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 wh
Kenyan logistics startup Sendy has laid off 10% of its 300-strong workforce, or 30 employees, according to pan-African news publication TechCabal. This is the latest public layoff news from Africa ov
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 physically look for
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 compan
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 populous nation with
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 vehic
2019 brought more global attention to Africa’s tech scene than perhaps any previous year. A high-profile IPO, visits by both Jacks (Ma and Dorsey) and big Chinese startup investment energized th
November 2019 could mark when Nigeria (arguably) became Africa’s unofficial capital for fintech investment and digital finance startups. The month saw $360 million invested in Nigerian-focused p
In this week's newsletter: China's pivot to Africa, another big scooter funding and a new entry to the unicorn club.
Africa-focused payment startup PalmPay has launched in Nigeria after raising a $40 million seed round led by Chinese mobile-phone maker Transsion. The investment came via Transsion’s Tecno subsi
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 Nige
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
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 Y Combinator’
The African no-fee, cross-border payment startup Chipper Cash has raised a $2.4 million seed round led by Deciens Capital. The payments company also persuaded 500 Startups and Liquid 2 Ventures — co
Nigerian trucking logistics startup Kobo360 has raised $6 million to upgrade its platform and expand operations to Ghana, Togo and Cote D’Ivoire.
For Lori Systems chief executive and co-founder Josh Sandler, deals like the one between his company and the Kenyan government to solve last-mile solutions around the national railroad are about far m
Every year, TechCrunch chooses an elite cohort of startups to compete in Startup Battlefield — TechCrunch’s premier global startup launch competition. This year’s selection was the
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. "M
At the very beginning, there were 15 startups coming from all around Africa. After an incredibly fierce competition in Nairobi, Kenya, here are the winners of TechCrunch's first ever Startup Battlefie
On Wednesday, October 11 at 9:00 AM EAT in Nairobi, Kenya, the first Startup Battlefield Africa kicks off and is available for viewing with this livestream. TechCrunch is honored to host this event a