Johnstone Kpilaakaa

BioNTech’s InstaDeep picks Rwanda as AI research hub in Africa

InstaDeep CEO Karim Beguir says that the startup is set to launch an office in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, to strengthen AI research in Africa.

Meet 34 female angel and venture capital investors in Africa

We curated a list of 34 African women who are investing in the tech ecosystem on the continent.

Nestcoin raises $1.9 million to build Onboard, its non-custodial crypto wallet

Nigerian crypto and Web3 startup, Nestcoin has raised $1.9 million in a strategic round to fuel the growth of its new product, Onboard Wallet.

Itana (fka Talent City) raises $2M pre-seed to build Africa’s first digital free zone

Itana, formerly known as Talent City, has secured $2 million from LocalGlobe, Pronomos Capital, and Future Africa, to build what it describes as “Africa’s first digital free zone”.

Meet Alex Okosi, the new managing director for Google in Africa

Google has appointed Alex Okosi as the managing director in Africa. Until his appointment, Okosi was the managing director for YouTube in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) emerging markets.

Catalyst Fund announces first close of $40M cleantech fund for African startups

Catalyst Fund has closed the first round of its $40 million venture capital fund and accelerator. The fund will be invested into African cleantech startups.

Kotani Pay secures $2M pre-seed to drive offline cross-border crypto payments in Africa

Despite the significant impact remittance has on developing countries, the cost of sending money across borders is still above the United Nations sustainable development goal of 3% with Sub-Saharan Africa having the highest average remittance cost of about 7.8%.

₿trust acquires Qala, an African Bitcoin developer trainer

Jack Dorsey and Jay Z-funded ₿trust has acquired Qala, an African Bitcoin developer trainer in an undisclosed deal. Qala is co-founded by four Bitcoin experts including two ₿trust board members.

Okra Solar raises $12M to power mesh-grid electrification in Africa

Cleantech startup, Okra Solar has raised a $12 million Series A to enable mesh-grid electrification in Africa.

BD Insider 186: Why Nigerian telcos may increase tariffs

In this letter, we explored the rising cost of Nigerian telcos’ energy, Uber's first electric bikes in Africa, and Safaricom's plan to introduce standing orders on M-PESA.

BD Insider 185: Piggyvest hits ₦1.1 trillion payouts within six years

“The situation is being handled,” according to investors at Float. We also covered the payouts made by Piggyvest since 2016.

Kenyan blockchain experts are challenging the legality of the crypto tax

Blockchain Association of Kenya has moved to court to challenge the legality of the digital asset tax introduced by the Kenyan government through the 2023 Finance Act..