamau
ABB and  Samotics, the provider of ESA technology that is a high-growth scaleup company, have entered a strategic long-term partnership to provide enhanced condition monitoring services.


Crypto tax reporting app Binocs nets $4m funding round as it adds institutional investors to retail base
Published: 22-09-2022 | 13:02:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Crypto tax reporting app Binocs has announced a $4 million fundraise to cater to institutional crypto investors and enter geographies like the US, UK, Australia etc.


Sustainable and AI concrete startup AICrete raises $4m seed funding to accelerate growth
Published: 22-09-2022 | 12:40:00 | By: Pie Kamau
AICrete, the recipe-as-a-service platform optimizing local materials for cleaner and more cost-efficient concrete, announced it has raised $4 million in a seed funding led by CLEAR Ventures.


Starburst Ventures launches pre-seed and seed fund to focus on aerospace and defense innovation
Published: 22-09-2022 | 11:58:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Starburst Ventures, the first venture capital fund dedicated to investing across aviation, space, and defense, announced the launch of its new early-stage fund.


Stockholm-based R-evolution launches venture capital arm to boost greentech startups
Published: 22-09-2022 | 11:45:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Hexagon AB, a global pioneer in digital reality solutions combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies, announced a new venture capital arm of R-evolution, the sustainable innovation and green-tech investment subsidiary of Hexagon.


Nigerian fintech startup Kippa launches business registration platform to support SMEs
Published: 22-09-2022 | 10:50:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigerian fintech startup Kippa has launched Kippa Start, a business registration platform to enable Nigerian MSMEs scale through their businesses.


Kenyan agricultural insurtech startup Pula appoints Michael Joseph as Board Chair
Published: 22-09-2022 | 10:28:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Former Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph has been appointed as Board Chair of a Kenyan agricultural insurtech startup Pula.


Ethiopian fintech startup Chapa launches online payment gateway service for businesses
Published: 22-09-2022 | 10:17:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Ethiopian fintech startup Chapa has launched an online payment gateway to enable businesses accept payments from people worldwide.


Healthtech startup Remedial Health secures $4.4m to provide access to credit for pharmacies in Nigeria
Published: 21-09-2022 | 13:23:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Remedial Health, a healthtech startup that develops solutions to make Africa’s pharmaceutical value chain more efficient, has raised $4.4 million in seed funding to accelerate its expansion across Nigeria.


Swiss biotech startup Hedera Dx raises €14m seed funding to accelerate global adoption of liquid biopsies
Published: 21-09-2022 | 11:52:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Hedera Dx, a Swiss biotech startup, has raised €14 million in funding to launch a blood-based testing solution to profile cancer DNA circulating in the blood, helping patients access better treatments.


Idealist Capital announces first close of its Climate Impact Fund to accelerate energy transition
Published: 21-09-2022 | 11:32:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Idealist Capital, a North American fund with a primary focus on the Canadian market, announced the first closing of the Idealist Climate Impact Fund LP (the Fund) with capital commitments totalling C$250 million. 


Human Ventures announces anchor partnership with Bank of America to invest in early-stage founders
Published: 21-09-2022 | 11:09:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Human Ventures, one of New York City's premier emerging venture funds, announced an anchor partnership with Bank of America for Human Ventures Fund II.


Israeli data security startup Sentra launches in the U.S.
Published: 21-09-2022 | 10:51:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Sentra, an Israeli cloud data security company, announced its arrival in the U.S. market with the opening of its new North American headquarters in New York City.


Google-backed startup Massage Robotics launches equity crowdfunding via StartEngine
Published: 21-09-2022 | 10:26:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Google-backed startup, Massage Robotics announced the launch of equity crowdfunding via StartEngine, to show how robots can help people heal with free massage therapy.


Canadian Raven Indigenous Capital Partners launches Fund II at $46m, eyes U.S. markets
Published: 21-09-2022 | 10:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, North America’s only Indigenous-led and owned venture capital intermediary, launched its second fund (Raven Fund II) with an initial close of $46 million, and a target size of $75 million.


Gradient Ventures leads $6m investment in LatAm's tax-technology startup Heru
Published: 20-09-2022 | 16:27:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Heru, an AI-based tax platform that simplifies the tax-filing process and provides intelligent insights for future filings, announced a $6 million seed round led by Gradient Ventures, Google's AI-focused venture fund. 


MedGeo secures $4m equity investment and joint venture agreement with Jackson Healthcare company
Published: 20-09-2022 | 16:12:00 | By: Pie Kamau
MedGeo Ventures announced it has secured a $4 million equity investment and joint venture agreement with Jackson Healthcare company.


Dutch sustainable blockchain startup GRNGrid secures $50m to drive connectivity with crypto exchanges
Published: 20-09-2022 | 15:53:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The GRN Association announced it has secured an investment totaling $50 million for the GRNGrid project from GEM Digital, a venture capital focused on digital currencies.


Nigerian blockchain payments startup Bitmama closes $2m pre-seed round to scale growth
Published: 20-09-2022 | 15:28:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigerian blockchain payments startup Bitmama announced a pre-seed extension of $1.65 million, adding to the $350,000 it received last October, thus closing the round at $2 million led by Unicorn Growth Capital and Launch Africa.


Unicorn Growth Capital, EchoVC join Celo Foundation to support Web3 projects across Africa
Published: 20-09-2022 | 15:23:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Unicorn Growth Capital and EchoVC have joined the Celo Foundation to support growth of Web3 projects across Africa through newly dedicated Celo ecosystem investment funds.


French AI and cloud media startup Newsbridge closes €7m funding round to develop U.S. presence
Published: 19-09-2022 | 12:35:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Newsbridge, the French AI & Cloud Media company has raised €7 million Series A funding round to continue its expansion to the U.S.A, and hire top AI and Media Engineering talent.


Dutch-based Builders studio raises €1.5m for development of HR and proptech startups
Published: 19-09-2022 | 10:12:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Rotterdam-based startup studio Builders has raised €1.5 million in funding in its second closing, to develop HR and proptech startups and start international expansion.


Ghanaian health tech startup mPharma acquires majority stake in Nigeria’s HealthPlus
Published: 19-09-2022 | 09:50:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Ghanaian health tech startup mPharma has acquired a majority stake in HealthPlus, a pioneer pharmacy chain in Nigeria.


Security and management supplier Verkada raises $205m to build an operating system for the physical world
Published: 19-09-2022 | 09:36:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Verkada, a pioneer in cloud-managed enterprise building security and management, announced a $205 million Series D funding round with new and existing venture partners.


India's fruits and vegetables platform Sahyadri Farms raises €40m growth capital to support smallholder farmers
Published: 19-09-2022 | 09:19:00 | By: Pie Kamau
India's integrated platform for fruits and vegetables Sahyadri Farms has raised  €40 million growth capital from a group of impact-focused investors; Incofin, Korys, FMO and Proparco.


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


Industrial automation and agritech startup Agtonomy closes seed III funding round
Published: 16-09-2022 | 11:47:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Agtonomy, a cutting-edge software and service agritech startup, announced the successful closing of another round of funding for a total investment of $13.5 million.


Tallinn-based climate tech startup Arbonics raises €1.8m pre-seed funding to fight climate change in Europe
Published: 16-09-2022 | 11:19:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Arbonics, a new climate tech startup, is launching its unique data- and science-driven tool to make calculating the potential carbon income of land and forests quicker and easier for landowners in Europe.


African fintech startup Flutterwave launches eNaira payments for businesses in Nigeria
Published: 16-09-2022 | 11:06:57 | By: Pie Kamau
Flutterwave, Africa's payments technology company announced its merchants can now process payments in eNaira, the Nigerian digital currency issued and distributed by the Central Bank of Nigeria.


Kenyan insurtech startup Turaco secures $10m funding to drive insurance adoption
Published: 16-09-2022 | 09:58:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Turaco, the insurtech driving mass market insurance adoption, has announced the close of a $10 million Series A equity round led by AfricInvest, via the Cathay Africinvest Innovation Fund.


Nigerian fintech startup Kippa raises $8.4m seed round to accelerate growth
Published: 16-09-2022 | 09:27:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigerian fintech startup Kippa has raised $8.4 million in an oversubscribed seed round led by Goodwater Capital, TEN13 VC, Rocketship VC, Saison Capital, Crestone VC, VentureSouq, Horizon Partners, and Vibe Capital.


BRV China-backed HPC-AI Tech startup completes $6m seed and angel round financing
Published: 15-09-2022 | 11:02:00 | By: Pie Kamau
HPC-AI Tech, an artificial intelligence high-performance optimization startup announced the closing of $6 million seed and angel rounds, with BlueRun Ventures China (BRV China) acting as the lead investor for the angel round.


Irish e-Commerce growth unicorn Wayflyer secures $253m debt financing from Credit Suisse
Published: 15-09-2022 | 10:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Wayflyer, the revenue-based financing and growth platform for e-Commerce businesses, has secured $253 milion debt financing facility from Credit Suisse.


Hyperspec AI startup releases software platform for autonomous driving development
Published: 15-09-2022 | 10:20:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Hyperspec AI, an artificial intelligence startup, released a new tool for developers working on ADAS enabled and autonomous vehicles (AV).


Fintech startup Power emerges from stealth with $16.1m seed funding and $300m credit facility
Published: 15-09-2022 | 09:33:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Power, a fintech startup with plans to reshape global commerce, has finally teased early progress as it emerges from stealth with $16.1m in seed funding, a $300m credit facility, and a fast-growing list of customers.


Carrier Ventures invests in next-gen sustainable technology startups Archilogic, Butlr and Transaera
Published: 15-09-2022 | 09:19:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Carrier Global Corporation, the global provider of healthy, safe, sustainable and intelligent building and cold chain solutions, has completed three new investments through its Carrier Ventures group.


Copenhagen-based Monta lands €30m additional financing to accelerate the buildout of EV charging infrastructure
Published: 14-09-2022 | 15:26:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Monta, the Copenhagen-based all-in-one EV charging management platform, announced it has secured an additional €30 million as part of a Series A+ round led by Energize Ventures.


Tech startup Alcatraz AI receives $25m Series A funding to accelerate international growth
Published: 14-09-2022 | 14:59:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting the product development, sales and marketing of Bulgaria and US-based tech startup Alcatraz AI with an equity investment, as part of a $25 million.


ff Venture Capital launches first US VC Fund to back Ukrainian founders and startups
Published: 14-09-2022 | 14:42:00 | By: Pie Kamau
ff Venture Capital (ffVC), an early-stage venture firm, has launched the ff Blue & Yellow Heritage Fund, the first US venture capital fund exclusively for Ukrainian founders and startups.


Copenhagen-founded open podcast startup Podimo secures €58.6m funding to accelerate market expansion
Published: 14-09-2022 | 14:20:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Copenhagen-founded startup Podimo, the subscription service for podcasts and audiobooks, announced it has secured another €58.6 million in an up round of funding, led by 83North.


Multimedia startup Tract raises $7m to empower kids develop 21st century skills through content creation
Published: 14-09-2022 | 14:00:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Tract, the online community where kids teach kids through multimedia, announced its $7 million seed funding round led by NEA.


Amcor increases investment in digital flexible packaging startup ePac
Published: 14-09-2022 | 13:26:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Amcor, a global player in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions, announced a further strategic investment of up to $45 million in ePac Flexible Packaging (ePac), a player in high quality, short run length digitally-based flexible packaging.


[Startup Interview] Tesh Mbaabu, CEO, MarketForce, Kenya
Published: 12-09-2022 | 16:47:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Africa's gender equal tech VC fund Janngo Capital reaches first close of its €60m fund
Published: 12-09-2022 | 16:38:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Janngo Capital Startup Fund (JCSF) has announced its first close at €34 million in capital commitments, to invest 50% of its proceeds in companies founded, co-founded, or benefiting women.


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


Dutch game-tech startup Enliven raises €1m for groundbreaking empathy training in virtual reality
Published: 12-09-2022 | 11:29:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Together with Oost NL, LUMO Labs is investing €1 million in game-tech company Enliven. This Dutch startup from Arnhem offers groundbreaking empathy training for the prevention of physical and emotional violence in home and workplace.


Austrian SaaS startup Shopstory raises €2.2m in second round funding to back e-Commerce brands
Published: 12-09-2022 | 10:58:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Cyber security starup SaaS Alerts secures $22m to scale its security monitoring and response platform
Published: 12-09-2022 | 10:33:00 | By: Pie Kamau
SaaS Alerts, the cybersecurity company purpose-built for Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to protect and monetize their customers' core business SaaS applications, announced it has secured a $22 million growth investment.


Fireblocks surpasses $100m ARR milestone, cements its status as SaaS centaur
Published: 12-09-2022 | 10:19:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Fireblocks, an easy-to-use platform to create innovative products on the blockchain and manage day-to-day crypto operations, announced that its 2022 Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) has surpassed $100 million.


Newly launched Accelerator Geekz Ventures joins Techstars Foundation
Published: 09-09-2022 | 13:20:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Atlanta-based entrepreneur Kunbi Tinuoye's new initiative to support minority founders has been selected to participate in the highly competitive Techstars Foundation's Accelerate Equity cohort. 


Smart energy startup Flair raises $7.6m Series A funding to expand climate tech for home and grid
Published: 09-09-2022 | 12:45:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Flair, creators of smart vents, thermostats and easy-to-use software for room-level temperature control, announced the closing of a $7.6 million Series A funding round.


Google announces 60 African startups selected for its second Black Founders Fund
Published: 09-09-2022 | 11:39:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Google has announced 60 qualifiers for its Google for Startups Black Founders Fund (BFF) for African startups.


Nigerian fintech startup NowNow raises $13m seed round to expand across Africa
Published: 09-09-2022 | 11:31:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigerian fintech startup NowNow Digital Systems has raised  $13 million in its seed round for expansion across Africa.


Waya digital banking startup for African immigrants goes official
Published: 09-09-2022 | 11:23:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Waya, a Kenyan and US-based fintech startup has announced the official launch of its full-service digital bank and money transfer app targeting the African Diaspora. 


Fintech startup Duplo raises $4.3m seed funding to transform business-to-business payments in Nigeria
Published: 09-09-2022 | 11:14:08 | By: Pie Kamau
Duplo, a business-to-business payment platform that makes it easier for African businesses of all sizes to pay each other, has raised $4.3 million in seed funding to launch new products and expand into new business verticals in Nigeria.


San Francisco-based startup HumanQ raises $2m seed round to expand its technology products
Published: 07-09-2022 | 13:35:00 | By: Pie Kamau
San Francisco-based HumanQ (formerly known as Experiential Insight), announced a $2 million seed round of funding, led by Kindred Ventures, to further expand on its technology products.


Constitutional Reserve Fund of Monaco allocates €10m to London-based Ocean 14 Capital impact fund
Published: 07-09-2022 | 13:14:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The Ocean 14 Capital fund, which focuses exclusively on the multi-trillion-dollar ‘blue economy’, has received a commitment of €10 million from the Constitutional Reserve Fund of Monaco to support its mission of funding sustainable solutions.


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


Polish startup DoxyChain raises €2.2m early seed funding to expedite security in document management
Published: 07-09-2022 | 12:17:00 | By: Pie Kamau
DoxyChain, a Polish startup building a solution for traditional document management transition to web 3.0 world, announced it has  raised €2.2 million from international investors to power its growth.


Swiss crypto startup 21.co raises $25m, becomes Switzerland's largest crypto Unicorn
Published: 07-09-2022 | 11:51:00 | By: Pie Kamau
21.co, the world's player in providing access to crypto through simple and easy to use products, announced a $25 million round led by Marshall Wace.


Edge computing startup EDJX appoints Benjamin Thomas as new CEO, raises seed funding round
Published: 06-09-2022 | 16:34:00 | By: Pie Kamau
EDJX, the pioneer in decentralized global serverless edge computing, announced it has hired a new CEO while simultaneously raising a seed round of funding.


Singapore-based web3 cybersecurity startup Silence Laboratories raises $1.7m seed funding to acccelerate growth
Published: 06-09-2022 | 13:26:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Silence Laboratories, a web3 focused cybersecurity startup working on libraries for MPC and Proofs-based Decentralised Security-as-Service (DSaaS), has closed a $1.7 million round in a seed funding.


Dutch solar-powered car startup Lightyear secures €81m additional capital investment
Published: 06-09-2022 | 13:09:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Lightyear, a Dutch high-tech startup developing the world’s first solar car, announced a total investment of €81 million, which includes capital from the public consortium consisting of Invest-NL.


Infrastructure and private equity investment manager Foresight launches in Dublin, Ireland
Published: 06-09-2022 | 12:46:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Foresight Group (Foresight), a private equity and infrastructure investment manager, has announced the opening of its new office in Dublin, Ireland.


Missouri-based insurtech startup iCover raises $5m pre-Series A funding to accelerate growth
Published: 06-09-2022 | 12:18:00 | By: Pie Kamau
iCover, a Missouri-based insurtech startup that provides an algorithmic underwriting and QUI based eApp Service for life insurance companies, raised $5 million in pre-Series A funding. 


Puna Bio startup raises $3.7m seed funding to restore soil health with desert microbes
Published: 05-09-2022 | 14:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Puna Bio announced $3.7 million in seed funding that will be used to commercially launch its first soybean seed treatment in Argentina that is cost competitive to existing biological solutions, expand field trials for wheat and corn.


Customer engagement startup OneSignal raises $50m Series C funding to accelerate global expansion
Published: 05-09-2022 | 14:21:00 | By: Pie Kamau
OneSignal, the the customer engagement platform, secured $50 million in Series C funding to advance its unified messaging and orchestration capabilities, enhance its mobile data-driven email product.


African fintech startup Flutterwave secures switching and processing license from Central Bank of Nigeria
Published: 05-09-2022 | 14:11:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Flutterwave, Africa's payments technology company has been granted a Switching and Processing License by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), widely regarded as CBN's most valuable payments processing license.


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


Chinese biotech startup CellOrigin partners with Qilu Pharmaceutical to develop "off-the-shelf" CAR-iMAC cell therapy
Published: 05-09-2022 | 13:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
CellOrigin Biotech has made an agreement with Qilu Pharmaceutical on strategic global collaborations to develop, manufacture and commercialize a proprietary "off-the-shelf" CAR-iMAC cell therapy.


London-based mental health startup Thalamos raises $1m to digitise the Mental Health Act
Published: 01-09-2022 | 15:18:00 | By: Pie Kamau
London-based mental health startup Thalamos announced it has raised €1 million seed round to digitise the Mental Health Act. 


Swiss foodtech startup Planted raises €70m Series B funding to accelerate international growth
Published: 01-09-2022 | 15:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Swiss foodtech startup Planted, known for its natural biostructured meat made from alternative proteins, announced it has successfully closed its Series B financing round of €70 million.


Nigerian mobility fintech Moove joins forces with Uber UK to bring electric vehicles to London
Published: 01-09-2022 | 14:42:44 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigerian fintech moblity startup Moove has announced its launch in London as part of its global expansion through a new partnership with Uber. 


Kenyan fintech startup Pezesha raises $11m to expand across Africa
Published: 01-09-2022 | 14:36:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Kenyan B2B e-Commerce startup Wasoko opens innovation hub in Zanzibar
Published: 01-09-2022 | 14:27:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Nigerian B2B e-Commerce startup Omnibiz raises $15m for expansion
Published: 29-08-2022 | 13:35:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Budmail announces partnership with Canadian AI startup Lil Durk
Published: 16-08-2022 | 16:40:53 | By: Pie Kamau
Lil Durk (LilDurk.com), a Canadian news & technology company enhanced by AI-driven neural networks, has announced a strategic partnership agreement with Budmail, a retail-focused cannabis company.


South African agritech disruptor AgriKool drives down food costs for consumers, increases profits for farmers
Published: 15-08-2022 | 12:31:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 08-08-2022 | 09:48:39 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 03-08-2022 | 15:27:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Autonomous robotics delivery startup Ottonomy closes $3.3m seed financing round
Published: 03-08-2022 | 14:15:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Ottonomy.IO, the autonomous robotics delivery startup, announced the close of its seed funding round of $3.3 million bringing its total funding to date to $4.9 million, supporting the scale of Ottobots for fully autonomous airport, retail and restaurant deliveries.


VMG Catalyst closes $400m Fund II to scale commerce venture capital space
Published: 03-08-2022 | 13:43:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


London-based startup Geomiq raises $8.5m to digitize manufacturing and deliver industry leading service levels
Published: 28-07-2022 | 11:32:00 | By: Pie Kamau
London-based startup Geomiq announced it has raised $8.5 million funding to digitize global manufacturing and deliver industry leading service levels for Engineers and Procurement teams.


Bodybuilding.com partners with Retail Ecommerce Ventures to accelerate growth
Published: 04-07-2022 | 14:45:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Indian no-code mobile startup Plobal raises $8.5m to expand presence in North America
Published: 20-06-2022 | 11:26:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Plobal Apps, a no-code mobile app platform for e-commerce stores, raised $8.5 million, led by Elevation Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners.


B2B e-Commerce and fintech startup Bazaar raises $70m to revamp the retail industry in Pakistan
Published: 13-06-2022 | 11:57:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 10-06-2022 | 13:26:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Amsterdam-based Instant Commerce secures €2m pre-seed funding to boost its headless storefront builder
Published: 09-06-2022 | 11:51:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Amsterdam-based Instant Commerce announced it has secured €2 million pre-seed funding to boost its headless storefront builder.


Oregon-based Dutch Bros raises $2.3m to help end ALS
Published: 06-06-2022 | 16:02:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Text messaging startup Prokeep raises $9m to modernize distributor communications and commerce
Published: 03-06-2022 | 13:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Prokeep, the communications and commerce platform built exclusively for distributors, announced the closing of $9 million seed round.


Indonesian social commerce startup Super completes $70m oversubscribed Series C round
Published: 02-06-2022 | 16:29:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Swiss Web3 payment startup DePay brings Web3 P2P payment gateway to eligible Shopify merchants
Published: 02-06-2022 | 15:57:19 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


e-Commerce logistics startup Kubbo begins international expansion, starts Italy operations
Published: 23-05-2022 | 12:50:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Dough Ecommerce Capital partners with Byrne Capital to scale DTC businesses online
Published: 11-05-2022 | 13:03:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Dough Ecommerce Capital and Byrne Capital Ventures announced a strategic partnership to invest in and acquire direct-to-consumer (DTC) ecommerce businesses.


Foodtech startup Haofood partners Lawson to accelerate presence in China
Published: 11-05-2022 | 12:30:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Haofood, a food science and technology startup announced a new partnership with Chinese convenience store Lawson where customers will gain greater access to its products.


e-Commerce startup byrd raises $56m Series C to become Europe-wide standard for next-day delivery
Published: 10-05-2022 | 11:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 10-05-2022 | 09:32:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Food tech startup Tomorrow Farms raises $8.5m seed round to fuel sustainable food revolution
Published: 09-05-2022 | 10:05:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Tomorrow Farms, a food technology company on a mission to fuel the sustainable food revolution with irresistible food and beverage brands, announced a $8.5 million seed round led by Lowercarbon Capital and additional key investors.


The Home Depot announces $150m venture capital fund to fuel innovation in retail and home improvement
Published: 03-05-2022 | 16:28:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The Home Depot announced Home Depot Ventures, a $150 million venture capital fund created to identify, fund and partner with early-stage companies to accelerate emerging technologies.


Glovo announces winners of its tech startup pitch competition in Kenya
Published: 03-05-2022 | 13:46:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 29-04-2022 | 13:52:00 | By: Pie Kamau
African B2B marketplace Kwely finalized a $1 million seed funding round with a $700,000 injection of fresh capital led by WIC Capital with participation from Loftyinc Capital, Afropreneur Angels, Haskè Ventures and other angel investors.


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


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


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


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


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


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


Kenyan social commerce startup Tushop raises $3m pre-seed funding to accelerate growth
Published: 31-03-2022 | 12:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


French insect farming startup Ÿnsect acquires Nebraska-based Jord Producers to open first mealworm farm in the US
Published: 30-03-2022 | 11:43:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Jord Producers, based in Nebraska, has been incorporated into Ÿnsect’s production portfolio, signifying the global leader’s entry into North American mealworm production.


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


Israeli data integration startup Triple Whale raises $27.7m to develop default e-Commerce operating system for Shopify brands
Published: 28-03-2022 | 16:24:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Kenyan e-Commerce startup Sokowatch raises $125m, rebrands to Wasoko
Published: 17-03-2022 | 11:32:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 15-03-2022 | 11:17:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Product photo performance engine Bloom announced it has raised $1.1 million at the close of its seed funding round.


Canadian tech startup Calico secures $2.1m to revolutionize modern supply chains
Published: 09-03-2022 | 09:50:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


e-Commerce startup The Host Co. raises $1.85m to revolutionize short-term rental industry
Published: 03-03-2022 | 12:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


South African fintechs Payflex and Merchant Capital launch cash advance solution for small retailers
Published: 03-03-2022 | 11:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Two South African fintechs, alternative lender Merchant Capital and buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) specialist Payflex, have launched a cash advance solution for small and mid-sized retail sector.


Food startup Next Gen Foods debuts TiNDLE in the U.S., announces $100m Series A funding round
Published: 28-02-2022 | 14:28:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Food startup Next Gen Foods announced its first product TiNDLE, now available in a range of iconic restaurants across the East and West Coasts in some of the country's leading "foodie" cities.


Retailtech startup Cortina raises $6m seed round to accelerate growth
Published: 28-02-2022 | 12:45:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 24-02-2022 | 10:38:05 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 22-02-2022 | 12:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 22-02-2022 | 10:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 21-02-2022 | 14:31:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 18-02-2022 | 18:28:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 17-02-2022 | 12:36:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 17-02-2022 | 11:56:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 16-02-2022 | 09:59:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 14-02-2022 | 09:45:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 11-02-2022 | 07:51:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


SaaS startup Aramid Technologies raises $2m seed round to redefine quality certification management in global supply chains
Published: 09-02-2022 | 13:56:00 | By: Pie Kamau
SaaS startup Aramid Technologies announced it has raised $2 million in seed funding to expand its flagship product, SmartCert.


Vietnam-focused retail investing app Infina closes $6m seed funding to accelerate growth
Published: 09-02-2022 | 12:18:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Amsterdam-based Polestar Capital opens €100m circular economy fund, largest of its kind in Europe
Published: 08-02-2022 | 13:56:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Amsterdam-based Polestar Capital Polestar Capital announced the launch of the biggest circular economy fund in Europe. The fund, called the Polestar Capital Circular Debt Fund (PCDF), has opened at €100 million


Fintech startups hub Abaca crosses $2b in compliant cannabis commerce
Published: 07-02-2022 | 12:39:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Cannabis banking fintech company Abaca surpassed compliantly processing more than two billion dollars in commerce for the cannabis industry.


B2B marketplace startup Retailo raises $36m Series A funding to empower community commerce in the MENA region
Published: 01-02-2022 | 13:47:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Cloud-based-AI startup Inspectorio raises $50m to reinvent production chain with AI-powered platform
Published: 01-02-2022 | 13:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Inspectorio, the cloud-based AI-powered SaaS solution, announced the company has raised $50 million in a Series B Round led by New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm, Insight Partners.


Grocery logistics startup EasyBins raises $2m late stage seed round for expansion
Published: 26-01-2022 | 12:21:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 21-01-2022 | 13:13:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 21-01-2022 | 12:54:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kenyan-based mobile commerce platform Copia Global raised $50 million in a Series C equity round led by Goodwell Investments.


Kenyan fintech startup Zanifu closes $1m seed financing round to accelerate growth
Published: 20-01-2022 | 11:15:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kenyan fintech startup Zanifu announced it has successfully closed a $ 1 million seed financing round to scale its business and improve on its platform.


Israeli foodtech startup Plantish unveils whole-cut plant-based salmon fillets
Published: 18-01-2022 | 10:55:38 | By: Pie Kamau
Israeli foodtech startup Plantish is giving consumers a first look at its flagship product, a 100% plant-based whole-cut salmon fillet, which mimics cooked salmon in texture, taste, appearance and structure.


Ivorian e-Commerce startup Afrikrea raises $6.2m pre-Series A funding, rebrands to 'ANKA'
Published: 13-01-2022 | 10:49:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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'.


Ampla secures $40 Million in Series A Funding to accelerate hiring and recruitment efforts
Published: 23-12-2021 | 11:56:17 | By: Bob Koigi
This announcement brings the Company’s total funding to $380 million in equity and debt financing, which will enable Ampla to impact even more small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) in the consumer brands space.


Kenyan fintech startup Tanda inks deal with Twiga Foods to enable vendors vend its digital financial services
Published: 20-12-2021 | 14:12:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


REEF acquires foodtech Startup 2ndKitchen
Published: 08-12-2021 | 15:21:10 | By: Bob Koigi
REEF and 2ndKitchen’s existing businesses will be combined under the REEF brand, and will operate under REEF’s Hospitality division.


Kenyan-based Penda Health partners with femtech e-Commerce startup Kasha to ease contraceptive access for consumers
Published: 06-12-2021 | 15:16:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 06-12-2021 | 14:51:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 30-11-2021 | 13:57:00 | By: Bob Koigi
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.


Estonian startup Gelatex raises €1.2m seed round for affordable and scalable manufactured cell-cultured meat
Published: 26-11-2021 | 10:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Estonian startup Gelatex announced it raised €1.2m seed round for affordable and scalable manufactured cell-cultured meat, making it cheaper than ever.


Brazilian fintech startup TruePay raises $32m Series A funding for team and product development
Published: 24-11-2021 | 08:15:00 | By: Pie Kamau
TruePay, a Brazilian startup whose innovative payment solution helps small and medium sized retailers have free and secure access to credit, has raised $32 million in Series A funding led by Addition.


Fintech startup and shareholder loyalty pioneer TiiCKER launches Android app
Published: 23-11-2021 | 07:36:00 | By: Pie Kamau
TiiCKER hit the trifecta with the addition of an Android app to its web and iOS portals, giving America's estimated 130 million retail investors instant access to loyalty rewards.


London-based healthcare startup Gravitiq raises $55m seed round to expand portfolio of e-Commerce healthcare brands
Published: 19-11-2021 | 11:33:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 17-11-2021 | 12:01:14 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Indian full-stack agritech startup DeHaat raises $115m Series D round
Published: 03-11-2021 | 12:18:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 02-11-2021 | 12:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 29-10-2021 | 16:33:00 | By: Pie Kamau
LoveLocal, India's hyper-local e-Commerce platform empowering local retailers, has raised $18 million in a Pre-Series B investment round.


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


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


Unilever invites startups to partner through Positive Beauty Growth Platform
Published: 30-09-2021 | 16:19:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Industrial automation startup Agtonomy launches out of stealth to address farm labor crisis with $4m seed round
Published: 24-09-2021 | 13:58:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Agtonomy, a hybrid autonomy and tele-assist service platform, launched out of stealth and announced a $4 million seed round from Grit Ventures, GV (formerly Google Ventures), and Village Global.


Canadian supplier enablement startup Convictional raises $6.7m Series A funding
Published: 24-09-2021 | 13:14:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Convictional, the first supplier enablement platform for retailers and distributors to power drop ship, marketplace and wholesale business models in one solution, announced it has secured $6.7 million in Series A funding.


Healthtech startup bttn. adds PlastCareUSA to burgeoning supplier ecosystem
Published: 22-09-2021 | 14:36:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Organic food startup Teatis closes seed funding round to advance production and marketing in the U.S.
Published: 15-09-2021 | 17:12:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Teatis, makers of superfood powders for diabetic consumers, announces the close of its seed funding round. The science-backed brand that specializes in sugar-blocking teas accrued $700,000 from various high-power angel investors.


Workwear startup BRUNT raises $8.4m Series A funding to accelerate growth
Published: 15-09-2021 | 15:54:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Lectra joins Plug and Play open innovation ecosystem
Published: 14-09-2021 | 16:12:27 | By: Pie Kamau
Major global player in the 4.0 Industry for the fashion, automotive, and furniture market, Lectra is joining the Brand & Retail program of the Plug and Play network, the world's leading innovation platform connecting startups, investors, and pioneering companies.


Canadian plant-based food innovation startup TMRW Foods raises $2.6m in seed round funding
Published: 08-09-2021 | 12:09:00 | By: Pie Kamau
TMRW Foods, the growing Canadian plant-based food innovation company, announced a seed round investment of $2.6 million.


Foodtech startup GrubMarket acquires Bartolotta, further expands in Eastern US and Canada
Published: 07-09-2021 | 16:04:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 06-09-2021 | 11:29:00 | By: Bob Koigi
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
Published: 02-09-2021 | 13:29:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 31-08-2021 | 12:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
The Harambeans Prosperity Fund, a donor advised investment vehicle formed through the Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance’s network of prominent families and corporations co-invested $100,000 in Y Combinator Harambean venture MarketForce.


Egyptian B2B e-commerce startup MaxAB acquires distribution platform WaystoCap
Published: 25-08-2021 | 13:05:58 | By: Bob Koigi
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
Published: 17-08-2021 | 13:34:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Cart.com, the end-to-end e-Commerce services provider, announced the close of a $98 million Series B round, bringing the company's total funding since its launch eight months ago to more than $140 million.


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


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


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


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


Nigerian healthtech startup Field Intelligence expands into eleven new cities across East and West Africa
Published: 29-07-2021 | 14:26:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Nigerian healthtech startup Field Intelligence announced its expansion into Rivers, Edo, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Delta and Kwara States in Nigeria, and Eldoret, Mombasa, Kisumu and Naivasha in Kenya.


[Startup Interview] Dimitri Kalamoudacos,Co-founder, Entrepreneur Suite, South Africa
Published: 27-07-2021 | 12:13:45 | By: Bob Koigi
Entrepreneur Suite is a South African startup targeting micro retailers with an application that records valuable sales information that is then served back to the business owner as demand forecasting suggestions which are designed to provide profiting opportunities.


Egyptian social e-Commerce startup Taager raises $6.4m seed round
Published: 20-07-2021 | 14:28:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Dragonboat closes $3m seed round to bring product portfolio management to outcome focused teams
Published: 16-07-2021 | 15:04:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Dragonboat, the Product Portfolio Management platform, announced a $3 million seed round by Act One Ventures, Roble Ventures and GingerBread Capital.


unybrands startup raises $300m in growth capital to acquire and scale e-Commerce businesses
Published: 15-07-2021 | 12:30:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 14-07-2021 | 12:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 14-07-2021 | 12:00:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 12-07-2021 | 15:29:00 | By: Pie Kamau
FDJ announced the beginning of a partnership with Plug and Play, world's open innovation platform.


Alchemy Home Products startup launches The AutoSpout prevent basement flooding after heavy rains
Published: 07-07-2021 | 12:56:32 | By: Pie Kamau
Alchemy Home Products, a Salt Lake City startup, has created a new product that will help prevent basement flooding after heavy rains, The AutoSpout.


Female-founded wellness startup House of Wise raises $2m, launches full line of organic CBD products
Published: 25-06-2021 | 12:06:00 | By: Pie Kamau
New female-founded CBD brand House of Wise announced a $2 million seed funding round to improve the lives of women everywhere through community, content, and trustworthy CBD products.


Seattle based healthtech startup bttn. raises $1.5m to automate the future of medical supply
Published: 25-06-2021 | 11:11:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Healthtech startup bttn. closed a $1.5 million seed round from a group of technology and supply chain leaders.


Cannabis marketplace and purchasing platform MainStem named Microsoft Partner for Startups
Published: 22-06-2021 | 13:55:04 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 18-06-2021 | 13:02:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 18-06-2021 | 12:08:43 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Women's wellness startup Kindra raises $4.5m seed round to drive continued growth and expansion
Published: 17-06-2021 | 13:42:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Kindra, a modern wellness brand for menopause essentials, announced it closed a $4.5 million seed funding round. The new capital will be used to drive the continued growth and expansion of Kindra.


Brazilian logtech startup Uello concludes $4m Series A investment deal led by the Btomorrow Ventures
Published: 17-06-2021 | 12:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Sustainability-focused pet care startup Petaluma launches plant-based diet for dogs
Published: 16-06-2021 | 11:10:48 | By: Pie Kamau
Petaluma, Inc., a pet care startup focused on sustainability, launched the world's first baked and plant-based formula for adult dogs of all breeds. The company's mission is to offer environmentally responsible diets that meet 100% of a dog's nutritional requirements.


SaaS startup Synder raises $2m in late seed round to revolutionize accounting for e-Commerce
Published: 16-06-2021 | 10:58:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 11-06-2021 | 15:01:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Food startup OZO expands plant-based proteins to international retail starting in Canada
Published: 11-06-2021 | 14:44:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Planterra Foods, an innovative plant-based protein startup based in Colorado, announced a supply agreement with UNFI Canada, a subsidiary of UNFI, the largest publicly traded grocery distributor in North America.


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


Plug and Play Canada selects 12 startups to participate in Toronto Supply Chain and Logistics Program
Published: 18-05-2021 | 13:24:26 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 14-05-2021 | 11:34:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 13-05-2021 | 12:54:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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
Published: 05-05-2021 | 13:24:00 | By: Pie Kamau
San Francisco-based food technology startup GrubMarket announced it has completed the acquisition of Vaccaro & Sons in St. Louis, Missouri.


Hashflow raises $3.2m seed round to bring professional market makers to DeFi
Published: 04-05-2021 | 11:49:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Hashflow, a decentralized exchange connecting DeFi traders with top crypto market makers, closed a seed funding round of $3.2 million from leading venture capital firms and angel investors.


Israeli customer intelligence startup Affogata raises $5.5m seed funding to bring consumer's voice to customer-obsessed brands
Published: 29-04-2021 | 09:57:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Affogata, the customer intelligence platform enabling brands to harness data to guarantee their consumers a perfect experience, announced a $5.5 million financing round of seed funding co-led by Mangrove Capital Partners.


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


Subscription Management startup Chargebee raises $125m Series G funding to accelerate global shift to subscriptions
Published: 21-04-2021 | 12:09:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


Silicon Valley startup Chef Avenue crosses 1000% of its funding goal in 8 days
Published: 15-04-2021 | 09:21:18 | By: Pie Kamau
Chef Avenue, an inspiring startup at the forefront of the design of modernized, high-performance cookware, is currently riding the wave of a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign for its first product, Omnipan.


Chicago-based venture capital firm Starting Line closes $30m second fund to continue funding consumer startups
Published: 13-04-2021 | 15:10:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Starting Line, the Chicago-based venture capital firm, announced that it has closed $30 million for its second fund, dedicated to expanding access to technologies, products, and experiences for the 99 percent of Americans.


Berkeley-based incubator Batchery announces new cohort of startups, "Batch 12"
Published: 12-04-2021 | 14:07:00 | By: Pie Kamau
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.


MicroAcquire's acquisition of Exitround sets new founder-friendly model for getting acquired
Published: 08-04-2021 | 17:41:00 | By: Pie Kamau
Entrepreneurs face thousands of obstacles in their careers. Seed money, growth, staffing - the list is endless. Some prioritize funding, leaving them bound to venture capitalists whose goals clash with theirs.


Cannabis ERP technology platform BLAZE raises $8m in Series A funding for market expansion
Published: 06-04-2021 | 16:12:00 | By: Pie Kamau
BLAZE, the industry player enterprise resource planning and point of sale platform for legal cannabis, recently closed its Series A funding round at $8 million.