The Latest from Jake Bright
Kenya’s Apollo Agriculture raises $6M Series A led by Anthemis
Apollo Agriculture believes it can attain profits by helping Kenya’s smallholder farmers maximize theirs. That’s the mission of the Nairobi-based startup that raised $6 million in Series
U.S. House approves remote voting, though the tech is unclear
Congress will allow remote voting for the first time in its history, after the U.S. House approved Resolution 965 late Friday in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The measure — sponsored by Mass
Opera’s OPay still plans Africa expansion on Nigerian super app
Opera’s Africa fintech startup OPay remains committed to building a multi-service super app in Nigeria as the foundation to expand on the continent. OPay also continues to operate ORide for limi
Novastar Ventures becomes $200M African VC fund after $108M raise
African startups have another $100 million in VC to pitch for after Novastar Ventures’ latest raise. The Nairobi and Lagos-based investment group announced it has closed $108 million in new comm
The missing links to grading Harley-Davidson’s EV pivot
As Harley-Davidson rounds year one on its electric debut, we’re still riding in the fog on how to evaluate the company’s EV pivot. The American symbol of gas, chrome and steel released its first p
Nigeria’s Helium Health raises $10M Series A for Africa expansion
Nigerian startup Helium Health sits in a good position during a difficult period, according to its co-founder. The Lagos based healthtech venture is in the black, has batted away acquisition offers, a
Andela CEO confirms staff cuts as layoffs hit African tech
Africa-focused tech talent accelerator Andela has let go 135 employees, CEO Jeremy Johnson confirmed to TechCrunch. Senior staff at the company — with offices in New York and four African countries
Why COVID-19 could delay Interswitch, Africa’s next big IPO
The economic effects of COVID-19 could delay Africa’s next big IPO — that of Nigerian fintech unicorn Interswitch. If so, it wouldn’t be the first time the Lagos-based payments company&#
Africa Roundup: Visa connects to M-Pesa, Flutterwave enters e-commerce
It seems the demand for Safaricom’s M-Pesa payment product never eases. Since its 2007 launch in Kenya, the fintech app has commanded over 70% of the mobile money market in that country. When CO
Visa and Kenya’s Safaricom partner on M-Pesa, payments and tech
Visa just connected to Africa’s most powerful mobile payments network. The global financial services company and Kenyan telecom Safaricom — operator of the M-Pesa mobile money product — anno
African fintech firm Flutterwave launches SME e-commerce portal
San Francisco and Lagos-based fintech startup Flutterwave has launched Flutterwave Store, a portal for African merchants to create digital shops to sell online. The product is less Amazon and more e
Goldman-backed ventures Jumia and Twiga partner on produce in Kenya
Pan-African e-commerce company Jumia and B2B agtech startup Twiga Foods are partnering to deliver produce in Kenya using adaptive measures during COVID-19. Jumia offers online goods and services verti
Nigeria’s Okra raises $1M from TLcom connecting bank accounts to apps
A new Nigerian fintech venture, Okra, has racked up a unique mix of accomplishments in less than a year. The Lagos based API developer created a product that generates revenues from both payment start
In Nigeria, PalmPay waives fees and creates ₦100M COVID-19 payout fund
Africa-focused payment startup PalmPay will waive transfer fees in Nigeria and offer direct payouts to customers who have contracted COVID-19 in the West African country. The venture — that launched
NYSE trading and IPOs won’t halt through COVID-19 says vice chairman
Trading and IPOs on the New York Stock Exchange will continue through any economic tremors the COVID-19 crisis may cause. That’s according to the NYSE’s vice chairman, John Tuttle, who spo
Chinese startup Rokid pitches COVID-19 detection glasses in US
Thermal imaging wearables used in China to detect COVID-19 symptoms could soon be deployed in the U.S. Hangzhou based AI startup Rokid is in talks with several companies to sell its T1 glasses in Amer
African genomics startup 54gene raises $15M led by Adjuvant Capital
Greater availability of African genomic data could lead to medical breakthroughs for the continent’s 1.2 billion people. That’s the driving proposition of 54gene — a U.S. and Nigeria-bas
Energica CEO plots her Italian EV company’s reboot from lockdown
There could be more demand for electric vehicles post COVID-19 crisis, believes Energica founder Livia Cevolini. The CEO of the high-performance Italian motorcycle manufacturer offered that point of o
Jack Dorsey creates $1B COVID-19 relief fund using Square equity
Jack Dorsey announced in a series of tweets today that he is shifting $1 billion in his Square equity to create a fund dedicated to COVID-19 relief. The Twitter and Square CEO is calling the fund Star
NASCAR retains sponsors for esports series as Bubba Wallace loses his
NASCAR drivers can now lose real-world sponsors for conduct in virtual competition. That’s what happened to Bubba Wallace on April 5 when he rage-quit a race in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitatio