Universities are front-runners in start-up support programmes
Universities, among others, are leading Egypt as a tech powerhouse for Africa as the country now rivals – and even sometimes surpasses – more established start-up ecosystems such as South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya for levels of entrepreneurial innovation and investment. Egypt is building up an impressive track record in the tech start-up space, according […]
Fund worth $25-million launches for early-stage African tech startups
Savannah Fund, a technology seed fund focused on investing in early-stage startups across sub-Saharan Africa has announced the launch of a $25-million fund. The investment funding secured has been led by The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group with participation from the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (WeFi), Tim Draper of Draper Associates, […]
Fund helps South African universities unlock benefits of homegrown IP
Technology and innovation incubated in South Africa’s universities is, as a result, edging closer to commercialisation, creating significant economic, investment and job creation opportunities. This also serves to elevate South Africa’s homegrown technological innovation on a global scale and prevent local skills from leaving South Africa’s shores in search of better opportunities elsewhere. The UTF is […]
UCT participates in Africa’s first University Technology Fund
The SA SME Fund recently launched the University Technology Fund (UTF), a first of its kind in Africa. The University of Cape Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University are the first two universities that will participate in the fund, which will provide UCT spin-off companies with access to R50 million, as well as additional seed funding to support […]
IBM/Egypt: Changing the Startup Scene with Technology
Egypt has one of the fastest growing startup ecosystems in the world and the second largest after the UAE. It is also witnessing a strong entrepreneurship wave, driven by a domestic appetite for technological advancement. According to recent statistics, more than 73% of Egyptians think entrepreneurship is a good career choice, and a total of […]
GSMA innovation fund to invite startup applications for next round
The GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator Innovation Fund, which supports startups in Asia-Pacific and Africa with equity-free grant funding and technical assistance, is looking to select another 15 companies for its third round. Applications for the round are set to open on March 12. Each of the selected startups receives between £100,000 ($139,000) and £250,000 ($347,500) in […]
Incubator And Seed Fund MEST Expands To Lagos And Cape Town
MEST, one of the earliest tech incubators in Africa, has opened two new hubs in Lagos and Cape Town, with well-known start-up mentor Aaron Fu as the organisation’s new managing director. Launched in 2008 in Accra, Ghana, MEST is part training program, part seed fund, part incubator and part hub. It is funded by the Meltwater Foundation, […]
Through Accelerators and POC Programs, Cape Town is Battling its Nation’s Economic Woes to Become Africa’s Tech Capital
South Africa is suffering an economic crisis. Growth has slowed to 0.3%, its slowest since 2009, and unemployment is at a 14-year high of 27.7%. Manufacturing and agricultural job markets have shrunk. The government is now South Africa’s largest employer. But the gloom has accelerated a shift towards entrepreneurialism and tech, that has been concentrated […]
Application called for £250,000 Nigerian GSMA ecosystem accelerator innovation fund
Nigerian start-ups operating in the Sharing Economy, and/or developing services for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have an opportunity to apply for an equity free £250,000 GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator Innovation Fund, which closes on July 16, 2017 Those applying in the Sharing economy are advise to note that “mobile-based platform, product or service which […]
Remita Seed Fund Invests N3m In 3 Nigerian Startups
Remita Seed Fund, a venture capital arm of SystemSpecs, leading financial technology firm and owner of Remita, has given financial support of N3 million to three technology startups. Each of the companies received N1 million to accelerate their venture. The beneficiaries, Temie Giwa-Tubosun of LifeBank Technology and Logistics Ltd; Damilare Oguneye of Lasiko Ltd; and […]