Jake Bright

The government of Rwanda will soon issue national policy guidelines to eliminate gas motorcycles in its taxi sector in favor of e-motos. The country’s president, Paul Kagame, previewed the plan

New York-based startup Tastemakers has raised a $1 million seed-round — led by Precursor Ventures — for its business that connects Africa adventures to global consumers. Tastemakers’ platfor

Pan-African incubator MEST announced investments in 11 startups from its 2019 cohort that will each receive $100,000 in financing. The $1.1 million backing for a graduating class is the largest to dat

Transsion Future Hub, a subsidiary of Chinese mobile-phone and device maker Transsion, is teaming up with Kenya’s Wapi Capital to source and fund early-stage African fintech startups. Headquarte

Nigerian freight logistics startup Kobo360 has raised a $20 million Series A round led by Goldman Sachs and $10 million in working capital financing from Nigerian commercial banks. The company — wit

Zindi is convening Africa’s data scientists to create AI solutions for complex problems. Founded in 2018, the Cape Town-based startup allows companies, NGOs or government institutions to host online

Chinese mobile-phone and device maker Transsion will list in an IPO on Shanghai’s STAR Market, Transsion confirmed to TechCrunch. The company — which has a robust Africa sales network — coul

In July, French television company Canal+ acquired the ROK film studio from VOD company IROKOtv. Canal+ would not disclose the acquisition price, but confirmed there was a cash component of the deal.

Nairobi-based internet hardware and service startup BRCK and Egyptian ride-hail venture Swvl are partnering to bring Wi-Fi and online entertainment to on-demand bus service in Kenya. BRCK will install

Nigerian fintech firm Carbon — an early-stage financial services startup based in Lagos — has posted on its website financials audited by KPMG. This comes four months after the company obtained a

San Francisco and Lagos-based fintech startup Flutterwave has partnered with Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba’s Alipay to offer digital payments between Africa and China. Flutterwave is a Nige

When it comes to VC, vehicles, and startups, Africa’s ride-hail markets are becoming a multi-wheeled and global affair. The big players such as Uber and Bolt are competing in Kampala and Nairobi—w

VertoFX, an Africa and emerging markets-focused currency trading and payment startup, has raised a $2.1 million seed round, led by Accelerated Digital Ventures. The London-based company, with a subsid

Harley-Davidson will release its first production electric motorcycle, the LiveWire, in September. Yes, the American symbol for internal combustion, chrome and steel is going all-in on two-wheeled EVs

French television company Canal+ has acquired the ROK film studio from VOD company IROKOtv for an undisclosed amount. Founded by Jason Njoku in 2010 — and backed by $45 million  in VC — IROKOtv b

OPay, an Africa-focused mobile payments startup founded by Norwegian browser company Opera, has raised $50 million in funding. Lead investors include Sequoia China, IDG Capital and Source Code Capital

Global ride-hail startup InDriver launches its app-based service in Kampala (Uganda) this week. After going live in Nairobi in June, the online taxi company now operates in four African countries: Ken

Competition in Africa’s two-wheel ride-hail market is accelerating. Nigerian motorcycle transit startup MAX.ng was the latest startup to add funding, raising a $7 million funding round in June w

Founders Factory Africa and South African healthcare company Netcare will select 35 African health-tech startups for an acceleration and incubation program. The partnership includes an investment (of

South African digital lender Lulalend has raised a $6.5 million Series A round co-led by IFC and Quona Capital. The Cape Town based startup uses an online application process and internal credit metri