Author: Startup News Africa

Nine innovative African startups across various sectors have been honored on the Norrsken 2024 Impact/100 list, highlighting the continent’s growing potential to tackle global challenges through technology and entrepreneurship. The Impact/100 list, curated by the Norrsken Foundation, features 100 of the most promising impact startups worldwide, described as “100 ways to fix the future.” This year’s selection was made from over 1,200 competitors, underscoring the significance of the achievement for the featured companies. Roam (Kenya) – Electrifying African Mobility Roam, formerly known as Opibus, is a Kenyan electric vehicle manufacturer committed to transforming transportation across Africa. CEO Filip Lövström expressed…

TechCrunch has announced that eight African startups—seven from Nigeria and one from Morocco—have been selected to participate in the prestigious Startup Battlefield 200 competition for 2024. This annual event shines a spotlight on the world’s top early-stage ventures, providing them with a global platform to pitch their innovative ideas, gain invaluable exposure, and compete for a $100,000 equity-free prize. A Launchpad for Global Recognition Startup Battlefield 200 is renowned for propelling startups into the global limelight. With over 1,300 alumni companies that have collectively raised more than $29 billion in funding and achieved approximately 200 exits, the competition is a…

Talk360, the South African-based international calling app, has secured $1.4 million in a pre-Series A funding round led by long-standing investor HAVAÍC. This latest injection brings the company’s valuation to around $30 million and fuels its mission to connect seven million people by 2025. Founded in 2016 by South African entrepreneur Dean Hiine and Dutch co-founders Hans Osnabrugge and Jorne Schamp, Talk360 offers an affordable solution for international calls to any landline or mobile number. Uniquely, only the caller needs the app and an internet connection, making it accessible for users reaching out to regions with limited internet infrastructure. Over…

Egyptian fintech startup Paymob has announced a $22 million extension to its Series B funding round, bringing the total raised to $72 million. The extension was led by EBRD Venture Capital, with participation from existing investors including PayPal Ventures, British International Investment (BII), FMO, A15, Nclude, Helios Digital Ventures, and Endeavor Catalyst. Founded in 2015 by Islam Shawky (CEO), Alain El Hajj (COO), and Mostafa Menessy (CTO), Paymob provides comprehensive payment infrastructure solutions across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The company’s omnichannel payment gateway supports over 50 payment methods, empowering nearly 350,000 merchants with access to innovative…

Wattnow, a Tunisian startup specializing in AI-powered energy management solutions, has secured an undisclosed investment from Lateral Frontiers Venture Capital. The funding comes from Lateral Frontiers’ recently closed $28 million Fund II, aimed at supporting high-growth ventures across Africa and beyond. Founded in 2018 by CEO Issam Smaali, Wattnow has developed a smart energy management system that empowers businesses to optimize their energy consumption. By leveraging artificial intelligence and data analytics, the platform identifies trends, waste sources, and anomalies in real-time. This enables companies to reduce operational costs and minimize their environmental impact. “Our mission at Wattnow is to help…

The Venture firm insists it remains committed to “invest, grow and scale” African tech startups

Peleza, the Kenyan identity management startup has merged with YC-backed Prembly. The outcome of this merger is a new business entity known as the Prembly Group. The move follows a long period of collaboration between the two partners during which they realized that a permanent merger would enable cost-saving and enhance revenue growth from joint operations as well as opportunities for investors and shareholders. “The decision to name the entity Prembly Group is borne out of a mutual agreement to leverage the brand equity and established market presence of Prembly, especially given its global recognition in compliance and digital security…

Connect Money Secures Funding For Northern African Expansion

Moroccan Agri-Tech Company Receives $7 Million Pre-series A For Transparent and Sustainable Food Supply YoLa Fresh, an innovative Moroccan agri-tech startup has taken giant strides towards accelerating its expansion in its home base. It has successfully raised up to $7 million in a pre-Series A funding round to fuel its expansion. This $7 million pre-Series A funding saw participation from Algebra Ventures, E3 Capital, Janngo Capital and FMo, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank. Al Mada Ventures stood at the head of this funding round. “We have achieved remarkable traction and demonstrated product-market fit in less than one year, reinforcing the…

In a strategic partnership with ALX Africa, the Patoranking Foundation has launched its $500,000 (approx. NGN700 million) tech scholarship initiative which aims to provide 40 young tech-passionate Africans with access to a variety of technology programs in data analytics, cloud computing, and Salesforce administration. The foundation has invested over $1 million (approx. NGN1.4 billion) in youth education in Africa over the past six years. However, the introduction of a $500,000 tech scholarship marks another frontier in the foundation’s mission. The scholarship is open to promising tech-savvy candidates across Africa between the ages of 18 to 34. Candidates will be required…