Browsing: Startups in Africa

• Despite a challenging economic climate, cleantech and internet connectivity sectors lead the way, with Kenya spearheading investment activity.
• Debt funding, often overshadowed by venture capital, played a dominant role in terms of volume, with transactions totaling over $26 million for November alone.
• The dual reliance on debt and equity highlights the adaptability of African startups in securing resources to fuel their growth.

As 2024 winds down, the African startup ecosystem finds itself in a less-than-rosy funding environment. According to data from startup funding tracker Briter Bridges, over 580 startups in over 30 African markets secured $1.9 billion through more than 670 deals that were disclosed this year.

This marks a noticeable decline in both funding volume and deal count compared to 2023, a scenario that is attributable to global economic challenges that have seen the tightening of the purse strings of investors.

Why African startups faced funding dip in 2024

• “Africa is like China 20 years ago, you see where China is now, so Africa is moving there,” Nael Hailemariam, Founder/CEO Chapa tells global leaders, and investors at AIM Congress 2024.
• Africa’s startup evolution is on, fueled by innovation and a youthful demographic dividend.
• This comparison of Africa to China’s meteoric rise serves as a compelling narrative for investors seeking untapped markets brimming with promise.

A panel discussion titled “The New Geographical Focus of Startups: Spreading Digital Innovation to Africa and Other Places” at the ongoing AIM Congress 2024 in Abu Dhabi has shed light on the startup evolution unfolding across Africa.

Expert speakers lifted the lid on the continent’s burgeoning potential, citing untapped opportunities that are ripe for investment. Nael Hailemariam, CEO/Cofounder of online payment gateway Chapa, captured Africa’s momentum, likening it to China’s trajectory two decades ago. “Africa is like China 20 years ago, you see where …

• 121 African startups secured $466M, marking a 27 per cent drop from the previous quarter; women-led startups got 6.5 per cent of the capital.
• About 87 per cent of startup funding in the three months to March went to entities in Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa.
• Gender imbalance persists as only 6.5 per cent of the financing went to female-led startups in Africa.

The big four economies of Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt continue to attract the highest share of funding going to startups in Africa, even as the ecosystem suffered a 27 per cent drop in financing to $466 million in the three months to March 2024.

The latest analysis from Africa: The Big Deal shows that 87 per cent of startup funding in the three months to March went to upcoming entities in Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa.

Attracting $160 million, Nigeria’s economy accounted for …

• Nala Money has Payment Service Provider licenses in several countries, including its founder’s home, Tanzania.
• In 2020, Africa’s e-payments industry, across domestic and cross-border payments, generated approximately $24 billion in revenues, of which about $15 billion was domestic electronic payments.
• Africa’s domestic e-payments market is expected to see revenues grow by approximately 20 per cent per year, reaching around $40 billion by 2025

“Little did I know that if a European-based client of mine could have subscribed to Nala Money, I would have received $100 more to my fee.  Unlike Nala, the money order service I use has a low exchange rate and is somehow unconventional.”

This testament is not a promotion or a boost for the latter but an admission of facts and experiences Tanzanians who might receive remittance often or once could face.

Nala, started by Tanzanian youth Benjamin Fernandes in 2017, aimed to increase economic opportunities for …

• Global tech giants are meeting in Marrakech in May for the GITEX Africa expo as they seek a slice digital economy in the continent.
• Investors will be keen on learning tech advances in digital health, finance, AI consumer tech, cloud and IoT, as well as cybersecurity among others.
• GITEX Africa is organised by KAOUN International, an affiliate of Dubai World Trade Centre, which also organises GITEX GLOBAL show in the UAE.

This year, thousands of investors and entrepreneurs are converging in Marrakech, Morocco, for GITEX Africa, a signature tech and start-up expo that is poised to define the next phase of the continent’s digital economy.

The show, now in its second edition, comes under the Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco. GITEX Africa, which is scheduled from 29-31 May 2024, is organised under the authority of the Moroccan Ministry of Digital Transition and Administration …

• Startups seeking to scale across Africa face a unique set of communication challenges.
• While culture, infrastructure woes, and regulations pose significant challenges, innovation offers opportunities to overcome these hurdles.
• Players in the industry such as Beem are developing effective enterprise communication products that firms can tap into to scale their operations across Africa.

Africa is emerging as a hotspot for entrepreneurial activity, with startups acrborsa prima classe jock strap deuce vaughn jersey latex hood air jordan 1 low flyease air jordan 1 low flyease uberlube luxury lubricant 8 ft kayak oregon football jerseys inflatable kayak yeezy shoes under 1000 nike air jordan 1 elevate low custom sublimated hockey jerseys 8 ft kayak decathlon bmx oss various industries in different economies scaling up. However, as these startups expand across economies, they are encountering a unique set of communication challenges that often jeopardize their success.

From navigating the maze of cultural …

Forty-three leading global investors from Africa, Europe, the US, and the Middle East have signed up to participate virtually in the 8^th Angel Fair Africa on 5^th November 2020.

The investors are from Angel Africa List (AAL), Africa Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (AVCA), America Capital Association (ACA), Women-In-Capital (WIC), Viktoria Business Angel Network, Brightmore Capital, amongst others. Anime Partners and MSM Property Fund are supporting the investor participation.

The ten selected ventures to pitch to these investors have gone through our one-month Africa Virtual Accelerator (AVA) @ https://www.africavirtualaccelerator.com/in.php. They are, ShopMeAway led by Racine Carr; Kalpay led by Ibrahima Kane; AgroInnova led by Amos Narh; Adi&Bolga led by Abimbola Oladeji; Kladika led by Muthoni Mwangi; Gift Pesa led by Pamela Muriuki; Ejoobi led by Simangele Mphahlele; Kweza led by Ropafadzo Musvaire, Afrijob Network led by Harriet Kariuki and Curacel led by Henry Mascot. Their participation …