Tag: Startup

Startup accelerator Changelabs launches scale up program for SMEs

Frank

EGYPT – Changelabs, a startup accelerators, has announced the launch of its leading “Scale Up To Green” accelerator targeting top Egyptian resource efficiency, green energy, and agritech companies. This accelerator will offer small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and scale ups unparalleled access to the resources they need to scale and acquire more customers. It also aims to help build the right long-term partnerships and raise additional rounds of funding. The programme is being launched in partnership with the Green for Growth Fund (GGF), which is an investment fund worth over…

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Ed-tech startup ScholarX partners Airtel to launch new mobile learning platform

Frank

NIGERIA – ScholarX, an ed-tech startup, has partnered mobile operator Airtel to launch LearnAM, a new mobile learning platform that provides skills training content to improve learning outcomes. Launched in Nigeria in July 2016, the ScholarX app allows users to select parameters and scroll through lists of available scholarships that match their requirements. The initial version of the LearnAM app has been developed on KaiOS and will be available on affordable “smart-feature phones” with content in local dialects such as Pidgin English, Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. LearnAM provides audio and…

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Virtual labs startup PraxiLabs to enhance science education through 3D simulations

Frank

TUNISIA – PraxiLabs, a virtual labs startup, is working to provide people with equal opportunities to obtain an enhanced science education by providing 3D interactive virtual simulations that are safe, affordable and accessible anytime, anywhere, for educational institutions and students alike. Launched in 2016, PraxiLabs is an online learning platform providing interactive science labs for students, even enabling scientific experiments that are not doable in the real lab. “While a lot of educational areas have benefited and progressed through ed-tech, the labs situation remained “as is”. It is important to…

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Edtech startup Kezakoo secures US$221,000 to complete and enrich its range of products

Frank

MOROCCO – Kezakoo, a Casablanca-based edtech startup specialized in tutoring, has completed its first round of financing of 2 million dirhams (US$221,000) to complete and enrich the range of products which it currently offers for the benefit of all high school students in Morocco. The investment was from investment company Witamax One, which was jointly created by the Morocco-based investment firms Southbridge A&I and AXXAM Family Office. The funding will also assist the startup to support its organizational development efforts. Launched in 2019 by the engineering duo Youssef Ghalem and…

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Insurtech startup Curacel raises pre-seed funding for product development

Frank

NIGERIA – Curacel, the Lagos-based insurtech startup, has raised US$450 000 in a pre-seed funding round led by Atlantica Ventures and Consonance with participation from Kepple Ventures and other African angel investors to be used towards product development. According to Curacel, the funding will also be utilized towards the expansion of the startup’s footprint across Africa and to further its aim of becoming the continent’s premier provider of embedded finance technology for insurance. “We are excited to have these investors on board and we are looking forward to partnering with…

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Delivery startup Kwik Delivery launches plugins for merchants and eCommerce businesses

Frank

NIGERIA – Kwik Delivery, an on-demand delivery startup, has launched Magento Version 1.0 of the Kwik Delivery plugin to allow large and small merchants to offer its just-in-time delivery service to all their customers. This comes days after it released the version 2.0 of its WooCommerce plugin (version 2.0) for merchants and eCommerce businesses. “With only a few clicks, merchants and eCommerce businesses can provide quick, efficient, and affordable delivery services to their customers after purchases,” said Romain POIROT-LELLIG, Founder & CEO of Kwik Delivery. “That ease of business and…

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Biotech startup Impulse Biomedical raises funding from PE firm Futuregrowth

Frank

SOUTH AFRICA – Biomedical engineering startup Impulse Biomedical has raised funding from the Futuregrowth Development Equity Fund (DEF) to speed development and release of its flagship device. The Impulse device, the ZiBiPen, was designed by engineering graduates Gokul Nair and Giancarlo Beukes while completing their Masters’ Degrees in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Cape Town (UCT). The device aims to revolutionise the emergency treatment of life-threatening anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that occurs when a patient is exposed to a foreign substance such as an insect bite or certain foods.  Without…

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Healthtech startup Takestep raises seed round investment for its expansion plans

Frank

EGYPT – TakeStep, a healthtech startup, has raised an undisclosed seed round investment to expand its operations to the GCC countries (Gulf Cooperation Council) in the near future. The investment was from two angel investors; Dr. Mohamed Hossam Khedr, who is also joining TakeStep as Managing Partner, and another Egyptian angel investor. Founded in 2018, the company has been helping over 15,000 patients to recover, and steer clear of relapsing, through 24/7 counselling services via its patient-centric web and mobile platforms. TakeStep aims to support people struggling with substance abuse…

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Saas startup Weelo raises 6-figure seed round to transform sales order automation for SMEs

Frank

EGYPT – Weelo, an Egypt-based B2B software as a service (SaaS) startup has raised a six-figure seed funding round Capital to transform sales order automation in the supply chain for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The funding round was led by SkaleUp Ventures and Integral alongside global investors from Hong Kong to Italy and additional investors including AUC Angels, and other angel investors. With the funding, Weelo plans to scale operations to Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and across the North Africa…

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Fintech startup Bankly secures US$2m in seed round to accelerate its consumer acquisition

Frank

NIGERIA – Bankly, a fintech startup digitizing cash for the unbanked, has announced that it has raised US$2 million in a seed round to accelerate its consumer acquisition and offer direct-to-consumer (DTC) products to Nigeria’s unbanked and underbanked populations. The seed round was led by Vault with participation from Plug and Play Ventures, Rising Tide Africa and Chrysalis Capital. With the fundraise, Bankly aims to increase its 35,000-customer base in cash-dependent communities by growing the number of its physical “cash in” points by expanding its 15,000 person agent network and…

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