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What has KOBO360 been up to in the last 2 years?
Before fintechs became the standouts of the African tech ecosystem, it was startups in the online logistics and transport space in Africa linking on-demand apps to move people and goods around the continent that was all the rave. For the online logistics space, it’s not difficult to see why investors were quite curious about the…
Google’s third bet from its Africa Investment Fund is in logistics company Lori Systems
Lori Systems, an African on-demand logistics and trucking company digitizing haulage and providing shippers with solutions to manage their cargo and transporters, has raised a pre-Series B round in which…
Kenya’s Jumba bags $1M to help operators of hardware stores restock seamlessly
The construction industry in Kenya is so big that it is among the few globally that expanded amidst the COVID lockdowns of 2020. And it is not showing any signs…
Mecho Autotech gets $2.15M to expand vehicle maintenance and repair services in Nigeria
Nigeria has more than 12 million registered vehicles, and approximately 90% of them are used cars that need frequent checkups to prevent recurring breakdowns. Given this number, one would expect…
Kenyan tech-enabled logistics platform Amitruck raises $4 million, embarks on Uganda, Tanzania expansion
The shipping business in Africa has for years been inefficient and costly due to the traditional ways of managing operations — traditional in the sense that a shipper has to…
Nigeria’s Autochek raises $3.4M for car sales and service platform
Nigeria based startup Autochek looks to bring the sales and servicing of cars in Africa online. The newly founded venture has closed a $3.4 million pre-seed round co-led by TLcom…
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…
CcHub funds tech to curb COVID-19 on concerns of an Africa outbreak
Africa’s largest innovation incubator, CcHub, will offer funding and engineering support to tech projects aimed at curbing COVID-19 and its social and economic impact. The Lagos and Nairobi based organization…
South African fintech startup Jumo raises second $50M+ VC round
South African fintech startup Jumo closed a $55 million round from a diverse group of investors, the company confirmed. Founded in 2015 and based in Cape Town, the venture offers…
Sokowatch raises $14M to digitize Africa’s informal B2B supply-chain
Kenya based B2B e-commerce startup Sokowatch has raised $14 million in Series A funding toward its mission of revamping supply-chain markets for Africa’s informal retailers. From Nairobi, the company has…
Africa Roundup: Trump’s Nigeria ban, Paga’s acquisition and raises, Flutterwave’s $35M and Sendy’s $20M
The first month of the new year saw Africa enter the fray of U.S. politics. The Trump administration announced last week it would halt immigration from Nigeria — Africa’s most…
Africa has one of the world’s fastest growing tech markets and Nigeria is becoming its unofficial capital. The West African nation is commonly associated with negative cliches around corruption and…
Trump to halt immigration from Africa’s top tech hub, Nigeria
The Trump administration announced Friday it would halt immigration from Nigeria — Africa’s most populous nation with the continent’s largest economy and leading tech sector. The restrictions would stop short…
Kenyan logistics startup Sendy raises $20M round backed by Toyota
Africa’s logistics startup space has gained another multi-million-dollar round with global backing. Kenyan company Sendy — with an on-demand platform that connects clients to drivers and vehicles for goods delivery…
Trump’s travel ban could extend to Africa’s top tech country, Nigeria
The Trump administration is poised to add several African countries to a U.S. travel ban list, including Africa’s top tech hub, Nigeria. Politico first reported the White House is considering…
What we know (and don’t) about Goldman Sachs’ Africa VC investing
Goldman Sachs is investing in African tech companies. The venerable American investment bank and financial services firm has backed startups from Kenya to Nigeria and taken a significant stake in…
Nigeria’s Rensource raises $20M to power African markets by solar
Nigerian startup Rensource Energy has raised a $20 million Series A round co-led by CRE Venture Capital and the Omidyar network. The renewable energy company builds and operates solar-powered micro-utilities…
African logistics startup Lori Systems raises Series A led by Chinese investors
African on-demand trucking logistics company Lori Systems has raised a Series A round led by Chinese investors Hillhouse Capital and Crystal Stream Capital. Other participating investors included Nigeria and U.S.-based…
Africa Roundup: Goldman backs Kobo360, Rwanda commits to EVs, Interswitch IPO update
Nigerian freight logistics startup Kobo360 raised a $20 million Series A round led by Goldman Sachs and $10 million in working capital financing from Nigerian commercial banks. The company — with an Uber-like app…
Nigerian logistics startup Kobo360 raises $30M backed by Goldman Sachs
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…
Y Combinator-backed Trella brings transparency to Egypt’s trucking and shipping industry
Y Combinator has become one of the key ways that startups from emerging markets get the attention of American investors. And arguably no clutch of companies has benefited more from…
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…
Nigerian startup Tizeti launches WifiCall.ng IP voice call service
Nigeria based startup Tizeti, an internet service provider, today launched WifiCall.ng—an internet voice-calling platform for individuals and businesses. WifiCall is a VoIP—or Voice over Internet Protocol—subscription service that allows unlimited…
Seven Africa-focused startups present at Y Combinator’s Demo Day
The seven Africa-focused companies that presented as part of Y Combinator’s Winter 2019 class of 200 startups may seem like a small percentage for such a large class, but it…
Nigerian logistics startup Kobo360 raises $6M, expands in Africa
Nigerian trucking logistics startup Kobo360 has raised $6 million to upgrade its platform and expand operations to Ghana, Togo and Cote D’Ivoire.
MallforAfrica goes global, Kobo360 and Sokowatch raise VC, France explains its $76M fund
B2B e-commerce company Sokowatch closed a $2 million seed investment led by 4DX Ventures. Others to join the round were Village Global, Lynett Capital, Golden Palm Investments and Outlierz Ventures.
Nigerian logistics startup Kobo360 accepted into YC, raises $1.2 million
When Nigerian logistics startup Kobo360 interviewed for Y Combinator’s 2018 cohort, a question stood out to founder Obi Ozor. “What’s holding you back from becoming a unicorn?,” they asked. “My answer was…
