Startups

News updates on startups in Africa. Send tips to info@techtrendske.co.ke.

1 day ago

Canadian fintech startup Periculum launches in Nigeria to build credit assessment infrastructure for Africa

Canadian fintech startup and credit assessment company Periculum, has launched in Nigeria to tackle the challenge of domestic credit to…

2 days ago

Sankore Pitch Competition is coming to Nairobi targeting blockchain startups

Nairobi-headquartered blockchain community Sankore is launching the Sankore Pitch Competition Tour (PCT) in Nairobi. The pitching competition is targeting startups…

6 days ago

Kenyan BNPL Startup Lipa Later Secures $12M funding to Expand Across Africa

Kenyan buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) startup Lipa Later has raised $12 million funding from a consortium of investors to expand its operations…

6 days ago

Bolt raises €628M, its largest funding ever, to boost growth

Ride-sharing and food courier service Bolt has raised €628 million at a valuation of €7.4 billion. The round is Bolt’s…

1 week ago

Ivorian e-commerce startup Afrikrea raises $6.2M in pre-Series A, rebrands to “ANKA”

Afrikrea, an Ivorian e-commerce startup has raised $6.2M pre-Series A round led by Investisseurs & Partenaires. The startup has also…

1 week ago

Egyptian fintech startups called to apply for Orange Ventures seed challenge

Orange Ventures has opened applications for its Seed Challenge that will see the VC form award one fintech startup from…

2 weeks ago

Kenyan fintech startup Alvin raises $740,000 pre-seed funding

Kenyan fintech startup Alvin has raised a $740,000 pre-seed funding round led by Nigerian venture capital firm, Ingressive Capital. Other…

2 weeks ago

Nigeria’s CcHUB invested in over 11 high-growth African startups in 2021

Nigeria’s technology innovation centre Co-creation Hub (CcHUB) invested in over 11 tech startups in Africa in 2021 through its new…

2 weeks ago

Ghanaian health tech startup mPharma secures $35million Series D funding for expansion

Ghanaian health tech startup mPharma has raised $35 million in a Series D round led by Citigroup Inc. Other investors…

2 weeks ago

The Tony Elumelu Foundation opens applications for its $5000 2022 Entrepreneurship Programme

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has opened applications for the 2022 TEF Entrepreneurship Programme. The programme is open to African…

4 weeks ago

SA Online home services platform, SweepSouth acquires Egyptian start-up, Filkhedma

South Africa’s online home services platform, SweepSouth has announced its acquisition of Egyptian startup, Filkhedma as it continues its African…

4 weeks ago

Kenyan fintech startup Paylend raises $2m seed investment to accelerate growth

Paylend, a Kenyan fintech startup focused on providing access to finance and digitizing MSMEs in Kenya has raised $2 million…

December 20, 2021

FSD Africa announces a £3m investment in Kenyan fintech firm MFact

FSD Africa Investments (FSDAi), the investing arm of FSD Africa, has today announced a £3m investment in Kenyan fintech firm…

December 17, 2021

Fintech startup Tanda inks deal with Twiga Foods to enable vendors vend its digital financial services

Kenya’s fintech startup Tanda has today announced a new partnership with Twiga Foods that will see Twiga vendors become a…

December 17, 2021

AfDB to invest $170 million in Nigerian startups

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a loan of $170 million to finance a digital and creative enterprises program…

December 17, 2021

Ventures Platform Closes its First $40M Pan-African Fund

Nigeria-based Ventures Platform has announced the first close of its $40 million pan-African fund to invest in market-creating innovations across…

December 16, 2021

How to Start a Startup

A startup is just like any other business, a very big effort on the part of the one who sets…

December 16, 2021

Nigerian online learning platform Edukoya raises $3.5 million in pre-seed funding

Nigerian online learning platform Edukoya has raised $3.5 million in pre-seed funding led by European VC firm Target Global. The…

December 15, 2021

Kenyan startup Wowzi raises $3.2 million seed funding to expand across Africa

Kenyan startup Wowzi has raised $2 million in seed funding to expand its digital marketplace across Africa. The round was…

December 14, 2021

PAC Holdings sets up The Catalyst VC project to invest in African startups

PanAfrican Capital Holdings (PAC Holdings) has set up The Catalyst, a venture capital project, to identify and invest in growth to product-expansion…

December 9, 2021

Kenyan e-health startup Zuri Health launches in Senegal

Kenyan health tech startup Zuri Health has launched its operations in Senegal. The startup has partnered with Expresso Senegal to launch…

December 9, 2021

Egypt-based media and entertainment startup Minly acquires UAE’s shoutout platform Oulo

Minly, the MENA region’s media and entertainment startup has announced the acquisition of Oulo, a Dubai-based celebrity shoutout platform focused…

December 9, 2021

Auto financing startup Autochek Africa begins loan services for brand new cars

In what it says is to further deepen mobility, Autochek Africa, the leading auto tech platform, has launched a dedicated brand new…

December 9, 2021

AUDA-NEPAD, JICA, Afreximbank and BCG partner to support 5 Kenyan healthcare startup

The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Boston Consulting Group (BCG)…

December 8, 2021

Kwara partners with Workpay to offer HR and Payroll services to SACCOs in Kenya

Kenyan fintech startup Kwara has partnered with Workpay to offer SACCOs in Kenya with human resource management and payroll processing solutions. The partnership…

December 6, 2021

TradeDepot Raises $110 Million To Extend ‘Buy-Now-Pay-Later’ Service to Retailers Across Africa

Nigeria- and U.S.-based B2B eCommerce and embedded finance platform TradeDepot has raised $110 million in an equity and debt funding…

December 6, 2021

Egyptian fintech startup KlickIt raises undisclosed amoung of funding

Egyptian fees management and digital collection platform, KlickIt, has announced the closing of its first investment round to further develop…

December 2, 2021

Kenyan team wins regional $5k IBM award for developing solution to help reduce food waste

Kenyan team Mavuno Link are the Middle East and Africa Regional winners of these years IBM and David Clark Caus…

November 25, 2021

Pan African smart technologies venture studio Adanian Labs opens applications for its 2021 venture building program

Adanian Labs, a Pan African smart technologies venture studio with a mission to build 300 impact-driven startups across Africa has…

November 24, 2021

Kenyan fintech startup Asilimia raises $2 million in pre-seed funding

Kenyan fintech startup Asilimia has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding to expand its operations to new markets in East Africa.…

November 23, 2021

28 businesses to take part in this year’s GrowthAfrica circular economy accelerator

Africa’s business accelerator GrowthAfrica has kicked off a circular economy focused accelerator programme targeting innovative ventures across Kenya, Uganda, and…

November 22, 2021

South Africa’s fintech firm Ozow raises $48 million Series B round

South African fintech firm Ozow has raised a US$48 million Series B funding round led by Chinese internet giant Tencent. …

November 22, 2021

Kenyan gaming startup Usiku Games develops Africa’s first mobile football game

Kenyan gaming startup Usiku Games has unveiled an amateur football mobile game to promote outdoor physical activities and encourage sportsmanship…

November 18, 2021

Sendy targets online retailers with a new fulfillment service

Kenyan tech-logistics startup Sendy has launched a fulfillment service for online retailers in the country. Sendy Fulfillment is a digital-enabled…

November 17, 2021

Israeli femtech startup illumigyn bringing its gynecological imaging platform to Nigeria

illumigyn, the world’s first remote gynecological imaging platform has announced plans to deploy 5,000 Gynescopes in Nigeria by 2026. The…

November 16, 2021

South Africa’s emergency marketplace AURA secures $4.7m Series A funding for global expansion

AURA, a South-African security and medical response marketplace has secured $4.7 million in a Series A funding round, led by …

November 4, 2021

Kenyan mental health startup Shamiri Institute raises $1 million, expands to the rest of Africa

Shamiri Institute, a Kenyan mental health startup has raised $1 million in funding from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to…

November 3, 2021

Nigerian Lending Startup Payhippo Raises $3 Million in Seed Funding

Payhippo, a lending startup that is widening credit access for small businesses in Nigeria, has raised $3 million in seed…

November 2, 2021

Fintech Startup Kwara and Lami Technologies partner to provide insurance products for SACCO members in Kenya

Kenyan fintech startup Kwara has today partnered with insurtech company, Lami Technologies, to provide Savings and Credit Co-operative Society (SACCO) members in…

November 2, 2021

Zuhura Africa Launches the 3rd Edition of Africa Basque Challenge Targeting Healthtech Innovators

Zuhura Innovation Africa, a women-led and youth-focused organization has launched the 3rd edition of the Africa Basque Challenge (ABC) targeting…

November 2, 2021

Kenya-based electric mobility startup Opibus raises $7.5m funding

Kenya-based electric mobility startup Opibus has raised US$7.5 million in equity and grant funding, the largest ever in an electric…

November 2, 2021

Electric vehicle startup BasiGo launches its operations in Nairobi

Electric vehicle startup BasiGo has today announced the launch of its operations in Nairobi. The company will provide electric buses for purchase…

November 1, 2021

Kenyan-based payroll startup Workpay expands to Nigeria

Workpay, a Nairobi-based YC graduate, is expanding its operations to Nigeria. The cloud-based workforce management startup will now offer Core…

October 29, 2021

Four startups from Ghana join the Catalyst Fund Inclusive Digital Commerce accelerator

Four startups from Ghana have joined The Catalyst Fund Inclusive Digital Commerce Accelerator, a programme that supports innovators building digital…

October 28, 2021

2nd Cohort of NINJA Accelerator in Kenya kicks off

5 Kenyan startups have been selected to be part of the 2nd cohort of NINJA Accelerator programme. NINJA Accelerator is…

October 26, 2021

JAY-Z’s VC Firm invests in 24 Year-old Founder Iddris Sandu on an innovative tech incubator shaping the metaverse

Marcy Venture Partners (MVP), the Venture Capital Firm owned by American rapper, and businessman Jay-Z is investing in 24-year-old technologist…

October 26, 2021

Nigeria’s auto financing startup Autochek Secures $13.1mn Seed Funding

Autochek, the Nigerian automotive startup which recently expanded to Kenya has secured $13.1mn in seed funding. The new round was…

October 22, 2021

African fintech startup Payday joins Techstars Toronto Accelerator program

Pan-African fintech startup Payday has joined Techstars Toronto Accelerator program. Techstars is an operational investment company that assists founders and…

October 22, 2021

MFS Africa signs agreement to acquire Nigerian fintech startup Baxi

Pan-African digital payments hub MFS Africa signed an agreement to acquire Baxi, one of Nigeria’s super-agent networks. The deal, which is…

October 21, 2021

Nigerian Fintech Startup Brass Secures $1.7M Financing Round

Nigerian fintech startup Brass has secured $1.7mn in funding to address the heavily underserved banking needs of local entrepreneurs, traders and…

October 20, 2021

Climate-focused startups can now apply for the Africa ClimAccelerator programme

Africa ClimAccelerator has opened applications for its climate change accelerator programme. The Pan-African, cross-sector, climate-first accelerator is seeking fifteen startups…

October 20, 2021

Wapi Pay founders Eddie and Paul Ndichu step down from their roles

Wapi Pay Board of Directors on Tuesday announced that the company’s founders; Eddie and Paul Ndichu will be stepping down…

October 19, 2021

Kepple Africa Ventures revokes its investment stake in Kenyan fintech startup Wapi Pay

Japanese VC firm Kepple Africa Ventures has announced that it will be revoking its investment in Kenyan fintech startup Wapi…

October 18, 2021

Nigeria’s e-commerce startup Sendbox raises $1.8 million

Sendbox has announced the completion of a $1.8 million seed round from investors including 4DX Ventures, Enza Capital, FJLabs, and…

October 18, 2021

Nigeria’s auto financing firm Autochek officially launches in Kenya

Autochek, the automotive technology company that aims to facilitate auto finance across Africa has officially launched its operations in Kenya. Having…

October 14, 2021

Nigeria’s Home Services App Eden Life Closes $1.4m Seed Round

Nigeria’s home service startup Eden Life has announced that it has completed a $1.4m Seed round, led by UK-based LocalGlobe, along with…

October 14, 2021

African fintech startup Payday raises $1m pre-seed to build Africa’s PayPal

Payday, a Pan-African financial technology company has raised one million dollars to build out what they believe will be the…

October 13, 2021

Ian Lessem: The rise of African tech unicorns

African unicorns have made big news in recent months, with four startups having recently reached a $1 billion valuation or…

October 11, 2021

Google to invest $50M equity-based fund in African startups

Last week, tech giant Google announced that it plans to invest up to $50 million in African early- and growth-stage startups…

October 6, 2021

Sendy acquires a significant stake in West African logistics startup Kamtar

Kenyan tech-logistics startup Sendy has completed a strategic equity investment in West African logistics platform Kamtar. On the heels of…

October 4, 2021

Benkiko Finance – Making Cryptocurrencies Easier To Use

Benkiko is a Kenyan Blockchain startup that is working on a digital bank with the goal of making Cryptocurrencies easier…

October 4, 2021

Nigeria’s B2B payments platform Verto secures $10m Series A round for expansion

Nigeria’s B2B payments platform Verto has announced that it has closed $10 million in Series A funding for expansion. The round was led…

October 1, 2021

Unilever invites startups to partner through Positive Beauty Growth Platform

Unilever has announced the launch of the Positive Beauty Growth Platform, a new initiative that aims to partner with scale-ups…

September 30, 2021

SoftBank Leads a $200M Investment Round in Andela

Andela, the global network for remote engineering talent, has announced $200 million in Series E financing. The financing round which…

September 29, 2021

Africa’s crypto exchange Yellow Card raises $15m Series A funding to fuel expansion across the continent

Pan-African cryptocurrency exchange, Yellow Card, announced a $15 million Series A, the largest ever by an African cryptocurrency exchange, to ramp up hiring…

September 24, 2021

Absa partners with Melanin Kapital to launch unsecured lending for women-focused startups in Kenya

Absa Bank Kenya has partnered with Pan African impact investment platform Melanin Kapital, to launch an investor readiness program for…

September 22, 2021

Lami Technologies and Sendy launch per-trip insurance policy for transporters in Kenya

Kenyan insurance startup Lami Technologies and Sendy have today announced a new per-trip insurance policy for transporter in Kenya. The…

September 20, 2021

Chinese ride-hailing firm DiDi Chuxing expands to Egypt

After launching in South Africa in March this year, Chinese ride-hailing firm DiDi Chuxing has now launched its operations in Egypt. …

September 20, 2021

Nigeria’s healthtech startup 54gene secures $25 million in a Series B round

Nigeria’s healthtech startup 54gene, has raised $25M in a Series B round funding to expand its capabilities to contribute to…

September 17, 2021

Pangea Trust opens applications for its Startup Connect Programme

Pangea Trust has opened applications for its Startup Connect Programme. The programme was launched yesterday at an online event moderated by security…

September 16, 2021

Nigeria’s Agritech startup Releaf secures $4.2m seed funding to drive industrialisation of food processing in Africa

Nigeria’s agritech startup Releaf, which develops proprietary hardware and software solutions to industrialize food processing has raised $2.7 million seed…

September 6, 2021

Nigeria’s auto financing firm Autochek acquires Cheki Kenya and Uganda

Autochek has on Monday announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire ROAM Africa’s automotive marketplaces Cheki Kenya and…

September 6, 2021

Endeavor Nigeria unveils inaugural cohort for its ScaleUp program

Endeavor Nigeria has unveiled the inaugural cohort of entrepreneurs for its new 10-week Endeavor ScaleUp Program that aims to support Nigeria’s…

September 4, 2021

LG Unveils Ksh 2 Billion Global Startup Innovation Contest

LG Electronics has launched Mission for the Future, a global contest for startups to unlock innovative technologies and business ideas…

September 3, 2021

SWVL completes $35.5m pre-funding to accelerate growth strategy

Dubai-based provider of mass transit and shared mobility solutions Swvl has completed a $35.5m pre-funding of the aggregate PIPE subscription.…

September 1, 2021

South African fintech startup SOL rebrands to SOLmate

South African fintech startup SOL has announced that it’s rebranding to SOLmate. The online payment platform that offers clients a digital…

August 26, 2021

African-focused Payments Firm pawaPay Raises $9M Seed Funding

African-focused payments firm pawaPay has raised a $9m Seed funding led by UK-based investment fund 88mph. Vunani Capital, Kepple Ventures,…

August 24, 2021

Arab Bank launches its fintech accelerator program for startups in Egypt

Arab Bank has launched its fintech-focused corporate accelerator program “AB Accelerator” in Egypt, following its successful launch in Jordan back…

August 24, 2021

Nigerian mobility startup Plentywaka raises $1.2m seed funding, acquires Ghana’s Stabus

Nigerian mobility startup Plentywaka has raised a $1.2 million seed funding round, after successfully ending the Techstars Toronto Accelerator Program…

August 24, 2021

Zepz, Formerly WorldRemit, Raises $292M Series E Financing, Achieves $5B Valuation

Digital cross-border payments platform Zepz, formerly WorldRemit, has raised $292 million in new primary financing, achieving a valuation of $5…

August 23, 2021

Andela Learning Community Surpasses 100,000 Learners

Tech talent company Andela has announced that its developer learning community. Andela Learning Community (ALC) has now surpassed 100,000 learners.…

August 19, 2021

East Africa’s Startup ecosystem players in Nairobi to design the future of Africa Tech

Leading startup ecosystem players in Africa have today kicked off a two-day workshop to design solutions for challenges that the…

August 19, 2021

African Fintech startup Pngme raises $15m Series A funding

African fintech startup Pngme has raised $15 million in Series A funding as the company sets out to grow its…

August 10, 2021

Ecobank Opens Applications for its 2021 fintech challenge for African startups

Ecobank Group has opened applications for its 4th edition of the Ecobank Fintech Challenge. The challenge, the bank says is…

August 5, 2021

Naspers Foundry leads $8.3m Series A investment in South African insurtech startup Naked

Naspers, through its early-stage tech investment vehicle Naspers Foundry, invested $8.3 million (R120 million) in Naked, the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven insurtech startup that…

August 4, 2021

Kenyan fintech startup Wapi Pay raises $2.2m funding to digitise Africa-Asia trade payments

Kenyan fintech startup Wapi Pay has raised $2.2 Million in pre-seed funding to scale up global payments and remittances between…

August 3, 2021

Bolt raises KES. 78 billion to expand its on-demand transportation network in Africa and Europe

Ride-hailing startup Bolt has raised KES. 78 billion in a Series E funding round led by Sequoia Capital. This fund…

August 2, 2021

These Are The 25 African Female Founded Tech Startups Joining The CMM PR mentorship program

Twenty-five African female-founded tech startups have been selected for the second edition of The Future is Female Mentorship Program. This…

July 30, 2021

5 Kenyan startups showcase their products at Japanese-led NINJA Accelerator program

5 Kenyan startups showcased their solutions during the 1st Demo Day of the NINJA Accelerator in the country, concluding the…

July 30, 2021

Nigerian Healthtech Startup Field Intelligence Expands into Eleven New Cities Across East and West Africa

Nigerian healthtech startup Field Intelligence has expanded into Rivers, Edo, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu, Delta and Kwara States in Nigeria, and…

July 28, 2021

West African solar startup MyJouleBox secures €3m Series A round to boost growth in core markets

MyJouleBox, a solar distributor startup has completed a €3 million Series A. The round is aimed at strengthening its position…

July 27, 2021

UN announces winners of “Good Food for All” competition in Africa

Thirteen small- and medium-sized businesses from Africa and the Middle East have been announced as winners of the “Good Food…

July 26, 2021

Top African regions set to become leading startup and investment hubs

On the back of Cape Town being recognised as the tech capital of Africa, topping international rankings for foreign direct investment strategy,…

July 22, 2021

KES 5.3 million accelerator programme launched to drive innovation in Kenya’s insurance sector

FSD Africa, the Insurance Regulatory Authority, and Tellistic Technology Services have launched BimaLab, a KES 5.3 million accelerator programme designed…

July 19, 2021

Glovo Expands Reach To Thika And Kiambu Towns

On-demand delivery startup Glovo has expanded its operations to Thika and Kiambu towns. The expansion comes from the back of…

July 19, 2021

Egypt’s social e-commerce startup Taager raises US$6.4 million seed round

Taager, an Egyptian social e-commerce startup, has raised a US$6.4 million seed funding round to help it scale its platform…

July 15, 2021

Nigerian fintech startup Lidya raises $8.3m pre-Series B funding round

Nigerian fintech and lending startup Lidya has announced the completion of its $8.3 million pre-Series B funding round. Alitheia Capital…

July 15, 2021

South African secure data collaboration startup Omnisient raises $1.4m for global expansion

Omnisient, a South African secure data collaboration platform, has achieved its second raise this year totalling USD1.4 million. The investments…

July 13, 2021

Banque Misr partners with Microsoft to support fintech startups in Egypt

Banque Misr has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with Microsoft Egypt to launch the first open innovation program in…

July 13, 2021

Kenyan startup MarketForce raises $2m pre-Series A to scale its B2B retail marketplace, RejaReja

MarketForce, the Kenyan-based B2B platform for retail distribution of consumer goods and digital financial services in Africa has raised a…

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