Apple has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli start-up working on artificial intelligence technology for audio. Apple did not disclose terms of the deal for Q.ai, which was backed by venture capital firms Matter Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Spark Capital, Exor and GV, formerly known as Google Ventures. The deal valued the start-up at about US$1.6-billion, according…
Apple has significantly bolstered its artificial intelligence ambitions by acquiring the Israel-based startup Q.ai. While Apple has not officially disclosed the financial terms, reports from the Financial Times value the transaction at nearly $2 billion. If confirmed, this would represent Apple’s second-largest acquisition in history, eclipsed only by the $3 billion purchase of Beats in…
Africa’s tech ecosystem raised $3 billion in 2025, up 33% from the previous year, as investors returned to deal-making after a prolonged slowdown. Funding rounds closed, acquisitions went through, and activity rebounded across major markets, per a TechCabal report. Yet alongside the recovery, a series of high-profile deals failed to materialize, exposing a tougher investment…
Africa’s startup ecosystem is emerging from two difficult years with renewed momentum, buoyed by a funding rebound that is increasingly being driven by local venture capital. Data shared during the AfricArena Grand Summit in December 2025 showed that startup funding on the continent was on track to reach about US$3 billion in 2025, up from…
Nkosinathi Temba, co-founder and CEO of Thito.io. South African education start-up Thuto.io is expanding its footprint, offering a platform that combines AI-driven learning, real-time progress tracking, and a digital allowance system to address gaps in student motivation and academic accountability. The platform was developed by Nkosinathi Temba, co-founder and CEO, who began working on the…
SpeakUp team on the final episode of The Final Pitch Dubai on OSN & OSN+ (Photo: AETOSWire) SpeakUp, the AI-powered matching app launched in April 2025 in Dubai, delivered one of the defining moments of the season on OSN’s The Final Pitch Dubai, the regional adaptation of Shark Tank. In the final episode aired on…
Jonathan Ross, chief executive officer of Groq Inc., during the GenAI Summit in San Francisco, California, US, on Thursday, May 30, 2024. David Paul | Bloomberg | Getty Images Nvidia has agreed to buy assets from Groq, a designer of high-performance artificial intelligence accelerator chips, for $20 billion in cash, according to Alex Davis, CEO…
A fledgling social media platform has asked the US Patent and Trademark Office to cancel trademarks for Twitter so it can take them for itself, contending that billionaire Elon Musk’s X Corp has abandoned them. The Virginia-based start-up, Operation Bluebird, said in its 2 December petition that it wants to be allowed to use “Twitter”…
Capitec group CEO Graham Lee. Capitec has entered into a binding agreement to acquire 100% of fintech start-up Walletdoc, subject to regulatory approvals. In a statement, the bank says the acquisition marks a significant milestone in its strategy to offer secure payment acceptance to Capitec Business clients and e-commerce solutions to Capitec Personal Banking clients….
Nairobi — Viktoria Ventures has been named “Angel Network of the Year 2025” at the Africa Early-Stage Investor Summit (AESIS) in Cape Town, earning recognition for its role in strengthening angel investing networks and early-stage financing across the continent. The award, presented by the African Business Angel Network (ABAN) and VC4A, highlights years of work…
